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The objective of this study was to identify promising approaches to reduce unplanned pregnancies in the Navy. A message was sent to Navy commands with women to collect information on efforts to address this problem. Using 1988 and 1992 surveys, responses of first-term enlisted women with planned and unplanned pregnancies were compared to responses of nonpregnant women to identify demographic differences. Finally, civilian studies of efforts to prevent pregnancy among adolescents were examined. The findings indicated that while only about a third of all commands that responded to the message have pregnancy programs, 60% of the women in the sample are at such commands. Most programs provide little more than information about rights and responsibilities, the costs of pregnancy, and contraceptive methods. The surveys revealed that E-2 to E-4 women who planned their pregnancies were older, in a higher paygrade, and more likely to he married and carry their pregnancies to term than those who had not. The most effective civilian programs for reducing pregnancy incorporate many factors in addition to providing contraceptive information. These factors included developing motivation to use contraception and improving access to contraceptives. Also important are providing instruction, practice, and skill-building in decision making, assertiveness, communications, and other social skills necessary to negotiate abstinence or contraceptive use, and changing the peer group climate to support and reinforce such behaviors. It was recommended that (1) all routine Navy physicals for first-term men and women include a discussion of risks of pregnancy, sexual transmitted diseases, and contraceptives; (2) the sexuality curriculum in recruit training be expanded; (3) training materials be developed; (4) training be developed for chief petty officers

An item-analysis of 24 Navy Enlisted Advancement Exams was conducted to determine which test characteristics might account for the higher promotion rate of White than Black racial groups. Specific questions addressed included (1) whether it is feasible to construct exams containing only items which are similar in difficulty for both Blacks and Whites, (2) what types of items are similar in difficulty, and (3) whether the same items are relatively easy or difficult for Blacks and Whites. The proportion of items identified as similar in difficulty for both Blacks and Whites varied from about one-half to six- sevenths of the 150 items in each test. The similar-type items were concentrated in the difficult range, and presented applied (as distinguished from conceptual) content. Relative item-difficulty was low on some exams. The development of advancement exams of items similar in difficulty for Blacks and Whites could not be recommended, because the concentration of similar-difficulty items in the difficult range would degrade test quality, and items largely limited to factual content might not cover all necessary content for a particular occupational specialty.

A representative sample of Marine Corps women in their first enlistments and their supervisors were surveyed to identify factors in their backgrounds and experiences that might be related to attrition. Attrition status was obtained from Marine Corps records both at the time of survey and 18 months later. Women who attrited were classified into three types: those who were pregnant with a future interest in the Marine Corps, those pregnant with no future interest, and those who left for reasons other than pregnancy. Different factors predicted each type of attrition. Across attrition types, the most important factors were supervisor and work group relationships, family and career orientation, and management of stress. Recruiting, training, and placement practices had a relatively small effect on attrition. To help decrease attrition among women, the Marine Corps should discourage the most traditional women from enlisting, help women develop coping skills, provide sex education, and improve work group climate as well as the climate toward women as a whole in the USMC by emphasizing their achievements, potential, and command support for their participation.

A comparative racial analysis of item differentiation was conducted to determine whether advancement exam items are similarly differentiating between good and poor performers of racial groups. Techniques were also investigated to improve test quality as measured by item differentiation or test reliability. The study specifically investigated (1) the difference in item differentiation between Blacks and Whites, (2) item-difficulty levels that yield maximum item differentiation, (3) the impact on item differentiation from constructing tests with particular types of items deleted, and (4) exam construction or processing procedures which would raise test quality for both Blacks and Whites., See also report dated Jul 1975, ADA014549.

An accurate description of Marine Corps women was needed for policy planning to counteract negative stereotypes. A representative sample of women in their first enlistments and their supervisors was surveyed concerning their backgrounds and experiences. In general, negative stereotypes were unfounded. The Marines were typical young women with interests in combining a career with marriage and a family. The majority did clerical work. Both clerical and nonclerical workers were rated as above average performers. Although negative attitudes toward women and instances of sexual harassment were reported, most women reported acceptance on the job. Many supervisors reported that having a woman in the group had a positive effect on the group's attitudes toward women in the Marine Corps. More traditional women were less satisfied and adjusted than less traditional women, particularly in nontraditional settings., See also Rept. no. NPRDC-TR-83-22, ADA131061.

The Navy's Career Counseling Program assigns senior petty officers knowledgeable in the Navy's training and career programs to assist enlisted personnel in taking advantage of relevant career opportunities. Selection procedures were developed to identify senior petty officers who would be most concerned and effective in providing career guidance service. Criterion data were acquired directly from the counselees who evaluated such counselor behaviors as pleasantness, thoroughness, and interest in the counselee's concerns. Noncognitive predictor instruments administered to counselors included the Guilford Tests of Social Intelligence (GTSI), Comrey Personality Scales (CPS), Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB), Dole Ideal Counselor Adjective Check List (ICAC) and a locally developed Biographical and Attitudinal Inventory (BAI). Scoring keys to predict counselor effectiveness were empirically constructed, and standard keys were validated for the GTSI, the CPS, and a cognitive test, the Navy Basic Test Battery (BTB). Counselees evaluated counselors favorably on pleasantness, concern, and awareness. Use of the empirically constructed key for the CPS was recommended for Navy Counselor selection. Further validation of the BAI/ICAC composite key was recommended, as was validation of all three keys for use with other jobs involving counseling activities.

Job task inventories that contain task statements that overlap as to content and that are not well organized by duty areas can lead to faulty analysis and misleading results. This study examined the statistical independence of task statements in two enlisted and two offer job specialties to improve inventory design. Statistical independence was assessed using correlational, factor, and cluster analyses. Results indicated that task statements often were not statistically independent, particularly in equipment-oriented job specialties and at the lowest and highest pay grades. Information on item independence can be used to combine items and, thus, shorten inventories, idenify poorly written items, and form blocks of related items for ease of inventory completion and analysis.

The first-term attrition rate for enlisted Marine Corps women is nearly 50 percent, about twice that for comparable men. To identify factors that might be related to attrition, three data sets were analyzed. They included historical master files and recruit accession management system files, a 3-year follow-up on a recruit-training attrition study using expectations to predict attrition, and a job-satisfaction survey. Results indicated that most of the difference in post-recruit training attrition between men and women was due to pregnancy. Background variables were of limited usefulness in predicting attrition. Factors associated with Marine Corps experience, particularly in the work setting, appeared to be related to attrition. The data did not support the hypothesis that women are becoming pregnant in order to be discharged. Further investigation of these experience factors is recommended, in addition to investigation of training in sex education and life-decision making. Placement of women in units with at least one other woman an use of information on women's interests in sports and nontraditional activities in recruiting are also recommended. (Author)

Alternative marking scales and coding procedures for each pay grade group were experimentally administered to a fleet sample. Two alternative Optical Character Reader (OCR) forms, a mark-sense and a character-sense mode, were used to test the automated capability. All experimental forms provided distributions of marks substantially more discriminating than the present operational form, especially for the Pay Grade 5-6 group. Of special concern was the inflationary and stultifying effect of the present coding procedure, even on the new forms. Preparation time, discrepancy rate, and processing time were much higher for OCR and OMR type documents. Specific recommendations are provided for substantially improving both the source document design and the system design.

The Navy Enlisted Advancement System is based on several components which are differentially weighted in arriving at a final ordered listing of the candidates. The components used--technical knowledge exam, on-job performance marks, time in grade and in the Navy, and awards--vary greatly in their statistical properties, and thus the task of combining them in accordance with the policy-designated weights becomes complicated and difficult. The outcome of the advancement process--that is, the actual selection of those to be advanced-- has been found to be more a function of the statistical peculiarities of the components used and of the methods used in combining them, than of published policy. The report describes a comparison of several approaches to combining scores and weighting components used in the advancement competition to Pay Grades E4-E7. The qualifications of candidates who were selected, and who would have been selected had other cutting scores and weighting methods been used, were compared. The proportionate influences of the components were found to vary widely as a function of advancement opportunity, cutting scores used, and pay grade.

The Enlisted Performance Evaluation System is important to individual personnel actions such as advancement, job assignment and retention. It is thus essential that any possible sources of error in marking practices be removed or reduced. When performance marks vary as a function of such 'situational factors' as type of command or time on job, the variation may reflect either true performance differences or error from differences in marking standards. The purpose of the study was to investigate the magnitude of certain situational differences in enlisted performance evaluation. The following situational differences in enlisted performance evaluation. The following situational differences were analyzed within job-specialty and pay grade: Size of command, rank of commanding officer, location and deployment, type-command, time-on-board, and job specialty by deployment and type-command. The data were taken from the operational NAVPERS 792 Performance Evaluation Forms (N=30,000). (Author)

A method for providing selection boards and detailers with a timely and accurate evaluation of individual on-job performance is essential if valid decisions are to be made in selecting individuals for advancement, duty-assignment, training or quality retention. Four formats and data sets are presented which demonstrate the feasibility and utility of computer-generated displays of performance evaluation data. (Author)