Impact of Increasing Preference Options in the Marine Corps. Final Report. No. 75-12.

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)