Professional military instructor identity and the effect of collaborative instructivism

Abstract

Soldiers execute four tasks, namely, to prepare (train) to kill, to kill, to prepare to die and if and when required, to die. Good instruction is a contributing factor in the effective and efficient execution of the first three tasks and the prevention of the fourth. Given that a professional identity such as Profesional Military Instructor Identity (PMII) is predictive of performance, the lack of a PMII in the South African National Defence Force could explain the current unsatisfactory performance of military instructors. The rationale for this study is therefore to contribute to the body of knowledge of military education and training, leading to the enhancement of the effectiveness of the training of and by military instructors. This is done in order to improve the effectiveness of military training. The research was carried out within an interpretivist-constructivist paradigm. Subsequently, an inductive/qualitative research approach was followed and an exploratory research strategy, applying a focus group discussion and three expert interviews to collect data, was used. Thematic networks analysis and coding by means of Atlas.ti were utilised to analyse the data. The literature review resulted in two conceptual frameworks, namely, that of the PMII; and secondly of an educational approach known as collaborative instructivism. Applying the two conceptual frameworks, a codebook was constructed and used to complete the analysis. Two main conclusions stemmed from the analysis. The first main conclusion states that the lack of a PMII and the detrimental effect of the current unsatisfactory performance of military instructors can be reversed by institutionalising and formally teaching the concept of a PMII. A stronger PMII will negate the effect of poor performance and even lead to improved execution. By providing an improved educational construct and quality of instruction, collaborative instructivism has a pronounced effect on PMII, resulting in the second main conclusion, namely, that in order to encourage the development of a PMII, collaborative instructivism should also be institutionalised and implemented in training doctrine and competency-based curricula.