Research for Recruits

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Dimensionality of the Math Knowledge Item Pool for the Accelerated CAT-ASVAB Project
August 1, 1987
The theory underlying computerized adaptive tests assumes that all items for a given subtest measure a single dimension. This assumption was examined for the math knowledge items in the item pool developed for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. Departures from the assumption were found to be minor.
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Development of 10th Grade Norms for the ASVAB
May 1, 1987
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is administered in high schools and postsecondary schools as part of the Defense Department's Student Testing Program. Unit 1986, high school norms based on a national sample, were available for grades 11 and 12 only. These were computed from data collected in 1980 as a part of the Profile of American Youth (PAY) study. Additional data from a nonrandom sample were collected in 1984 by the Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM). The objective of the present study was to develop norms for 10th grade. Tenth grade norms were developed by transforming MEPCOM cumulative percentages into national percentile scores. Transformation curves were obtained by combining information from MEPCOM and PAY samples in grades 11 and 12. The average transformation was then used in 10th grade to convert MEPCOM cumulative percentages into national percentile scores.
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Scaling the Proposed New Armed Forces Qualification Test Composed of Verbal, Arithmetic Reasoning, and Math Knowledge
April 1, 1987
The Numerical Operations (NO) subtest has caused problems for the joint-service testing program since it was made part of the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) in 1980. A new AFQT, in which the Math Knowledge (MK) subtest replaces NO, was recommended by the Joint Service Selection and Classification Working Group in 1986. The purpose of this research memorandum is to present percentile score norms for the proposed new AFQT in the 1980 Youth Population and the scaling of the current forms of the AFQT to the 1980 score scale.
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Towards Justifying Enlistment Standards: Linking Input Characteristics to Job Performance
October 1, 1986
The Job Performance Measurement Project has broken new ground by embarking on the large-scale development and administration of hands-on job performance tests. In the next stage, this pioneering effort can go even futher in helping to rationalize the selection and classification process by evaluating the cost-effectiveness of enlistment standards. This paper outlines a process for such an evaluation.
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Early Attrition in FY 1985: The Effects of the Delayed Entry Program, Accession Month, and Enlistment Program
September 1, 1986
This research memorandum examines the effects of three factors on attrition from the Navy within two and six months of shipping for recruits who entered in FY 1985. These three factors are participation in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), month of shipment, and enlistment program. The results indicate that DEP recruits have lower attrition than direct shippers, that attrition among direct shippers is higher in months with high accession rates, and that attrition rates vary by enlistment program.
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Screen Tables for Non-Prior-Service Accessions for FY 1978-1984
August 1, 1986
This paper reports on the construction of an interactive, historical database for recruit survival probabilities. This FY 1978-1984 base includes accession and monthly survival information for non-prior service recruits by accession program, gender, shipment mode, educational category, mental group, and age. An important finding is that for recruits who are otherwise identical, survival is worse if they are shipped within the month they signed their initial contract.
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The ASVAB Score Scales: 1980 and World War II
July 1, 1986
This report describes the construction of a new score scale for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The ASVAB was administered to a nationally representative sample of young adults in the fall of 1980. The test scores for this sample were used to construct the new score scale, called the 1980 ASVAB score scale. On 1 October 1984, the 1980 score scale replaced the World War II scale, used by the Department of Defense (DoD) since 1950. The new score scale provides nationally representative test norms that enable DoD personnel and manpower managers to compare the aptitudes of military recruits with those of the potential supply of recruits in the civilian youth population.
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Confirming Differences in Relative-Value Proficiency Marks
July 1, 1986
Knowing the magnitude of performance differences among individuals is critical in making personnel decisions in the Marine Corps. Recent research at the Center for Naval Analyses has focused on quantifying the magnitude of these performance differences. The purpose of this analysis was to cross-validate those results using hands-on measures of job performance and other published research findings.
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Educational Quality Requirements for Marine Corps Enlisted Personnel
July 1, 1986
This report sets forth a methodology for determining the optimal educational mix of Marine Corps enlisted personnel. Assuming a goal of maximizing net benefit, high school graduates and nongraduates were evaluated in terms of both cost and performance differences. High school graduates cost more to recruit than nongraduates but have a lower attrition rate. In addition, there is abundant evidence that high school graduates perform better than nongraduates on the job. Educational requirements for new accessions were determined for several cost and relative-performance scenarios.
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Estimating the Cost of Attrition of First-Term Enlistees in the Marine Corps
June 1, 1986
The cost that the Marine Corps incurs when first-term enlisted personnel leave the service is estimated in this paper. The expected cost of attrition is calculated for several personnel categories that are defined according to levels of education and ability.
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