Review of Related Literature
Historical & General Background
Getting In
For almost half a century, the U.S. military has been a pioneer in the use of aptitude tests to select individuals with sufficient skills and abilities to absorb military training, adjust to military life, and become successful military members (“History”, n.d.). The Army’s screening of recruits began in World War I, with the Army Alpha and Army Beta Tests, which were replaced with the Army General Classification Test during World War II. When Congress passed the Selective Service Act in 1948, the Department of Defense (DoD) developed the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) in response to Congress’ mandate that a uniform screening test to be used by all services be developed (‘Armed Services,’ 2014). In the 1960’s, DoD decided to develop a standardized military selection and classification test and administer it throughout U.S. high schools. In 1968, the DoD began administering the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery free of charge to interested 10th, 11th and 12th grade students and to students in postsecondary schools as a means to help provide enlistment eligibility information for military service (Armstrong, Chalupsky, McLaughlin, & Dalldorf, 1988), but it wasn’t used for military recruiting until a few years later. As of 1976, three years after the draft ended, the ASVAB was adopted as the single selection and classification battery for enlistment testing, and is administered to all potential recruits, with the results used to determine enlistment eligibility, job placement and the awarding of enlistment bonuses (‘Armed Services,’ 2014; Center, 2009). Table 1 lists and describes the ten different areas scored by the ASVAB.
As stated...
... middle of paper ...
... the Army and the taxpayer suffer when the course prerequisites (the Army’s electronics composite score) don’t accurately reflect a necessary level of knowledge and/or proficiency necessary to be successful in the course and subsequently in the career field as a whole.
Summary of Literature Reviewed
The overall result is that in order for recruits to be successful in training and throughout their career, they must meet the prerequisites that have been proven to predict success necessary for that field. Those prerequisites, however, must be valid, which requires them to be aligned with the training objectives. If the current minimum composite electronics line score is an inadequate measure of the baseline recruits need to have prior to being assigned an electrical-heavy MOS, the Army needs to conduct a needs analysis to determine what that score should be.
Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (U.S.) United States. Department of the Air Force, (2012a) Change management (LM06), Maxwell-Gunter Annex, AL: Department of the Air Force
CF02, Full Range Leadership Development Student Guide. (2012). Maxwell-Gunter AFB. Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC).
Under United States draft law, certain guidelines must be followed to allow men to be...
The Army requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. From the moment a soldier transitions from the civilian sector into the Army, he is indoctrinated with training. Regardless of rank, the Army demands each soldier to be technically proficient and mentally competent in order to be qualified in a respective Military Occupation Specialty. As a soldier progresses in his military career, he is required to continue his education and training. Army leaders are expected and required to continue developing their skills through academic studies, operational experience, and institutional training. An opposing view argues that anyone can learn these skills; however, statistics show less than 0.5% of the population serves in the armed forces, indicating a soldier is a rare mix of intelligence and character.1 These lessons are necessary qualifications to achieve what General Martin Dempsey describes as “effectiveness rather than efficiency.”2 Much like the profession of medicine which must heal, the media which must provide truth, and law which must provide justice, the profession of arms must provide secur...
The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the GI Bill of Rights (GI Bill), was signed into law on June 22, 1944, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 2012). It was a pivotal point in history, which has impacted the United States socially, economically and politically. Today, educational benefits are primary tools used to recruit service members. In 2007-2008, about 4 percent of all undergraduates and about 4 percent of all graduate students were veterans or military service members (Radford, 2011). Furthermore, the recent expansions in benefits increase the use of education benefits by veterans will grow almost 5 percent (Simon, Negrusa, & Warner, 2009). To improve the success in higher education, veterans must ensure they keep updated on current educational assistance programs as well as other educational services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and their institutions.
These categories are: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3(Education Credentials 1). Tier 1 military applicants should have a high school diploma, not a GED. Tier 2 applicants should have a GED, home study diplomas, alternative high school diplomas and occupational program certificates. Tier 2 applicants are a limited number allowed to enlist per year. Tier 3 applicants are almost non-existent in the 21st century armed services.
... a tedious process, but the change can have immense, positive effects for the future college student. The ACT and SAT that supposedly measure a student's learning potential through multiple-choice questions should be replaced by a test of a student's desire to learn determined through the analysis of essays, recommendation letters, and school or community involvement. This change can result in a more academically motivated freshman class. Standardized testing in its current form does not accurately measure most students' learning potential. It does not allow for diversity and creates a huge hurdle for many potential academic achievers. An adjustment to a diverse, open testing format of the ACT or SAT and a stress on the student's other academic accomplishments can accurately measure the student's desire to learn, therefore measuring the student's learning potential.
The most difficult barrier to conducting initial individual training is the varying backgrounds of all of the soldiers. In ...
Readiness is of the utmost importance with training being the most significant aspect that contributes to Readiness. Each Soldier needs an individual training plan. The plan should take the Soldier from enlistment to discharge or retirement. It is each Soldiers responsibility to be proficient in their field craft. This includes being fit mentally and physically, and trained to win in a complex world. It is the responsibility of the NCO to train these Soldiers. Unit training plans will address the readiness and resilience of individual Soldiers to ensure their fitness to accomplish their mission. Units must conduct realistic training at the individual, squad, platoon and company levels focused on Mission Essential Tasks (METs) for their
The two most common aptitude tests administered for high school students are the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT), devised to assess a student’s potential for success and readiness in college. However, experience is still regarded as important; school-related learning, particularly in language and mathematics, is a prerequisite for success on the tests. Because aptitude tests are regarded as reliable, they eliminate teacher bias and differences in teachers’ grading practices, thus, adding valuable information in predicting future college success. There is no widely accepted definition of “aptitude” and “ability,” and the terms are often used
Manpower strengths now became a major issue, which for the first time caused drafts to play an important role for men. The military designated programs to force a more b...
There is an every growing need for college graduates that need government benefits. There are a surplus of able body men and woman looking for a career or a chance to better their life’s using the benefits provide by the Mandatory Military Services Act as a catalyst to improve the standard of living for each citizen. By having experience that will transience to the job market, with the job market being flooded with highly train workers with military background the overall productivity will greatly improve. (Ruschmann
In these days and times of continuous military and terrorist conflict, military soldiers should be required to participate in pre and post deployment health assessments. That brings me to the question, “Why is pre and post deployment health assessments needed?” The revelant of pre and post deployment health assessments will test our soldiers to see if they have any mental issues. Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult. Some are manageable, some are not. Many times, we can successfully deal with them on our own. In some instances, matters get worse and one problem can trigger other more serious issues. At such times, it is wise to check things out and see what is really happening. That introduces the purpose of these totally anonymous and voluntary mental health testing self-assessments. The testing questions are designed so you can review your situation with regard to some of the more common mental health issues including, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, alcohol problems and more. The screening will not provide a diagnosis – for that you need to see a professional. But, it will tell you whether or not you have symptoms that are consistent with a condition or concern that would benefit from further evaluation or treatment. It will also give you guidance as to where you might seek assistance. We are affected by this because we could lose our love ones if we don’t know what kind of mental issues they have.
Webster’s dictionary defines the word profession as a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill. Many Soldiers would not consider the Army as a profession but a way of life. Some think the word profession belongs to everyday jobs like a plumber, mechanic, or doctor. Dr. Don M. Snider stated “the Army is a profession because of the expert work it produces, because the people in the Army develop themselves to be professionals, and because the Army certifies them as such” (Snider, D. M. 2008). In October 2010, the Secretary of the Army directed the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) to lead an Army wide assessment of the state of the Army Profession. We have been at war as a Country for over a decade and the Army wanted to know how to shape the future of the Army as a profession and the effects the past decade had on our profession.
World War I convinced the U.S. Army to use intelligence testing to match recruits with the right military job due to the need to categorize rapidly the millions of men drafted into the army. Hence, two distinct intelligence tests, as developed by Yerkes with other psychologists, were given to the draftees; Army Alpha tests for those able to read English and Army Beta tests for those illiterate in English. Subsequently, the numerical scores of the Alpha and Beta tests were translated to letters grades ranging from A to E. The A group included the high officer type, while the B group included men of less superior