http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/12428/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/7685/ 2006-04-27T00:00:00Z In recent years, higher education has shown an increased interest in self-instruction for professional skills training, because of increased student numbers and decreased availability of staff. In this context, various types of self-instruction programmes for skills training have already shown positive effects (Hommes, Van der Molen, & Lang, 1994; Schönrock-Adema, 2002). The present dissertation concerns the construction and evaluation of a self-instruction programme (SIP) for basic training in professional communication skills for students in Psychology at the Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL). This programme was developed in 1995 by the Faculty of Psychology of the OUNL, in cooperation with the Psychology Department of the University of Groningen. New in this particular programme is the use of unsupervised training sessions in which students practice communication skills. Standard training procedures normally include supervision for these sessions. The studies described in this thesis focused on the effects of the self-instruction programme on knowledge, skill, selfefficacy, motivation, and transfer in comparison to the effects of supervised training. The theoretical framework was derived from Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977, 1982, 1986), Self-Efficacy Theory (Bandura, 19986, 1997), Expectancy Value Theory (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Atkinson, 1964; Vroom, 1964), and the Transfer Model by Baldwin & Ford (1988).