The Surface Warfare Officer community has begun a series of fundamental changes in the methods used to train junior officers. Since 1970, newly commissioned officers reported to the Surface Warfare Officer's School(SWOS) to attend the Division Officer Course. This school was designed to expose and educate prospective division officers to the tasks and equipment they would be expected to manage once they reported to their first ship. The majority of the material from this classroom training will now be completed onboard ship, using computer-based training and Personnel Qualification Standards(PQS). This study will examine junior officer performance at the previous SWOS Division Officer Course. Specifically it will identify areas where newly commissioned officers have had difficulty in the past and, using selected background variables, predict the performance of various groups under the new training regime. The secondary objective is to create a model to predict areas in the curriculum that cause problems for certain groups.

The goal of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of the new SWOS-at-Sea training for newly commissioned surface warfare officers that was introduced in 2003. The new regime combined self-paced computer-based training (CBT) with on-the-job training (OJT) on-board an officer's ship. The study relied on a variety of analytical techniques, including a literature review of CBT and OJT training, interviews and focus groups with junior and senior surface warfare officers, and statistical analysis of test scores at the Surface Officer Division Officer Course (SWOSDOC). The literature review pointed out that no previous studies had analyzed a learning course that involved CBT when the student was also performing a full-time job. Nonetheless, the literature review noted that structured OJT is preferred to unstructured OJT, as in SWOS-at-Sea. Interviews also indicated that division officers prefer face-to-face learning and they felt they were trying to perform as division officers without the requisite skills. The statistical analysis of test scores at the SWOSDOC 'leveling' course found significant differences in performance between ship type, ship home port location, commissioning source, undergraduate major, and gender. The results highlighted significant differences in the learning environments aboard ships and suggested the need for additional research on training opportunities offered aboard ships.

This thesis develops multivariate models to estimate the determinants of three measures of effectiveness for surface warfare officers (SWO): retention, promotion, and early professional qualifications. Using data from the Navy Officer Master File, Navy Officer Loss File, and Navy Personnel Research and Development Center's Traintrack System File, logit regression equations are employed to estimate the probability of SWO retention between the Lieutenant and Lieutenant Commander selection boards (1981 90), the probability of promotion to Lieutenant Commander (1985-90), and the probability of receiving early professional qualifications by the time of the Lieutenant selection boards (1981-85). The probabilities are modeled as a function of background factors that represent personal demographics, undergraduate education, Navy experience, and Navy training. The findings reveal that a large portion of the variation in SWO measures of effectiveness reflect differences in human capital acquired via precommissioning education or via Navy training. Performance differences by commissioning source and college selectivity of undergraduate education are specifically highlighted. Based upon the research results, it is recommended that a cost-benefit analysis be conducted to determine the optimal officer accession source mix.

This thesis develops multivariate models to estimate the determinants of three measures of effectiveness for surface warfare officers (SWO): retention, promotion, and early professional qualifications. Using data from the Navy Officer Master File, Navy Officer Loss File, and Navy Personnel Research and Development Center's Traintrack System File, logit regression equations are employed to estimate the probability of SWO retention between the Lieutenant and Lieutenant Commander selection boards (1981 90), the probability of promotion to Lieutenant Commander (1985-90), and the probability of receiving early professional qualifications by the time of the Lieutenant selection boards (1981-85). The probabilities are modeled as a function of background factors that represent personal demographics, undergraduate education, Navy experience, and Navy training. The findings reveal that a large portion of the variation in SWO measures of effectiveness reflect differences in human capital acquired via precommissioning education or via Navy training. Performance differences by commissioning source and college selectivity of undergraduate education are specifically highlighted. Based upon the research results, it is recommended that a cost-benefit analysis be conducted to determine the optimal officer accession source mix.

This investigation, the third in a series based on data collected from a sample of junior surface warface officers (SWOs) during 1978-79, addressed factors that affect their early career/professional development and the relationships between developmental progress, officer performance, and career intent. Results indicated that timely completion of career essential qualifications was not related to background factors such as commissioning source, academic class rank, or military class rank, but it was related to attendance at the Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS)-Basic, shipboard assignment variation, and individual perceptions of the work environment during the initial sea tour. Also, professional development progress was positively related to career intent and officer performance, as indicated by fitness reports. Findings are discussed with attention to policy/leadership implications.