A corporate training initiative receives glowing satisfaction scores and favorable participant feedback immediately following the session; however, subsequent workplace evaluations indicate zero measurable improvement in actual employee job performance. Which inference is MOST theoretically sound based on training evaluation principles?

In Donald Kirkpatrick's Training Evaluation Model, each level measures a distinct dimension of training success: Level 1 (Reaction) measures how much participants enjoyed or appreciated the training session. A favorable reaction does not guarantee that actual learning took place (Level 2), that skills were transferred to the workplace (Level 3: Behaviour), or that business performance improved (Level 4: Results). This highlights the phenomenon of "happy sheets"—where trainees rate a session highly due to an engaging instructor or environment despite learning transfer being absent.