Book Description

This research examined the role of motivation in predicting peer and trainer ratings of student performance and contrasted the relative importance of various antecedents for peer and trainer ratings. Ability, experience, and self- report personality and belief measures were collected from 239 enlisted male Army soldiers attending training for special Forces. At the conclusion of the first phase of the training, performance ratings were obtained from peers and trainers. LISREL8 was used to test a path model predicting performance ratings. Results showed observer ratings of effort and self-reported task sell-efficacy played a role in predicting ratings of task-specific performance. Self-report measures of mastery beliefs, achievement orientation, and locus of control were not significant contributors to the performance rating models, while the soldier's prior experience had both direct effects on performance as well as indirect effects through self-efficacy and effort. The lack of importance of the personality measures is discussed with respect to the high level of variation among the students on level of prior experience. Finally, analyses indicated that peer raters included more information about interpersonal skills in their rating of overall performance than did trainers. Utilization of these findings with regard to performance evaluation systems is discussed.