To explore the viability of a new training evaluation criteria, theories from the areas of service, adult education, and training, were combined to form a model of Perceived Quality of Training and Transfer. Operating from the paradigm that training is a service, a rigorous scale development process was initiated to discover the dimensions of perceived quality of training, a new construct within the realm of training evaluation based upon trainees' impressions of training. Thirty-six supporting items, representing nine dimensions of perceived quality of training, formed the scale developed in the first phase of this study.

To test and further refine the perceived quality of training scale, 164 trainees from six different instructor-led training classes in the hospitality industry completed pre-training and post-training surveys that evaluated scale items as expectations as well as perceptions of training. Comparing measurement techniques, findings indicated that a perception only measure of training quality was more highly correlated with trainees' overall quality of training ratings than was a gap measure (perceptions minus expectations).

Exploratory factor analysis conducted in phase 2 of the study revealed that the six dimensions of perceived quality of training, as determined by the perception measurement, are interactivity, climate, courtesy, relevance, tangibles, and credibility. These dimensions are similar to the dimensions of service quality, thereby giving credence to the idea of tapping into eclectic literature bases to address issues of training evaluation. Lastly, test results indicated that the perception measurement of the perceived training quality scale was significantly and positively correlated with trainees' intentions to use training when they returned to their jobs.