Effective training design: use of theory and formative assessment

Effective nutrition education training should be guided by sound theory that specifically addresses behavior change. A 3-hour training was developed using diffusion of innovations (DOI) and social cognitive theories and formative assessment. Essential training components included interactive learning techniques and curriculum lesson practice. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze training satisfaction, paired samples t tests determined pre- to posttraining differences, and Pearson correlations and stepwise multiple regression were conducted to explore predictors of future curriculum use. Paraprofessional nutrition educators (NEs) and their supervisors rated the training high in acceptability, benefit, and clarity. NEs and supervisors improved knowledge about teaching the curriculum (t = 5.12, p < .01 and t = 8.31, p < .01, respectively), confidence (t = 3.93, p < .01 and t = 3.62, p < .01, respectively), motivation (t = 3.71, p < .01 and t = 2.63, p < .05, respectively), and information (t = 7.17, p < .01 and t = 4.15, p < .01, respectively) to teach the curriculum. The DOI attributes of relative advantage and trialability were correlated with intended future curriculum use by NEs (r = .577, p = .002 and r = .418, p = .027, respectively). Relative advantage was correlated with intended use by supervisors (r = .502, p = .040). These results underscore the importance of using both theory and formative assessment for successful training development.