The Socioeconomic Background and Performance of West Point Graduates

Abstract

The social mobility study was undertaken to determine whether any patterns in selection, retention, and/or performance exist for any particular socioeconomic groups among USMA officers in the Army. The sample was comprised of the Classes of 1961 through 1965, from entrance to current status (as of 1 Dec '71). The results of the study indicate: (a) that there is a strong bias in favor of the selection and retention of the sons of fathers in the Military profession: (b) that more is expected of those in the lower social classes than of those from the Military profession, for admission to West Point; (c) that those from middle and lower social classes perform as well as those from higher social classes, both at West Point and in the Army; and (d) that those from the socially-oriented professions and middle and lower-middle classes are more apt to perform outstandingly in critical situations than those from other occupational categories.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1972
Accession Number
ADA077767

Entities

People

  • Joseph E. Marron

Organizations

  • United States Military Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Artillery
  • California
  • Education
  • New England
  • New York
  • Personnel Management
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Ratings
  • Regression Analysis
  • Schools
  • Social Sciences
  • Statistics
  • Students
  • Training
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Gender and Food Studies
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.
  • Parallel and Distributed Computing.