Longitudinal Study of the Social Network Influences on the Professional Military Development of Cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy
Abstract
The importance of moral leaders in the armed forces of any country is critical to the conduct of the military mission. This is especially true in light of recent scandals in the popular press concerning the U.S. military. The officer corps of any military provides the leadership and guidance to the forces. Although moral development has received significant attention in the research literature, leadership research is lacking in studies on the developmental trajectories of leaders. As both moral (character) and leadership issues are important to training a professional and ethical officer corps, both issues will be examined in this study. This proposed dissertation will look at the professional military developmental trajectories of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Specifically, this proposed dissertation examines moral and leadership development in the context of the social structure of the cadet environment at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The general aims are: (1) To understand, map, and identify the centrality of the social network influences of cadets using social cognitive mapping procedures. (2) To identify peer group influences and dynamics and their impact on the moral and leadership outcomes of cadets as measured by probations (academic, athletic, military, and honor), merit lists, separation (voluntary and involuntary), and performance averages. (3) To identify trajectories of development of these positive and negative outcomes; specifically, the influences of peer social networks on moral and leadership development.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 28, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA372263
Entities
People
- Gary A. Packard Jr
Organizations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill