I f)0. AN INVESTIGATION OF THE AIR FORGE OFFICER QUALIFYING TEST Warren B. Shull A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 1975 Pagination Error <373 77/ 610300 /3 7¿-e-1 /3d,<3£/ ABSTRACT (The Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC) currently administers the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) to all applicants for AFROTC scholarships and candidates for commissioning. This test contains five composites« pilot, navigator-tech- nical, dfficer quality, verbal, and quantitative A If a significant relationship exists between these scores and other indicators, AFROTC could conduct a less ex­ tensive aptitude testing program at a substantial savings. Research was conducted to test the null hypotheses that there is no significant correlation between the various composite scores of the AFOQT as dependent vari­ ables and the various subscores and total/composite scores of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) as independent variables. The group of persons who applied for four-year AFROTC scholarships during the 1973-74 academic year was used as the popu­ lation from which to sample. The data collected and analyzed in this study indi­ cated a significant correlation between each composite of the AFOQT and both the verbal and mathematics subscores and the total score of the SAT as well as one or more subscores and the composite score of the ACT. Each AFOQT composite except the pilot composite can be adequately predicted from either the individual’s SAT or ACT score. Using the regression equations based upon SAT or ACT scores determined by this study, the AFROTC could make two pro­ cedural changes. First, instead of requiring all scholarship applicants to take the AFOQT, the managers of the scholarship program could predict the relevant aptitudes of each applicant. The predicted scores could be used in lieu of the AFOQT scores to determine scholarship selection. Second, because accurate prediction of all AFOQT composites and the apti­ tudes they represent except pilot is possible, a new test covering only flying aptitude could be constructed and given only to pilot applicants. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I wish to thank all the members of my committee; Dr. Virginia B. Platt, Dr. Willard Fox, Dr. Bill J. Reynolds, and Dr. Stewart Berry, and my chairman, Dr. Neil A. Pohlmann, for their assistance as I completed my research and reported the results. In addition, I would like to thank my wife, Martha, for the en­ couragement and support she has given me during the past four years. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION. ............................ ..... 1 The Problem.................. ... ............... 1 Background.......................... .. 1 Statement of the Problem................. 6 Justification............................ 6 Orientation.......................... 6 Significance ............. ..... 7 Delimitation. ..................... 9 Purpose of the Study.......................... 9 Sample and Procedure.......................... 10 Treatment of Data. ............................. 12 RELATED LITERATURE................................... 14 AFOQT History................................... 14 AFOQT Correlation............................... 22 Prediction of Success.......................... 33 Achievement/Aptitude Tests..... .......... 4l ACT and SAT................................... 44 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE DATA ....... 58 General. ........................................ 58 Correlations by AFOQTC omposite .............. 6l Pilot Composite.......................... 6l v VI Navigator-Technical Composite ...... 71 Officer Quality Composite ............... 77 Verbal Composite. ................ 85 Quantitative Composite.................... 92 Correlations by SAT Subscore ......... 99 Correlations by ACT Subscore.................... 101 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS .... 103 Summary.......................... 103 Conclusions.......... 105 Recommendations................................ 107 Need for Further Research........................ 110 BIBLIOGRAPHY 112 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Item Difficulty and Internal Consistency 17 of AFOQT Form L 2 Single Correlation Between the Various 18 Composites and Interest Items and ACE Tests 3 Effectiveness of Pilot Stanine in 25 Predicting Elimination from Pilot Training 4 Estimated Intercorrelations of Subtests 31 and Composites for AFOQT Form L 5 Estimated Reliability of Composites, 32 AFOQT Form M 6 Estimated Intercorrelation of Composites, 32 AFOQT Form M 7 Correlation between Aptitude Tests (MCT 40 and BI) and the CBQ and FBQ Items 8 Correlations between Predictor and Cri­ 45 terion Variables 9 Median Multiple R‘s and Standard Errors 47 of Estimate for Predicting College Grades, Using Tests (T Index), High School Grades (H Index), and the Combination (TH Index) 10 Multiple Correlation for College Freshmen/ 48 Sophomores for Criteria of Achieve­ ment Highly Comparable to High School Achievement Scales 11 Beta Weights and Multiple Correlations for 50 Predicting Academic Accomplishments vii viii 12 Intercorrelations of High School Rank 51 in Class, ACT Program Variables, and GPA in Eight Semesters 13 Intercorrelations Among Subtests Scores 53 and Total Tests Scores for RQ and SAT 14 Correlations and Subtests Scores and 54 Total Tests Scores for RQ and SAT with Certain Subject Area GPAs (N=77) 15 Median Multiple Correlations of Pre- 56 dictors and Criteria 16 Means and Standard Deviations for the 59 Variables AFOQT and SAT 17 Means and Standard Deviations for the 59 Variables AFOQT and ACT 18 Simple Correlation Coefficients among 61 Composites of the AFOQT and Sub­ tests of the SAT 19 Simple Correlation Coefficients among 62 Composites of the AFOQT and Sub­ tests of the ACT 20 Distribution of Pilot Composites and 63 SAT-V Scores 21 Distribution of Pilot Composites and 64 SAT-M Scores 22 Distribution of Pilot Composite and 65 SAT-T Scores 23 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 66 the Pilot Composite of the AFOQT and the Verbal and the Mathematics Sub­ scores of the SAT ix 24 Distribution of Pilot Composite and 67 ACT-EN Scores 25 Distribution of Pilot Composite and 68 ACT-MA Scores 26 Distribution of Pilot Composite and 68 ACT-SS Scores 27 Distribution of Pilot Composite and 69 ACT-NS Scores 28 Distribution of Pilot Composite and 69 ACT-CO Scores 29 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 70 the Pilot Composite of the AFOQT and the English and Natural Science Sub­ scores of the ACT 30 Distribution of Navigator-Technical 71 Composite and SAT-V Scores 31 Distribution of Navigator-Technical 72 Composite and SAT-M Scores 32 Distribution of Navigator-Technical 73 Composite and SAT-T Scores 33 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 73 the Navigator-Technical Composite of the AFOQT and the Verbal and Mathe­ matics Subscores of the SAT 34 Distribution of Navigator-Technical 75 Composite and ACT-EN Scores 35 Distribution of Navigator-Technical 75 Composite and ACT-MA Scores 36 Distribution of Navigator-Technical 76 Composite and ACT-SS Scores 37 Distribution of Navigator-Technical 76 Composite and ACT-NS Scores X 38 Distribution of Navigator-Technical 77 Composite and ACT-CO Scores 39 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 78 the Navigator-Technical Composite of the AFOQT and the Subscores of the ACT 40 Distribution of Officer Quality Composite 79 and SAT-V Scores 41 Distribution of Officer Quality Composite 80 and SAT-M Scores 42 Distribution of Officer Quality Composite 81 and SAT-T Scores 43 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 81 the Officer Quality Composite of the AFOQT and the Verbal and Mathematics Subscores of the SAT 44 Distribution of Officer Quality Composite 82 and ACT-EN Scores 45 Distribution of Officer Quality Composite 83 and ACT-MA Scores 46 Distribution of Officer Quality Composite 83 and ACT-SS Scores 47 Distribution of Officer Quality Composite 84 and ACT-NS Scores 48 Distribution of Officer Quality Composite 84 and ACT-CO Scores 49 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 85 the Officer Quality Composite of the AFOQT and the Subscores of the ACT 50 Distribution of Verbal Composite and 86 SAT-V Scores 51 Distribution of Verbal Composite and 87 SAT-M Scores xi 52 Distribution of Verbal Composite and . 88 SAT-T Scores 53 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 88 the Verbal Composite of the AFOQT and the Subscores of the SAT 5^ Distribution of Verbal Composite and ACT-EN 89 Scores 55 Distribution of Verbal Composite and ACT-MA 90 Scores 56 Distribution of Verbal Composite and ACT-SS 90 Scores 57 Distribution of Verbal Composite and ACT-NS 91 Scores 58 Distribution of Verbal Composite and ACT-CO 91 Scores 59 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 92 the Verbal Composite of the AFOQT and the Subscores of the ACT 6o Distribution of Quantitative Composite and 93 SAT-V Scores 6l Distribution of Quantitative Composite and 94 SAT-M Scores 62 Distribution of Quantitative Composite and 95 SAT-T Scores 63 Multiple and Partial Correlations between 95 the Quantitative Composite of the AFOQT and the Verbal and Mathematics Subscores of the SAT 64 Distribution of Quantitative Composite and 96 ACT-EN Scores 65 Distribution of Quantitative Composite and 97 ACT-MA Scores 66 Distribution of Quantitative Composite and 97 ACT-SS Scores 6? Distribution of Quantitative Composite and 98 ACT-NS Scores 68 Distribution of Quantitative Composite and 98 ACT-CO Scores 69 Multiple and Partial