Date

4-18-2025

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Constance Pearson

Keywords

cognitive load, cadet, hands-on skill, confidence, simulator, rotc

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of ROTC cadets related to their preparation for Cadet Summer Training (CST). The theory guiding this study was John Sweller’s cognitive load theory. The current problem is that cadets have minimal opportunities to become proficient in certain hands-on skills taught within the ROTC curriculum prior to their assessment at CST. Because of this, some cadets seem to lack confidence in their abilities prior to CST adding onto their cognitive load. Through the utilization of transcendental phenomenology to understand the firsthand accounts of the cadets after they underwent CST, the goal was to understand how cadets perceive their instruction and to isolate best practices from their viewpoint. Data was collected through individual interviews, document analysis and focus groups and analyzed through coding common themes and triangulating the data. The results of the study uncovered three themes, six sub-themes, and one piece of outlier data that largely supported previous research in similar fields.

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