Search

Reviewed is the development and evaluation of the instructional quality inventory (IQI), a systematic methodology for reviewing the three major products of the Instructional Systems Design process--objectives, test items, and instruction--before conducting student tryouts. The empirically based instructional design support system aids developers in choosing instructional alternatives based on cost/benefits and specific resource limitations. The objective of this report, which is intended for course designers and developers and those managing instructional development, was to describe the development and evaluation of the instructional quality inventory (IQI). The intent is to improve the quality of the materials, thereby increasing the effectiveness of later student tryouts. (PN)

This summary of methods for improving the user-computer interface is based on a review of the pertinent literature. Requirements of the personal computer user are identified and contrasted with computer designer perspectives towards the user. The user's psychological needs are described, so that the design of the user-computer interface may be designed to accommodate them. Development of the user-computer interface is discussed in terms of the user's physical, perceptual, and conceptual contacts with the system, and the ideals of the system design--transparency and visibility to the user--are described. Twenty-one dialogue principles identified by a review of dialogue design studies are listed. Additional topics include work station design guidelines and some relevant variables that should be considered in the operator's physical environment. Further research is suggested that will explore the characteristics of efficacious menu selection, develop a theory of the operator, determine the best locus of control for dialogue features, provide guidelines for improving system documentation, and improve user work station habitability. Twenty-four references are listed. (Author/LMM)

This report reviews the background of the Instructional Systems Design (ISD) model (used to develop training for Naval personnel), identifies problems in the ISD process and in its management and implementation, and recommends methods of ISD improvement. The ISD model is described as a process originally developed to remind instructional development experts about steps needed to produce quality instruction, but subsequently implemented to help content specialists (who are relatively inexperienced in instructional design and development) build instruction. It is noted that ISD methods as used by nonexperts are not successful because they lack detailed procedural guidance. Instructional engineering and management problems in implementing ISD are outlined and three alternative solutions to these problems are considered and rejected. Several recent research efforts are then summarized, including the instructional quality inventory (IQI), which provides quality assurance methods for the ISD; the development of guidelines for building more relevant criterion-referenced tests; and the initial development of computer assisted training development. It is recommended that the Naval Education and Training Command (NAVEDTRACOM) develop: (1) systematic methods for monitoring ISD implementation and the performance of ISD practitioners and managers; (2) training and professional development programs for these persons; and (3) automated aids for ISD. A 36-item bibliography and a report distribution list are provided. (Author/ESR)

Because the Navy may be forced to use larger numbers of marginally qualified recruits in the future and thus may have to expand its academic remedial training (ART) program, a study was conducted to compare the instructional and cost effectiveness of the standard classroom approach to ART with the use of a computer assisted instructional (CAI) system known as the Performance-related Enabling Skills Training (PREST) program. PREST, which focuses on improving functional reading and study skills, was used with a Control Data Corporation (CDC) PLATO computer system. A total of 152 recruits at Orlando, Florida, participated in the evaluation, with 75 receiving ART through classroom instruction and 77 through PREST. It was found that: (1) the two groups were equal in instructional benefits in terms of immediate and prolonged improvement; (2) the PREST configuration was less cost effective than the classroom approach in 1980; and (3) if civilian instructors were used and computer usage charges declined by 5% per year, PREST would become cost effective in Orlando in the late 1980's. It is recommended that the PREST program not be substituted for the current ART classroom approach, but that consideration be given to replacing the vocabulary and comprehension ART modules with a computer-based system using low-cost stand-alone microcomputers as the delivery devices. These and other recommendations, study methodology and results, and a 20-item bibliography are included. (ESR)

To ascertain whether cerebral lateralities can be considered aptitudes or individual difference measures within an aptitude-treatment-interaction (ATI) framework, hemispheric asymmetries and cognitive psychometric tests were administered to 50 right-handed, Caucasian, male Navy recruits. Principal factor analysis with varimax rotation was computed for these measures. A major portion of the variability in the data was attributed to cerebral lateralities either acting independently or interactively with cognitive attributes. Their proven construct validity and importance as individual difference indices suggest that hemispheric asymmetries can be considered "aptitudes" within an ATI context. However, a number of conceptual problems, in addition to methodological difficulties, may limit the pedagogical payoff from ATI and asymmetry research. A four-page reference list is included. (Author/LMM)

To determine whether individual differences in student achievement and learning rate are reduced or eliminated by mastery instruction, 166 Navy trainees who had completed a computer-managed course in basic electricity and electronics were cluster-analyzed into groups, using 24 measures of cognitive characteristics. Discriminant analyses were computed between the two derived groups using module test scores and completion times. Groups differed significantly in their achievement in 4 out of 11 modules and in the time required to complete 1 module, but did not demonstrate a progressive decrease in the variability of their achievement and learning rates. Twenty-eight references are listed. (Author/LMM)

To ascertain changes in cognitive correlates of learning as students advance through hierarchical instruction, 24 individual difference measures were obtained from 166 Navy trainees who had completed a computer-managed course in electricity and electronics. Principal component analysis and varimax rotation were computed for cognitive characteristics, producing factor scores that were used in multiple regression analyses to predict achievement in 11 modules of instruction. During acquisition of course content, the cognitive components sampled shifted noticeably in importance throughout the curriculum. The results have implications for research on aptitude treatment interaction (ATI), transition from novice to expert, crystallized and fluid intelligence, task demands of instruction, and computer managed mastery learning. (Author/LMM)

Three experiments were conducted, all employing undergraduates in college courses taught according to personalized system of instruction (PSI) principles. Experiment I examined retention as a function of the feedback delay interval in an introductory anthropology course using short-answer essay tests. Experiment II varied the feedback delay interval, the informational quality of the feedback, and test item type, and Experiment III examined delay and item type in a psychology course on experimental design. Results showed that neither delayed nor immediate feedback produced superior, long-term knowledge retention, regardless of feedback quality. Further, subjects in the immediate feedback conditions did not repeat initial errors more frequently than did delay subjects. The frequent, repeatable-quizzing aspect of PSI may make feedback a less potent variable than in other courses, and results do not support the use of immediate feedback when cost considerations and convenience or administration are important. Fourteen references and 16 data tables are included. (LMM)

An irrelevant auditory probe procedure was used to evoke brain event-related potentials (ERPs) in 56 Navy recruits while they learned pulsed radar concepts presented to them in study booklets. A mastery test was administered to assess concept acquisition. The research issue was whether brain ERPs recorded while students are in the process of learning are correlated with their subsequent achievement and performance. Test items became criteria for multiple regression and discriminant analyses using as predictors ERP amplitudes that corresponded to specific concepts. One regression analysis indicated that ERPs recorded at the right temporal and parietal areas are significantly related to concept acquisition. Three discriminant analyses showed that ERPs evoked at the right frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital and the left parietal regions significantly distinguished below- from above-average concept learners. Poorer learners engaged the right frontal and temporal regions less and with greater variability than did better learners. The study established that the right frontal, temporal, and parietal areas are significantly associated with concept learning--not only left hemisphere regions as proposed in the popular asymmetric model of the brain. (Author/YLB)

Two films were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in reducing attrition among Marine Corps recruits. The films were a realistic job preview of military training and a stress-coping film. Platoons of Marine recruits were randomly assigned to four treatment groups: viewing the realistic job preview film, viewing the stress-coping film, viewing both films, or viewing neither film (control group). There were no statistically significant differences in recruit training attrition among the treatment and control groups. Attrition rates among the individual platoons, however, differed significantly. Neither film was effective in reducing attrition from Marine Corps recruit training, and unknown factors caused significant differences in attrition rates among recruit platoons. (YLB)

Four experiments were conducted to determine if giving students specific instructions about the nature of the textual material and the final test is as effective as giving them practice questions in learning from text. Subjects for experiments 1 and 2 were 80 San Diego State University students in an introductory psychology course. Subjects for experiments 3 and 4 were 279 Navy enlisted personnel. In all experiments, subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups: a read-only control group, a practice questions group, an instructions group, and a practice questions plus instructions group. The four experiments (1) compared the effect of instructions and practice questions on learning verbatim factual information; (2) replicated the procedures of the first, but used paraphrased-comprehension questions instead of verbatim questions; (3) examined the effects of instructions and practice questions on learning as a conceptual classification task from the text; and (4) replicated the third experiment with revised instructions. Results indicated that instructions can be as effective or more effective than practice questions in learning from text, that instructions control/focus student processing and attention as well as do practice questions, and that the best instructional strategy is a combination of instructions and practice questions. (Instructions used in the experiment are appended.) (YLB)

The feasibility of modelling the supply of 22- to 29-year-old enlistees was assessed. Key issues concerned the availability of data and the development of an appropriate methodology for making enlistment supply projections for 22- to 29-year-olds. The current status of supply modelling was reviewed, with particular attention being given to the decision context of the enlistment choice. It was found that ample data are available for modelling the supply of 20- to 29-year-old enlistees. Military, civilian, and civilian/military data sets were identified that would be useful for better understanding the enlistment decision. It was determined that it is feasible to model the supply of older-aged enlistees, and procedures for undertaking such supply modelling were suggested. (YLB)

These conference papers discuss the history of reading and readability research in the Navy, contemporary literacy research in the Navy, and research dealing with the readability and comprehensibility of written materials used in training or on the job. The first paper traces the interest in and development of literacy training in the Navy from its earliest days, focusing on the increasing importance of literacy in relation to technological advances. The second paper concentrates primarily on the spectrum of research being conducted at the present time, dealing with all facets of the literacy problem in the Navy. The third paper is an extensive survey of the literature and the state of the art in the assessment of readability and comprehensibility of written materials in the Navy. (Author/AA)

Concern about the discrepancy between the reading ability of naval personnel and the level of reading material they must deal with in a naval career prompted the study summarized in this report. Focusing on literacy standards and on meeting the standards of reading difficulty and reading ability, the report discusses short-range research and development (R&D) requirements, mid- and long-range R&D recommendations, R&D program delimitation, comprehensibility factors, adjunctives and alternatives to written text, training programs, an overview of needed research on the reading process, a basic reading program, and prospects and requirements for the future. A list of references is included. (JM)

The optimum weighting of variables to predict a dependent-criterion variable is an important problem in nearly all of the social and natural sciences. Although the predominant method, multiple regression analysis (MR), yields optimum weights for the sample at hand, these weights are not generally optimum in the population from which the sample was drawn. A method was developed that sacrifices some "prediction" in the sample at hand in order to achieve a more reliable and stable predictor composite. The method developed, Factor Regression Analysis (FRA) is based on the first principle component of the predictor intercorrelation matrix with validities in the diagonal cells. FRA yielded very stable predictor composites and weights--the weights themselves varied less from sample to sample than did MR weights from the same samples. These differences were marked for low sample sizes (e.g., N = 25), regardless of the number of variables in regression. With regard to prediction, FRA composites were substantially more valid in the population than the MR composites based on the same samples. The number of predictors in the subset did not turn out to be very important. FRA weights based on samples of 25 were about as valid as MR weights based on samples of 100. With samples of 200 the two methods yielded roughly equivalent prediction. (Author)

The efficiency of using games presented on the PLATO IV instructional system to provide remedial mathematics training for Basic Electricity/Electronics School trainees was tested. Two learning tasks which provide the most difficulty for students were selected and instructionally programed for the PLATO IV system. Drill and practice routines for the two tasks were prepared in three methods. Two games were designed which utilized PLATO IV display capabilities, along with a conventional problem presentation followed by answer feedback routine. A group of students was assigned to each of the counterbalanced order of the independent tasks. Within each group, students received one of the six possible combinations of the three methods. No significant differences in performance or training time measures were found between the three training methods. Questionnaire data indicated that students who experienced both game mathematics practice and conventional practice definitely preferred game practice. It was observed that the effectiveness of using games as an instructional technique suffered more than that of the conventional method when PLATO IV hardware and software operations were unstable. (Author/SL)

Unobtrusively-gathered historical data documenting decisions made in the Navy's recruit classification process were utilized to determine whether there were significant differences between black and white classification interviewers in their treatment of black and white recruits. Decisions involving 17,752 recruits (2,413 black) and 46 classifiers (eight black) were investigated. Criteria designed to reflect type of assignment and quality of assignment were analyzed to determine if various combinations of recruit and classifier race could account for criterion variance. The nature of the classification procedure resulted in the essentially random assignment of black and white recruits to black and white classifiers. This permits a number of interesting comparisons and obviates numerous problems inherent in racial bias studies. The major hypothesis that black and white classifiers would be differentially biased in their treatment of black and white recruits was not supported. A second hypothesis that classifiers within either racial group world be differentially biased was also not supported. Sample sizes were so large that classifier bias accounting for as little as one percent of the criterion variance would have been detected as significant. Thus, there was neither statistically significant nor practically significant bias detected among classification specialists. (Author/SA)

A technique was developed to facilitate creating computer-based instruction (CBI) with a minimum of effort on the part of the author/coder, and the feasibility of using a structure which puts control of the lesson strategy into the hands of the student learner was investigated. A model which relieves the author of CBI strategy selection was developed for the PLATO IV system and was tested in two instructional situations: training students to use a multimeter to measure resistance and current flow, and assisting Navy mess management specialists in recipe conversion. Student performance using the learner control mode was compared to that of other students using the regular CBI method. Students using the learner control mode experienced a savings in training time, and the use of an authoring aid was shown to save time over other methods of lesson preparation. (CH)

Relatively little data exist concerning the effectiveness of Navy intercultural relations (ICR) training programs. In addition, much training research in this area is characterized by methodological and design inadequacies. The purposes of this study were to design and test a methodological model, and to provide an objective assessment of ICR training impact. It was found that training had a modest but significant effect upon the attitudes of Overseas Duty Training (ODT)/Personnel Exchange Program (PEP) and Human Resource Development Center (HRDC) IDR Personnel. ODT/PEP personnel changed significantly on 13 of 24 scales and HRDC personnel on 9 of 24 scales. Scales measured self-actualization, flexibility, tolerance of ambiguity, acceptance of self and others, leadership styles, and basic motivational patterns. The failure to detect a greater degree of change may have been due to various test ceiling effects or to the nature of the change process itself. Although the real test of program impact necessitates validation against external or in-country criteria, the results did indicate that the impact of ICR training, although modest, was consistent with the hypotheses generated for the evaluation of the training objectives of the program. (Author)

The document evaluates Navy Mental Group Four personnel gains in competency of basic communication and computational skills after taking the Practical Arithmetic Self-Study course. Categorized as Group Four by receiving scores from the 10th to the 30th percentile on the Armed Forces Qualification test, trainees received instruction in computational skills up to a ninth grade level of difficulty through three techniques: audio instruction, minimizing direct assistance, and increasing time of study. Audio instruction techniques included reducing reading requirements and the visual complexity of presentation, with neither method improving test scores. Withdrawal of assistance and extension of training time were combined techniques that produced improvement in test scores. Less than half of the trainees involved in the study were able to achieve a ninth grade level, making their performance of typically required computational tasks of Navy enlisted men uncertain. More effective training approaches will have to be developed along with a determination of the nature of difficulties experienced by Group Four personnel. Tabulation of test results are included and the arithmetic operations quiz, attitude questionnaire results, and evaluation of audio techniques, and a sample of standard and audio versions of course material are appended. (LH)

The document evaluates Navy Group Four personnel gains in basic arithmetic skills after taking experimental courses in linear measurement and recipe conversion. Categorized as Mental Group Four by receiving scores from the 10th to the 30th percentile of the Armed Forces Qualification Test, trainees received instruction tailored to the level of their abilities and presented within a vocational context. Instruction in measuring linear dimensions was given to 26 Group Four trainees and recipe conversion was taught to 17 Group Four trainees and 23 Commissaryman personnel. All trainees worked individually and at their own rate, with test results showing Group Four personnel achieving proficiency in only some of the required skills. Concluding that mathematical learning capacities of Group Four personnel did not appear to be adequate for learning to perform typically required computational tasks of Navy enlisted men, despite experimental changes in coursework presentation, it is stated that the nature of the difficulties experienced by this group must be clarified before further improvement in training can be accomplished. Tabulation of test results is included and descriptions of meld test problems, the recipe conversion test, and the diagnostic mathematics quiz are appended. (LH)

The impact of increasing preference options in the Marine Corps was studied by administering the Marine Assignment Preference Schedule (MAPS) to all new recruits between October 1972 and April 1973, to whom no special training commitment had been made. Enlistees indicated their occupational preference on MAPS administered at entry to, at completion of, and six months after completing recruit training. Selections was made from 28 Marine Corps ground occupational fields. The third administration of MAPS included self-evaluations on job satisfaction and service plans. Concurrently with the third MAPS administration, supervisory evaluations were obtained on job satisfaction and service plans and supervisory evaluations were obtained on job performance. Occupational preferences were found to be inconsistent from one administration of MAPS to another. Statistically significant differences were observed on supervisory and/or self-evaluations between individuals in an occupational field/area they preferred versus those in the same field/area who had chosen some other field/area. The differences between groups based on preferences expressed at entry into basic training are statistically significant. However, they are so small that the association between granting preference options and job satisfaction/job performance has not been clearly demonstrated. Assessment instruments are appended. (Author)

Trainees from Navy Basic Electricity/Electronics School were assigned to receive either computer-assisted instruction (CAI) or conventional individualized instruction in a segment of a course requiring use of a multimeter to measure resistance and current flow. The (CAI) group used PLATO IV plasma-screen terminals; individualized instruction lessons utilized the actual multimeters. CAI trainees required a longer training period, but there was no significant difference in performance between CAI and individualized instruction on student performance. The CAI students studied more and had a positive attitude about their training. It was determined that dynamic simulations of equipment on an interactive computer terminal offer a feasible alternative to special training equipment. (CH)

AUTOQUEST is a computer aid to independent study. It presents ordinary text to a student at a computer terminal, a paragraph at a time. Using a pattern-matching approach, the system generates a question based on one of the sentences of the text and grades the student's answer. If the student's answer does not match the words of the text, the paragraph is displayed again. Results showed that about 68 percent of the generated questions were satisfactory and that the errors were largely syntactic, indicating the need for a structural parser to preprocess the sentences. The economic feasibility of AUTOQUEST is discussed and judged to be good within 5 years. (Author)

Using time-compressed speech methodology, a program was developed which attempted to improve the reading rate and comprehension of U.S. Navy personnel with low reading ability. Four groups of trainees were tested. One group read training text while simultaneously listening to a speeded auditory version of the same text. A second group listened to speeded text without concurrently reading the material. The third group simply read material silently, with no auditory input. The fourth group was a control group which took pretests and posttests only. All groups except the control group showed sizable but comparable increases in unaided reading rate and comprehension performance. Thus, it appeared that the salient aspects of all procedures provided trainees with specific learning goals and precise feedback on their progress, coupled with teacher encouragement to improve. (Author)

The research was conducted to determine if a physically complex, continuous, three-dimensional psychomotor skill could be acquired more efficiently with simulated-task, augmented feedback than with the feedback normally provided by performing the task itself. The specific skill selected for the study was shielded metal arc welding because it is representative of this class of skills. Thirty-six inexperienced welding trainees were gathered: 18 were assigned to an experimental group and alternated their time equally between the simulator and the weld shop; the other 18 were assigned to the control group and received conventional welding practice only. After 12 days of training their performance was evaluated based on visual grading of the vertical and overhead test. The following conclusions were reached: the simulator trainees performed significantly better than the conventionally trained group, and the simulator trainees also used 215 times less electrical energy, less welding material, and spent approximately half as much time in the weld shop. A list of references is included in the document. An analysis of the welding skill development and the analysis of variance tables are appended. (Author/EC)

Navy personnel research conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on computer simulation studies to determine whether simulation methodology could be used to improve scientific understanding of psychosocial and sociotechnical systems. The literature search indicated that computer simulation could provide tools for the study of organizational behavior, and it was concluded that the advantages resulting from using simulation techniques outweigh the difficulties encountered in their implementation. (CH)

Using PLATO, a computer-assisted instruction system, a test was conducted to see if students respond most favorably to an instructional package that included no graphic display, still graphic display, or animated graphic display. Forty-five students at the Naval Training Center, San Diego, were the subjects. With the learning of the sine-ratio concept as the instructional objective, three different instructional packages were written, employed, and posttested. Scores showed that including graphic displays does not improve conceptual comprehension. (EMH)

The Instructional Strategy Diagnostic Profile (ISDP) was designed to enable instructional developers and evaluators to predict the effectiveness of, and prescribe improvements for existing instructional materials. Experimental studies were conducted in introductory college statistics and physics classes to validate the ISDP and its accompanying design prescriptions. Two methodologies were used: (1) existing instructional materials were modified, based on a selected prescription resulting from ISDP analysis of those materials, and two or more versions of the materials were compared; and (2) a weak unit of an existing course was identified and modified via several prescriptions resulting from an ISDP analysis. Test performance, affect, confidence, and time were compared for students using the revised materials and students using the original materials. When used to revise existing materials, the ISDP prescriptions produced significant differences only in the second study. Failure to obtain predicted results may have been due to confounding factors in the experimental situations. Other studies have demonstrated that existing materials revised according to ISDP prescriptions can significantly improve student performance, especially if the interaction with the materials can be controlled and the tests can be revised to more adequately measure concept classification and rule-using behavior. (Author/JAC)

The feasibility of generating multiple-choice test questions by transforming sentences from prose instructional materials was examined. A computer-based algorithm was used to analyze prose subject matter and to identify high-information words. Sentences containing selected words were then transformed into multiple-choice items by four writers who generated foils or question alternatives informally and by an algorithmic method. Items were organized into tests and administered to college students before and after they had studied instructional materials. Results indicated that this item-writing technique was feasible, and that algorithmic methods of generating foils produce items of reasonably good quality. (Author/CTM)

Conducted as part of a major effort to test and evaluate Job Performance Aids (JPA) and their integration with Navy personnel and training systems, this study systematically reviewed and organized existing JPA techniques, related research data, and various applicable principles and concepts. One hundred and one JPA systems and techniques were classified under the following five categories: (1) format/content, (2) display media, (3) applied training, (4) peripheral test/diagnostic, and (5) delivery systems. The following factors were identified as critical to the development of a JPA algorithm: personnel aptitude and experience; type and complexity of task; type and complexity of equipment; and the degree of proceduralization required. A conceptual model was developed for use by the JPA community in making cost trade-off analyses, writing JPA selection algorithms, and grouping theoretical trends. The study also examined a theoretical base for the use of memory in JPA's; previewed a theory for mixing JPA techniques, principles, and methodologies; and set goals for future JPA research and technology efforts. (Author/BM)

Several alternative methods of presenting written material within a graphic were evaluated to provide empirical data on how technical writers and artists might improve the comprehensibility of graphics. The number, location, and sequence of "callouts"--the pictorial part references using arrows--were systematically varied in a series of drawings and tested on samples of Navy trainees. The major finding indicated that arranging callouts sequentially provides for good comprehension, even when the number of callouts is large. It is recommended that clarification of the graphic comprehension issue be pursued through empirical studies of users' information-search behavior and the stimulus variations that influence its effectiveness. (Author/CMV)

To determine if computer technology could improve shipboard instruction and training, an Automated Shipboard Instruction and Management System (ASIMS) was used for computer managed instruction (CMI) about the USS GRIDLEY during 1975-76. ASIMS comprised a NOVA 1200 minicomputer with support peripherals, a Computer Integrated Instruction (CII) system in General Damage Control (GDC), and a Shipboard Training Administration System (STAS). CII GDC provided offline instruction integrated with online computer testing, diagnostics, and prescriptives. STAS provided a generalized File Management and Information Retrieval System (FMS) that facilitated control of shipboard files, records, and reports. Posttest scores indicated that graduates of the CMI course significantly outperformed groups trained under conventional shipboard methods. Results also showed that CMI is technically and operationally feasible aboard ship, and commercial, off-the-shelf minicomputer systems can support both a CMI capability and limited nontactical ADP functions. A cost-effectiveness study was beyond the scope of the project. Project and technical supports are listed, as are references. (Author/LLS)

This report describes a computer managed instruction (CMI) system operated by the Navy which involves approximately 9,000 students a day in ten technical training schools, and the research and development effort that has taken place to ensure the most cost-effective and productive technical training system. Major system problems were identified and suitable research proposals were developed through a four-phase effort: (1) identification of system problems through observation, questionnaires, and interviews with CMI management, instruction staff, and student personnel; (2) review of other CMI systems; (3) development of candidate research and development proposals to support the major problem areas; and (4) setting R&D priorities. Initial research efforts on the six proposals given the highest priority status are described, including the effects of incentive charts on rate of progress through a CMI course, instructor role in a CMI environment, computer generated reports for the management of student learning, development and incorporation of automated performance tests into the CMI system, development of alternate test strategies to improve mastery and retention in selected CMI courses, and development of computer software to aid data summarization for research and management analysis. (CHC)

Instructors in 14 Navy electronics "A" schools (12 basic core and 2 advanced) were presented with a list of 70 mathematical skills and asked to indicate: (1) how important they were to successful school performance, and (2) whether they were prerequisite, reviewed, or taught in the "A" schools. They were also asked to state the number and type of performance aids used in the course and during the exam. Responses showed that of the 70 skills surveyed, 19 do not appear in any basic core course and 2 more do not affect performance. Although the skills rated as affecting performance are generally considered as prerequisite in all schools, many students require review in these skills for successful performance. Across all schools, the most important skills are: (1) addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of numbers; (2) squares and square roots of positive numbers; (3) addition and subtraction of like units; (4) multiplication and division of like and/or unlike units; (5) substitution of known values into a given formula; and (6) transpositions of algebraic expressions. Performance aids are permitted in all courses but one, both during the course and during exams. (Author/MP)

Students at the Basic Electricity and Electronics School in San Diego were randomly assigned to learning centers with either an 18:1 or 30:1 student/instructor (S/I) ratio to determine the effects on student achievement and instructor performance in an individualized computer-managed course. Data were collected for four months on: (1) student attrition, (2) training contact hours, (3) first-try scores on module tests and phase tests, (4) number of remediations per instructional module, and (5) the number of unsatisfactory scores on practical tests. Observational data were also collected on the frequency and duration of categories of instructor behaviors during the 6-hour computer-managed instructional shift. The larger S/I ratio (30:1) had some detrimental effects on student training time for some career patterns, and on some instructor behaviors. Instructors in the larger ratio condition spent more time in testing and student administration activities, and less time answering student questions on technical matters. The S/I ratio had no significant effect on the student achievement measures. Four references are listed, and appendices include data on student qualifying scores and mean module completion times for individual modules. (Author/BK)

In anticipation of the projected decline in the national population of young men and of expanding the role of women in the military, the Navy conducted a national telephone survey to gauge the interest of women and men in joining the military under present conditions and under three alternative options. The options related to expanding the role of women in terms of the physical location (ships, aricraft, combat zones) and nontraditional job classifications (mechanics, electronics) where they are likely to serve. Of those surveyed, 14 percent of the women and 16 percent of the men responded that they were "extremely,""very," or "quite" interested under current conditions. The Air Force was the military branch most preferred by both men and women, followed by the Navy, Army, and Marine Corps. The interest level of women in joining the military increased when an option involving training and service in nontraditional jobs for women was presented. When a similar option involving service on some ships, aircraft, or combat support areas was offered, interest declined but did not fall below interest levels under current conditions. A third option involving equal treatment to that received by men resulted in responses similar to those of the second option. The survey of men indicated increased interest in joining the military when the likelihood of serving with women was presented. (Author/LMS)

This study, the fourth in a series conducted at the Navy's Basic Electricity and Electronics School for a computer managed instruction project, reports the relationships among selected measurements of student cognitive styles, abilities, and aptitudes. Measures of these characteristics for a sample of 166 graduates of BE/E were analyzed to determine the nature and magnitude of their relationships. Canonical analyses established that measures of cognitive styles were significantly related to measures of aptitudes and abilities, but their common variance was not large enough to be of practical value. Measures of aptitudes were significantly related to measures of abilities and the two sets to have a considerable amount of shared variance. When the various measures were factor analyzed, three significant factors--technical aptitude, verbal ability, and problem solving mode--accounted for much of the variability among the measures of cognitive characteristics. Thus it was concluded that cognitive styles are relatively independent of abilities and aptitudes and should be considered in selection of BE/E students, in predicting their performance, likelihood of attrition, and adapting alternative teaching treatments to student attributes. (Author/RAA)

This report details the research and development effort to examine the feasibility of teaching the phonics segment of the Navy's Academic Remedial Training program by computer driven voice synthesizer. The criterion for feasibility was that the computer-assisted course produce ART graduates who read as well as students who receive a comparable amount of classroom phonics instruction. Twenty-four students were given the special instruction on a multimedia system that included a minicomputer, viewing consoles, response entry keyboards, and a voice synthesizer. When compared to the control group, the students in the computer-assisted course did as well as those in the classroom, but no better. The 24 subjects were then integrated back into the classroom group where they performed as well in the remainder of the course as their fellows in the control group. Since student performance in the CAI program produced a match, the phonics segment of the ART program is a success and is a candidate for automation. (Author/RAA)

The objectives of this study were to identify and evaluate strategies for organizing prose content that appear appropriate for real-life training applications. An analysis of prose passages in a typical high school science text identified three basic types of graphic representations: associative (AR), comparative (CR), and directed (DR). Once appropriate sets of behavioral objectives were specified and graphic formats displaying each type of relationship were designed, three instructional treatments were prepared: text (T), text-adjunct (TA) in which the text was supplemented with DR and CR diagrams, and text-underlined (TU) in which the graphic information was simply underlined. Groups of 56 Navy recruits, equally divided into high and low science achievement levels, participated in one of the three treatments, followed by free recall and multiple-choice performance tests. The findings were equivocal with respect to the advantages of supplementing prose text with organizational aids; although TA treatment was clearly superior in the free recall of DR materials, TU was superior in terms of multiple-choice test performance on CR materials. Contrary to expectations, no significant interaction between treatment and previous achievement level occurred. (RL)

The relationship of initial duty assignment and precommission major in college to the decision of junior Navy officers to stay in or leave the Navy was investigated. Surface warfare officers were examined with regard to their involvement in one of the following sources: Naval Academy, NROTC Scholarship Program, Officer Candidate School, NROTC College Program, and the Reserve Officer Candidate Program. Generally, both the officer's first duty assignment and education major were associated with retention, across as well as within separate commission sources. Retention was found to be lowest in staff and supporting shore activities and highest in the type of ships (i.e., small combatant ships) in which officers probably experienced the most arduous conditions of deployment, but also probably have the best opportunity to achieve essential shipboard qualifications. The education majors with the highest retention were fine arts, education, and social and behavioral sciences. Those with the lowest retention were architecture (other than naval), agriculture, forestry, humanities, and business administration. It was recommended that retention efforts should concentrate on the education majors with the higher retention rates, and that the development of a behavior model would be feasible and useful, subject to measuring defined pre- and postcommissioning factors, tracking the officers to all warfare and staff specialties, and comparing the retention behaviors of accessions from both wartime and peacetime periods. (Author/CT)

A comparative study of item analysis was conducted on the basis of race to determine whether alternative test construction or processing might increase the proportion of black enlisted personnel among those passing various military technical knowledge examinations. The study used data from six specialists at four grade levels and investigated item analysis data indicating item difficulty, item-test point-biserial correlation, item-subtest correlation, item differentiation (between high scoring and low scoring groups), and item-criterion correlation (where the criterion was the performance factor rating). It was found that item differentiation was generally lower for blacks than for whites; that the highest item-differentiation values tended to be for easier items; that items that were nearly equal in difficulty for blacks and whites tended to be very difficult items; and that items with high item-criterion correlations tended to have low item-test correlations. It was also found that tests of 20 to 30 items selected by the item-criterion correlation method were more valid than longer tests up to 150 items. Various aspects of item analysis are discussed and data are provided for a variety of comparisons. (Author/CTM)

The objectives of this project were (1) to determine whether or not adapting instruction to student characteristics will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of training, (2) to identify the learner attributes that interact best with specific instructional treatments, and (3) to establish what must be done to create and implement a useful adaptive instructional system. The professional literature concerning adaptive teaching systems was reviewed and evaluated, and several approaches to accommodating instruction to student characteristics were identified and considered. Little empirical evidence was obtained to support the aptitude-treatment-interaction (ATI) approach, and the experimental evaluation of several alternative approaches to adaptive instruction was recommended. (Author/JEG)

This report describes the instructional quality inventory (IQI), which was developed to provide quality control/evaluation procedures for the instructional system development (ISD). The ISD is described as a method used by the military to develop or revise training courses. IQI procedures are detailed in six sections. Section 1 explains the IQI classification system, which classifies instructional parts (objectives, tests, and presentations) according to performance tasks and instructional content. Section 2 reviews the IQI steps, which are used to determine if each objective is adequate for further instructional development. The third section outlines the process used to determine whether test items are consistent with objectives and whether each item is adequate. The following section provides guidelines for insuring that the presentations are consistent with the objectives and the test items and are adequate. In section 5 rules for assessing presentation adequacy are presented. The final section reviews the resources needed to use the IQI. (Author/CSS)