Educational prerequisites of technical trade training in the armed services

Abstract

This study was the pilot study of a Defence Fellowship Project to ascertain the educational prerequisites of technical trade training in the Armed Services. A mathematics and science topics inventory of 464 items was developed from a curriculum analysis of Years 7 to 11 at a sample of A.C.T. High Schools and Colleges. The inventory was incorporated into a questionnaire which was administered at three Service technical trade training schools to instructors and training designers who were asked to rate the extent each topic was needed to be known to undergo training in their area of speciality. A field trial indicated that the survey instrument gave acceptable reliability (a result confirmed again, later in the study). The inventory data was analyzed by computer using programs similar to the CODAP suite used by the Services to analyze occupational data. Using this method it was possible to establish the precise amount any particular topic in the inventory contributed towards the total educational need. It was also possible to rank all topics from ‘highest need’ to ‘lowest need’. Analysis of responses showed that at all three training schools in the pilot study the mathematics topics most needed were those encountered in Year 7 at High School. There was virtually no requirement at any of the training schools for mathematics topics introduced at High School beyond Year 10. In mathematics, typically 60 to 80 topics in the 270 item mathematics inventory contributed 75 percent of the total need. In an analysis of the different perceptions of respondent sub-samples, NCOs saw a need for a greater number of topics than officers, and training designers saw a need for a much greater number of topics than instructors.

Date of Award	1981
Original language	English