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2022 - Volume 6 - Number 1

Examining the Efficacy of Pre-Service Training for Enlisted Professional Military Education Instructors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jason Keys * jasonkeys33@gmail.com * ORCID: 0000-0002-6947-8083
University of Louisiana Monroe, School of Education, Monroe, UNITED STATES

Demetrius N. Booth * demetrius.Booth@icloud.com
Liberty University, Lynchburg, UNITED STATES

Patricia R. Maggard * patricia.maggard@us.af.mil
Air University, Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, Montgomery, UNITED STATES

Open Journal for Educational Research, 2022, 6(1), 1-18 * https://doi.org/10.32591/coas.ojer.0601.01001k
Received: 17 December 2021 ▪ Revised: 19 April 2022 ▪ Accepted: 27 April 2022

LICENCE: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

ARTICLE (Full Text - PDF)

ABSTRACT:
U.S. Air Force enlisted professional military education shifted traditionally in-person leadership interventions online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Air Force guidance stated that pre-service faculty training focused on in-person instruction was sufficient for teaching online and that instructors did not require training that included online teaching strategies. This study was conducted to examine the efficacy of pre-service training for military leadership instructors teaching online. Utilizing a conceptual framework of teacher self-efficacy, locus of control theory, and social-cognitive theory, this research examined the experiences of four instructors who graduated pre-service training focused on in-person instruction and taught online directly thereafter. Analyzing data from interviews, observations, and student surveys, results indicated the pre-service training, coupled with the participants' military supervisory background, adequately prepared participants to teach online. Future studies should examine a larger sample size of instructors to identify trends and patterns within the professional military education instructor community.

KEY WORDS: EPME, PME, leadership training, teaching efficacy, Air Force.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:
Jason Keys, MS Ed, University of Louisiana Monroe, School of Education, Monroe, USA. E-mail: keysj@warhawks.ulm.edu.

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