Training Individuals in Army Units: Comparative Effectiveness of Selected TEC Lessons and Conventional Methods

Claramae S. Knerr · Ronald G. Downey · John J. Kessler

Jan 1975 · U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

About this ebook

The Army has developed a system of self-paced audiovisual lessons--the Training Extension Course (TEC)--designed to upgrade individual skills and to help commanders conduct individual proficiency training. This report compares the effectiveness of TEC training with that of conventional Army classroom instruction, evaluating both against a baseline level of performance. The TEC-trained groups in general scored highest in the performance tests, followed by the Conventional Instruction (CI) groups; BL groups performed least well. The TEC groups performed consistently better than the Base Line (BL) group. The TEC groups performed better than either the CI or BL groups on tests that emphasized reasoning and information. TEC and CI groups performed equally well, and better than the BL groups, on performance tests that emphasized sill with equipment and psychomotor activities. The the Active Army, performance test scores in the TEC groups were equally high for persons with low and high general mental ability, as measured by the GT aptitude area score. In contrast, performance test scores for CI groups were generally lower for persons with lower general mental ability.