Use of Stories to Enhance the Inculcation of Values with Application to the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps

Concerns about the growing disparity of values necessary for Army officers and those held by incoming college Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets in commissioning programs raises the question of values-teaching methods. This pilot study was conceived as a result of the author's personal experience as cadre in a ROTC program, which indicated a possible deficiency in the inculcation of Army Values. The central research question is: Can values instruction and inculcation be enhanced with stories; particularly applied to potential use in Army ROTC? The literature search was used to explore various attributes of the story to determine what essentially a story is and what it is not. The nature of the story is explored from a philosophical viewpoint and a psychological viewpoint. The use of story to teach values in both education and in organizations is explored. Professional educators with experience using the story methodology are consulted as well as current professors of military science in existing ROTC programs. The conclusion drawn from the research is that stories are effective means of teaching values, however, there is some concern among current cadre that the additional reading required would be impractical.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.