A Factor Structure of Professionals' Attitude towards Continuing Education and its Relationship to Participation

Authors

  • Baiyin Yang The University of Georgia

Abstract

This article investigates the structure of professionals' attitude towards a continuing education program. Data for the article was obtained from 323 veterinary practitioners in the province of Alberta. An exploratory factor analysis led to the identification of three dimensions of attitude towards a continuing professional education (CPE) program: relevance, benefit, and accessibility. The relationship between the professionals' attitude with their previous and future participation behaviors in CPE programs was also examined. The findings suggest that a multidimensional structure of attitude offers a more meaningful understanding of perceptions about the information provided by organizers of CPE programs than a unidimensional conceptualization of attitude. Implications for future research and continuing education practice are discussed.

Résumé

Cette étude examine la structure de l'attitude de professionals a l'égard d'un programme deformation continue. Les données de l'étude ont été recueillies auprès de trois cents vingt-trois vétérinaires praticiens de l'Alberta. Une analyse fatorielle exploratoire a mener a Identification de trois dimensions de I'attitude des professionnels à l'égard du programme de formation continue (CPE): soit, la pertinence, les avantages et l'accessibilité. La relation entre l'attitude des professionnels envers leur comportement dans leur participation antérieure aux programmes CPE et leur attitude envers leur comportement dans leur participation future, a aussi été examinée. Les conclusions de l'étude semble indiquer que la conceptualisation d'une structure multidimensionelle plutôt qu'une structure unidimensionelle de l'attitude des professionnels envers ces programmes permet une meilleure compréhension des perceptions qu'ils ont de l'information fournie par les organisateurs des programmes CPE. Les implications pour la recherche et les pratiques en formation continue sont aussi abordées.

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Published

1995-11-01

How to Cite

Yang, B. (1995). A Factor Structure of Professionals’ Attitude towards Continuing Education and its Relationship to Participation. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 9(2), 41–54. Retrieved from https://cjsae.library.dal.ca/cjsae/article/view/2088

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (1995)

Section

Articles

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