A description and evaluation of the United States Air Force teacher training program

120 Pages·05.274 MB·English

by  Daly, William Thomas

A DESCRIPTION AND EVALUATION OF THE UNITED STATES
AIR FORCE TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM
A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of the School of Education
The University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Science in Education
by
William T. Daly
January 1950
UMI Number: EP56127
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This thesis, written under the direction of the
Chairman of the candidate’s Guidance Committee
and approved by all members of the Committee,
has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty
of the School of Education of the University of
Southern California in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Science
in Education.
„ January 26, 1950
Date.....................
Dean
Guidance Committee
Chairman
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE PROBLEM AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED . . , 1
The problem ..................... . . . . . . 2
Statement of the problem................ 2
Delimitation of. the problem.............. 2
Importance of the study................... 3
Definitions of terms used ................... 4
Sources of data............................. 7
Summary................................. .. . 8
Organization of remainder of thesis ........ 8
II. SURVEY OF RELATED LITERATURE................ 10
Literature directly bearing on the
problem • ................ 10
Literature furnishing background for
the problem.......... 11
Summary.................... 15
III. HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION ........ 17
History and development ..................... 17
Organization................ 23
Division Director ......................... 23
Deputy Director........................ 24
Chief of Reading Laboratory.............. 25
The Chief of the Grading Section........ 25
lii
CHAPTER PAGE
The Chief of the Administrative Section . . 26
The Chief of the Educational Plans
Section............ 27
The Chief of the Instructional and
Training Section.............. 27
The Chief of the Research and Development
Section...................... 28
The Chief Civilian Consultant . . . . . . . 28
The Three Civilian Consultants .......... 29
Each Section C h i e f .................. 30
Advisory-Tutorial System ................... 31
Allied Civilian Agencies . • . . ........ 34
Educational Advisory S t a f f ........ .. . . 34
Board of Visitors................ . . . . • 37
Summary................................. 40
IV. PURPOSE OF PROGRAM AND DESCRIPTION OF THE
V.
CURRICULUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Mission, scope, purpose ............ 41
Curriculum................................. 45
General.............................. 45
General phase . ............ . . . . . . . . 46
Communication skills ..................... 47
Practice teaching . ..................... 50
iv
CHAPTER PAGE
The lecture method.................... 50
The socialized recitation method . . . . 50
The conference method ................ 51
The performance method.......... 52
The summary test of instruction
proficiency.................. 52
Practice teaching ....................... 54
Evaluation...................... 55
Curriculum planning and supervision . . 57
Summary............ 59
V. EVALUATION OP THE ACADEMIC INSTRUCTOR
DIVISION . . . . . . . . . .............. 60
Student analyses of course .............. 60
Information from student diagnostic
appraisal f o r m s .................. 60
Typical student comments . . . ........ 63
Opinions of authorities on teacher
training and evaluation . .......... 64
Efforts toward improvement of program . . 69
Participation in program by civilian
educators . . . . . . . ............ 69
Participation in non-federal con­
ference and meetings.......... 72
V
CHAPTER PAGE
Rapport between students and faculty . , . 73
Growth through adaptation of suggestions
and self-analysis..................... 7^
Plans for research and development . . . . 78
Future plans for Air Force teacher
training 79
Summary............................ . . . 8l
VI. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS............ 82
Conclusions . . ......................... 82
Recommendations......................... 85
BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................... 88
APPENDIXES......................................... 92
A. Organization Chart of Air University ......... 92
B. Organization Chart Academic Instructor
Division................................... 9^
C. Board of Visitors to Air University 1949-50 . 96
D. Academic Instructor Course Master Schedule . . 98
E. Follow-up Study of Instructor Training . . . . 100
LIST OP TABLES
TABLE PAGE
I. Student Reactions to Twenty-nine Representative
Units of Instruction, Academic instructor
Division, USAP Special Staff School,
September 19^8 - September 19^9.......... 62
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AMD DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED
Everyone old enough to remember World War II is aware
of the strides made by the Air Force toward the perfection of
the science of aerial warfare, and the revolutionary changes
that this science has undergone in the past few years. How­
ever, relatively few are aware of a similar and parallel
advancement made by the Air Force in the field of education
since the enactment of the National Defense Act of 1947,
when the United States Air Force was established as a sepa­
rate department of the National Military Establishment, co­
equal with the Departments of the Army and Navy.
To have the most efficient Air Force in the world it
was necessary to have the best trained, as well as the best
educated personnel. The first step in this direction was
taken with the activation of the Air University Command, a
Major Command under the direct supervision of the Chief of
Staff, United States Air Force (see Appendix A, Organization
Chart Air University). The motto this new command adopted,
"We Proceed Unhampered By Tradition** is descriptive of the
spirit of the new Air Force as a whole and is particularly
significant to this study. To have the best educated Air
Force in the world it was a matter of necessity that the
2
most effective instructors possible be developed to meet
this challenge. A school for this purpose was established
in September of 1948 at USAF Special Staff School, Graig
Air Force Base, Alabama. This school, The Academic Instruc­
tor Division, demonstrates the degree to which the Air Force
has progressed "unhampered by tradition,” in the educational
sense in its effort to produce competent instructors in a
matter of weeks.
I. THE PROBLEM
Statement of the problem. It was the purpose of this
study to answer the following questions: (l) What is the
present Air Force program for training instructors? (2) How
well does this program prepare Air Force officers to instruct
in the Air Force educational program?
Delimitation of the problem. This study is concerned,
not with military education in general, but specifically
with a particular United States Air Force facility, within
the Air University Command, known as the Academic Instructor
Division. This course is of six weeks duration, with the
primary mission of preparing Air Force personnel for instruc­
tional assignments throughout the Department of Defense.
The study will describe the course of instruction, and