| A quantitative, quasi-experimental research design was utilized to assess the influence that participation in a postsecondary employee tuition assistance program (ETAP), the target variable, exerts on employee attitudes. No research has assessed employer-sponsored current education and its influence on employees' attitudes toward the organizational transformation initiative, employee-employer contract, and leader integrity and capability because of this lack of information, an informed decision relating the value of education to employee awareness, acceptance, and readiness during the transformation is deficient. The study targeted the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), a federal, public sector organization that is implementing a transformation initiative known as business system modernization (BSM). The study assessed ETAP participant and non-ETAP participant attitudes toward this transformation event. The attitudes of awareness, acceptance, and readiness toward a specific organizational transformation initiative, the underlying individual attitudes toward the organizational employee-employer contract, and trust in the integrity and capability of organizational leaders were the dependent variables (DVs). These DVs of 94 ETAP participants and 565 non-ETAP participants were measured through a censuswide questionnaire at the DSCP. The instrument used a 6-point Likert scale to assess significant effects. Data were analyzed for significance using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results indicated that the ETAP participants had more favorable attitudes toward the dependent variables however, the relationship between ETAP participation and attitudes in relation to age, years of service, gender, and education level were not significant. This study was completed under the guidance of the Walden University Public Policy and Administration Program. This study contributes insight into organizational change in the public sector and the value of employer investment in education in facilitating that change. Public sector organizations and the public service workforce have different attributes and characteristics that may not directly transfer into the private sector environment. Different demographics such as age, gender, education level, and tenure may have different levels of motivators that can be used to improve attitudinal favorableness. This study pointed to the need for additionally categorizing the respondents and determining remedial activities based on these demographics. |
