Special Operations Forces Mission-related Language Requirements: What Skills Should Be Tested?
Abstract
This presentation, delivered to the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Testing Committee on 22 MAR 2014, summarized results from two organizational-level needs assessments conducted by SWA Consulting Inc. in 2004 and 2009 that captured SOF operators and leaders perceptions of mission-related language needs. Organizational-level needs assessments are used to identify gaps between current and desired states across an organization, as well as examine related factors that influence the gap. The information gleaned from an organizational-level needs assessment can be used by the organization to inform policy and strategy. In both studies, operators and leaders reported that participatory speaking and listening were the most frequently used communicative modalities on deployment. Further, operators and leaders indicated that the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), which measures participatory speaking and listening, is more related to their language-related job requirements than the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT), which measures non-participatory listening and reading. In summary, both studies showed that there is a lack of alignment between what is required by the mission, what is tested, and what is incentivized.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA610539
Entities
People
- Eric A. Surface
- Sarah C. Bienkowski