Goal-setting in Army DAFOOS Course And the Level of Achievement of the Goals

Document Type : Scientific - Research

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in Curriculum Planning, Department of Curriculum Planning, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Curriculum Planning, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Defense Management, Command School, Army Command and Staff University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the goals of the Dafoos course, the sources of goal formulation, and the stakeholder’s influence in the goal-setting process of the Army Dafoos course, as well as to evaluate the extent to which the goals have been achieved from the perspective of professors and students of the course. By providing security, the army creates the basis for other social, economic, scientific, and cultural activities in every country, including Iran. In the military, various types of general and specialized training are provided. For logical reasons, officer training has always been more detailed and specialized than the training of other army personnel because commanders are role models for their subordinates and have more diverse and heavier responsibilities. The Dafoos master's degree course is the highest level of operational training specifically for senior officers in the army who are to be appointed as commanders or staff officers (who advise the commander) in the middle ranks (brigade/base) and above in the future. The training at the National Defense University and the War University at the doctoral level has a strategic aspect and lacks operational training.
Materials and Methods: The research method in this study is a mixed type and includes examining the opinions of professors and students. In the first stage, information was obtained from 29 university professors and officials through a qualitative method of interpreting the themes and interview tools, and in the quantitative method, a researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect the opinions of the students of the 33rd year of Dafoos. The study population was all professors and students of the university, and a qualitative sample was selected using the purposeful snowball method until saturation with 29 people for interviews. The quantitative part a sample size of 149 students in the 33rd year of Dafoos was determined using the Cochran formula. First, interviews were conducted and important indicators of the curriculum objectives were identified. In the next step, the researcher created the questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was ensured by soliciting the opinions and applying the corrective opinions of 20 professors from the two universities of Isfahan and Dafoos. Also, for testing, the questionnaire was first sent to 40 students and after answering and discovering ambiguities, it was revised the final questionnaire was completed and the main survey was conducted. The reliability of the questionnaire was also confirmed with Cronbach's alpha (0.924).
Discussion and Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that the objectives of the Army Dafoos course, in order of importance, are: 1) Training and developing army commanders and providing the required commanders and staff officers at intermediate levels (brigade/base ranks) and above 2) Integrating theoretical and skills training to create mental and practical readiness of commanders 3) Creating a common language and culture between the four army forces, to increase collective understanding and improve communication between all four army forces 4) Preparing commanders to provide defense advice to civilian authorities during infrastructure measures such as the construction of roads, canals, factories and other sensitive and important facilities and buildings, such as airports, ports and refineries. The findings showed that the first goal was fully considered and achieved, there is disagreement about the achievement of the second goal and there are shortcomings and obstacles in the method of reaching it, the third goal was well achieved but the fourth goal is neglected and is not explicitly stated in the course objectives. In addition, it was determined that the university, in general summary, has been successful in achieving its goals. And that professors are more satisfied than students with the level of achievement of the goals. Goal setting is a dynamic process and Dafoos course learners, experts, and experienced commanders, should be involved in formulating goals. In addition, "adult education" issues and the coordination of individual and organizational goals should also be considered.
Defense consulting training also needs to be reviewed. Among the influential groups involved in formulating the course curriculum objectives, the results showed that reducing the influence of the Ministry of Science and other civilian authorities and increasing the weight of modeling from military universities in advanced countries would be more logical and likely to increase the effectiveness of the course.

Keywords

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