Browsing by Author "Perez, Stephen D., 1981-"

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A single case study exploring United States Navy service members’ perceptions of their apprenticeship-level training.
(2023-12) Perez, Stephen D., 1981-; Shelton, Ryann N.
The tragedies that befell the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain in 2017 cost 17 service members their lives. These incidents sent shock waves through the service, with several upper-echelon officers losing their positions while temporarily halting all naval operations. Investigating the collisions, The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) cited a lack of training as a causal factor. The NTSB illuminated a problem with apprentice-level training in the U.S. Navy by mentioning a lack of training as a causal factor. Research has also shown that service members do not prioritize their apprentice-level training. On a macro scale, America lags behind its global counterparts in implementing apprentice-level training to fill skilled worker vacancies. These incidents should serve as revelatory moments to study and fully grasp the scope of the problem. The purpose of this single case study was to explore five active-duty service members’ perceptions of their apprentice-level training through the lens of Deci and Ryan’s (1985) self-determination theory. I chose the study participants via criterion-based convenience sampling. Three research questions guided the study in capturing the participants’ perceptions. The participants completed a questionnaire, individual interviews, and a focus group interview in the data collection process. I uncovered three key findings related to this study. First, service members did not feel autonomous during their apprenticeship-level training in the U.S. Navy particularly in job choice, the pacing of learning, and assignment and location selection. Second, service members did not feel the training they received provided the requisite level of competence for their subsequent jobs. Third, the sense of community among service members is contingent upon their instructors and peers. The findings of this study have implications for new U.S. Navy accessions, U.S. Navy apprentice training instructors, and senior U.S. Navy decision-makers. Finally, I offer how to best distribute the findings from the study.