This thesis seeks to identify both the existence and cost of the military factor in
RNZAF training. In the past, educational evaluation teams have had difficulty in
assessing the efficiency of RNZAF training because no clear definition has
existed for this uniquely military element. This thesis attempts to define the term
by dissecting the popular use of the phrase into three separate parts: the true
military factor, the corporate factor and inefficiencies. The true military factor is
defined as the component of RNZAF training that inculcates the military culture
in students during formal training. This culture is further refined to focus on the
teaching of institutional values. The corporate factor however, refers to the
selected methods and standards employed by a training provider. Instead of the
military factor, it was hypothesised that the corporate factor represented the
greatest cause for the cost difference between the RNZAF and civilian training
providers. Based on the findings of overseas research, the thesis goes on to
consider the possibility that the military factor may in fact be self-selected, rather
than inculcated. To investigate this hypothesis, the study uses an established
instrument to assess student attitudes of loyalty. To test whether the RNZAF
self-selects pro-military attitudes, the study compared the scores of new recruits
with the scores of serving personnel. To test whether the RNZAF inculcates promilitary
attitudes during formal courses, the study compared students' pre- and
post-course scores. The study found that only minimal increases in attitudes
were evident as a result of formal courses and that no significant difference was
found between recruits and serving personnel. In addition to those two
investigations the thesis goes on to develop a spreadsheet model for optimising
corporate factors and minimising inefficiencies. Although this model is
functional in its present form, future developments will further enhance its
potential. The study concludes that the RNZAF self-selects pro-military attitudes
and, with the exception of recruit courses, does not teach them. The thesis
argues that the military factor represents only a minimal part of RNZAF training.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:canterbury.ac.nz/oai:ir.canterbury.ac.nz:10092/1591 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Simons, Murray Vaughan |
| Publisher | University of Canterbury. Education |
| Source Sets | University of Canterbury |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic thesis or dissertation, Text |
| Rights | Copyright Murray Vaughan Simons, http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/thesis/etheses_copyright.shtml |
| Relation | NZCU |
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