Development and Evaluation of the Officer Transition Survey and Proxy Group Design

Abstract : The work described in this report is an extension of the STAY project, with a directed focus on officer career continuance. An Officer Transition Survey (OTS) was developed to identify and examine the factors that influence junior officers to continue serving beyond their ADSO or separate from the Active Army. Career continuance factors and separation motives were identified and documented for 169 Active Army junior officers (O1-O3) who were actively out-processing at Army Transition Centers. Data were also collected from proxy samples that were comprised of 485 junior officers who were in the process of deciding whether to serve beyond their service obligation (officer proxy sample) and 68 experts who work closely with junior officers (expert proxy sample). Results indicated the OTS provides valid, empirical information regarding junior officers' career continuance influences and separation motives. Results also show that officer and expert proxy samples can be used to understand and quantify the motives of officers who are separating from the Active Army. These findings have important implications for collecting valid information using a more efficient, streamlined application of survey methodology that expends fewer resources.

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