Assessing Character in U.S. Army Initial Entry Training
Abstract
The U.S. Armys commitment to the development of adaptive Soldiers inculcated in the Army Values is a critical element of Initial Entry Training (IET) a sub-set of Initial Military Training. In IET, trainees not only learn and are assessed on technical and tactical skills, but also on character - how they live and uphold the Army Values in everyday activities. This research showcases a strategy and provides tools for assessing and tracking character in Basic Combat Training (BCT), a component of IET. Trainee responses on peer evaluations and ethical decision-making questions were digitally captured using audience response clicker technology. An Excel-based tracking tool was developed to automatically store and analyze the assessment data. The character assessment tools were developed in Part 1 and piloted in Part 2, revealing that instructional techniques and technology interacted to differentially affect learning outcomes. In Part 3, a longitudinal evaluation was conducted, providing initial empirical reliability and validity evidence for the assessment tools. This research seeks to meet the key challenge of assessing character in a manner that facilitates Soldier development while also providing Army Leaders with data analytics to inform programmatic decisions. Copies of the character assessment tools and user guides are available from the Defense Technical Information Center.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1077839
Entities
People
- Andrew Naber
- Charles Nocker
- Corrine M. Gerard
- Elizabeth R. Uhl
- Frederick J. Diedrich
- Giovanna Ubillus
- Jennifer S. Tucker
- Jessica Shenberger-trujillo
- Krista L. Ratwani
- Kristy Reynolds
- Patrick Cummings
- Scott M. Flanagan
- Tatiana H. Toumbeva
Organizations
- Aptima (United States)