Socioeconomic status and performance in the US Army and US Marine Corps
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Authors
Booth, Stefan J.
Schmiegel, Kevin M.
Subjects
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
Attrition
Performance
All-Volunteer Force (A VF)
Attrition
Performance
All-Volunteer Force (A VF)
Advisors
Cook, Michael D.
Eitelberg, Mark J.
Date of Issue
1998-03
Date
March 1998
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
The purpose or this study was to examine socioeconomic status (SES) of recruits in the Army and Marine Corps and to analyze the relationship between a recruit's SES background and his or her performance in the military over time. Data for this study were obtained from three sources: the Department of Defense Survey of Recruit Socioeconomic Backgrounds (SES survey), Military Entrance Processing Command enlisted cohort files, and personnel data files provided by the Army and Marine Corps. After merging these data files, the SES survey respondents were tracked longitudinally, and several analyses were undertaken to assess the relationship between SES and performance in the military. The results of this research show that recruits in both services come from slightly lower SES backgrounds than do youths in the general population; and, most of this difference can be explained by the fact that soldiers and Marines are consistently underrepresented in the highest measures or correlates of SES and overrepresented in the lowest ones. Additionally, it was found that, while SES is not a strong predictor of first-term enlisted attrition in either service, it does explain differences in recruits' performance on-the-job in the Marine Corps. Further research is recommended, especially that which incorporates supervisors' ratings of military performance.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
xx, 136 p.;28 cm.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.