An Evaluation of the Factors Used to Predict Writing Ability at the Air Force Institute of Technology

A study of 574 students at the Air Force Institute of Technology compared performance, education, and experience factors-the later two as stated by the students themselves--to a locally developed estimate of true writing ability (WGPA). This exploratory research was additionally intended to assess the effectiveness of AFIT's current writing student skill diagnostic and instructional system. Direct (essay evaluation) and indirect (objective test) evaluations of AFIT student writing ability were analyzed for their predictive impact. The statistical analysis procedures used in this study included the factor analysis of a survey, ANOVA, the adjustment of multiple correlations due to measurement error and range attenuation, and the performance of a regression analysis using the raw data and the adjusted correlation matrix. The results of this study indicate AFIT's direct evaluation portion (essay examination) is useful for determining writing ability; the indirect portion (objective test) did not significantly contribute to the model. Due to the combination of independent variables chosen for the predictive model, the study was unable to identify the immediate benefits of the written communications review course on AFIT performance.