IDENTIFICATION OF FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE POST-SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF MALE MILITARY ENLISTEES: EVIDENCE FROM THE NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify factors which contribute t o the post-secondary educational attainment level o f male military enlistees. The research problems were : 1. When socioeconomic status/family background factors, educational aspiration factors, educational/ academic performance factors and military factors were considered separately, how did each factor relate to the post-secondary educational attainment of male military enlistees. 2. When socioeconomic status/ family background factors, educational aspiration factors, educational/ academic performance factors, and military factors were considered jointly, how did they relate to the postsecondary educational attainment of male military enlistees? The sample for this study was taken from the National Longitudinal Study (NLS). The selected 845 sample was tracked from the NLS 1972 base year survey through the 1979 fourth follow-up survey. Multiple regression analysis was the analytical tool selected for analyzing the data within this study. Besides the overall significant relationships between socioeconomic status/family background, educational aspiration, educational/academic performance, military factors, and educational attainment, the results of this investigation revealed that a number of individual independent variables were important predictors of educational attainment. It was found that mother's educational aspirations for children, mother's education, father's occupation, high school grade point average, student aptitude, student high school program, reason for entering the military -- to receive in-service college education, and educational plans after.military service -- college were individually all significant predictors of educational attainment of male military enlistees.