Impact of REALTRAIN and Conventional Combined Arms Exercises on Participant Morale
Abstract
This research examined the immediate impact on the morale of combat units stationed in Germany of two types of combined arms exercises. Armor and infantry personnel undergoing 1 week of either platoon-level REALTRAIN (n = 22 platoons) or conventional field exercises within a battalion Army Training and Evaluation Program (ARTEP) (N = 9 companies) were administered an instrument designed to assess nine specific morale components. These components reflected respondents' motivation before and satisfaction after the exercises, as well as their general job satisfaction and unit cohesiveness in the Army. The results indicated that higher levels of exercise-specific satisfaction were evidenced after completion of REALTRAIN than expected before, whereas the reverse was found for more conventional exercises. A similar pattern of findings emerged for certain job-satisfaction dimensions, but the pattern was not as pronounced as that related to the exercises. In sum, REALTRAIN had a significant positive impact on six (p less than .05) of the nine morale components and no effect on three, while the conventional exercises had a positive influence on only one component and a negative effect on six (p less than .10).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA060559
Entities
People
- John F. Hayes
- Paul R. Bleda
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences