Using a sample of college graduates from the NLSY97, we introduce a new approach to assessing wage benefits of STEM training, STEM jobs, and the match between the two: rather than classify individuals dichotomously as STEM or non-STEM, we measure the STEM-intensities of both their college coursework and their occupational requirements. While the…

In this study, we evaluate the feasibility of increasing the number of graduates from the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program (ChalleNGe) who could be employable in one of the four military services. Because of the Department of Defense's (DOD's) and the services' quality goals, this requires that a significant portion of ChalleNGe graduates…

In this longitudinal study we examined the stability of general cognitive ability (GCA), as well as heterogeneity and genetic and environmental influences underlying individual differences in change. We investigated GCA from young adulthood through late midlife in 1,288 Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging participants at ages ~20, ~56, and ~62 years.…

The quality of the home environment, as a predictor, is related to health, education, and emotion outcomes. However, factors influencing the quality of the home environment, as an outcome, have been understudied--particularly how children construct their own environments. Further, most previous research on family processes and outcomes has…

Using data from the USA, the study demonstrates that an individual's completed years of schooling later in life is positively related to his/her frequency of religious attendance during youth. Using the propensity score matching technique, the study shows that this relationship is causal. This conclusion remains valid for youths of different…

In 19 (sub)samples from seven countries (United States, Austria, Germany, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Vietnam, Brazil), we analyzed the impact of parental education compared with wealth on the cognitive ability of children (aged 4-22 years, total N = 15,297). The background of their families ranged from poor indigenous remote villagers to academic…

Since 2000, black representation among high-quality recruits in the Army has decreased, while Hispanic representation has increased; in the Navy, black representation has remained stable and Hispanic representation has increased. (Recruits are considered to be high-quality if they have graduated high school and score above average on the Armed…

Many educators comfortably embrace the myth that the military will enlist any and all high school graduates who are interested. However, a new analysis from The Education Trust reports that too many of the nation's high school graduates have not been adequately prepared to serve in the U.S. Army. In "Shut Out of the Military," the…

There is scientific and popular dispute about whether there are sex differences in cognitive abilities and whether they are relevant to the proportions of men and women who attain high-level achievements, such as Nobel Prizes. A recent meta-analysis (Lynn, R., and Irwing, P. (2004). Sex differences on the progressive matrices: a meta-analysis.…

This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine the relationship between service in the All Volunteer Force (AVF) military and educational attainment. Through the use of fixed-effects estimators, the author generated estimates of the effect of military service on the highest grade of school completed by men that…

A calibration of the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) composite of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Forms 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, and 10b to the metric of the AFQT Form 7a (AFQT-7a) and a comparison of these outcomes to the operational calibration tables implemented 1 October 1980 are presented. A sample of applicants for…

Three prototypes of paper-and-pencil based adaptive tests were developed, refined and developed in sufficient quantities for administration to groups of 40 subjects. Two aptitude areas were employed in each prototype. These were Word Knowledge and Arithmetic Reasoning. A total of 711 Basic Airmen Recruits were administered the prototypes in both…

This report investigates the appropriateness of using the General Technical (GT) composite of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) as a reenlistment criterion. Three aptitude measures, all ASVAB composites, were compared to measures of proficiency in job performance: the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), the GT, and the…

To justify its labor force quality requirements, the Army sought to demonstrate an empirical link between Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) scores and soldier performance. The first data set contained written and hands-on tests on several weapons systems from the Army's training schools. The second data set used the Skill Qualifications Tests…

The Computerized Adaptive Screening Test (CAST) was developed to provide an estimate at recruiting stations of prospects' Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) scores. The CAST was designed to replace the paper-and-pencil Enlistment Screening Test (EST). The initial validation study of CAST indicated that CAST predicts AFQT at least as accurately…