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Predicting army cadets’ performance: The role of character strengths, GPA and GMA

Henning Bang
Henning Bang
, 
Fredrik Nilsen
Fredrik Nilsen
, 
Ole Boe
Ole Boe
, 
Dag Erik Eilertsen
Dag Erik Eilertsen
 and 
Ole Christian Lang-Ree
Ole Christian Lang-Ree
   | Dec 16, 2021
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Article Category: Research Article
Published Online: Dec 16, 2021
Page range: 139 - 153
Received: Oct 21, 2019
Accepted: Apr 01, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jms-2021-0016
Keywords
© 2021 Henning Bang et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1

Timeline for Collection of Data on Predictor and Criterion Variables.Note. AP, Academic performance as GPA from the NMA; GMA, General mental ability; GPA, Grade point average (high school); MP, Military performance (during the combat fatigue course); NMA, Norwegian Military Academy.
Timeline for Collection of Data on Predictor and Criterion Variables.Note. AP, Academic performance as GPA from the NMA; GMA, General mental ability; GPA, Grade point average (high school); MP, Military performance (during the combat fatigue course); NMA, Norwegian Military Academy.

Fig. 2

Scatterplot of the relationship between MACS and MP. MACS, Military Average Character Strengths; MP, Military performance.
Scatterplot of the relationship between MACS and MP. MACS, Military Average Character Strengths; MP, Military performance.

Fig. 3

Scatterplot of the relationship between MACS and AP. MACS, Military Average Character Strengths; AP, Academic performance.
Scatterplot of the relationship between MACS and AP. MACS, Military Average Character Strengths; AP, Academic performance.

Overview of Peterson and Seligman's (2004) classification of virtues and character strengths.

1. Wisdom and knowledge – cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge
*Creativity (originality, adaptivity, ingenuity)
Curiosity (interest, novelty-seeking, exploration, openness to experience)
*Open-Mindedness (judgement, critical thinking, thinking things through)
*Love of Learning (mastering new skills and topics, systematically adding to knowledge)
*Perspective (wisdom, providing wise counsel, taking the big picture view)
2. Courage – emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition
*Bravery (valour, not shrinking from fear, speaking up for what's right)
*Persistence (perseverance, industriousness, finishing what one starts)
*Integrity (authenticity, honesty, speaking the truth, presenting oneself and acting in a genuine and sincere way)
Vitality (zest, enthusiasm, vigour, energy, feeling alive, and activated)
3. Humanity – interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others
Love (valuing close relations with others, both loving and being loved, being close to people)
Kindness (generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, niceness, helping others)
*Social Intelligence (emotional intelligence, being aware of the motives/feelings of self/others)
4. Justice – civic strengths that underlie healthy community life
*Teamwork (citizenship, social responsibility, loyalty, doing one's share, working well as a team member)
*Fairness (just, treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice, not letting feelings bias decisions about others)
*Leadership (organising group activities, encouraging a group to get things done and at the same time maintaining good relations within the group)
5. Temperance – strengths that protect against excess
Forgiveness and Mercy (accepting others’ shortcomings, giving people a second chance, not being vengeful)
Humility/Modesty (letting one's accomplishments speak for themselves, not regarding oneself to be more special than oneself)
Prudence (careful, cautious, not taking undue risks, not saying or doing things that might later be regretted)
*Self-Regulation (self-control, discipline, controlling one's appetites, impulses and emotions)
6. Transcendence – strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence (awe, wonder, elevation, noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence and/or skilled performance in various domains of life)
Gratitude (being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen, feeling blessed)
Hope (optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation, believing a good future is something that can be brought about)
Humour (playfulness, liking to laugh and tease, bringing smiles to others, light-heartedness)
Spirituality (religiousness, faith, having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe)

Bivariate correlations between variables in the study.

Variables AP MP GPA GMA Leadership Integrity Persistence Fairness Bravery Open-mindedness Social intelligence Teamwork Self-regulation Perspective Creativity Love of learning
AP –
MP 0.52** –
GPA 0.32** 0.14 –
GMA 0.06 -0.10 0.25** –
Leadership 0.52** 0.63** 0.08 0.02 –
Integrity 0.40** 0.46** 0.03 0.15 0.82** –
Persistence 0.30** 0.65** 0.21* 0.15 0.59** 0.45** –
Fairness 0.18 0.27** 0.04 0.15 0.25** 0.17 0.54** –
Bravery 0.36** 0.50** 0.03 0.17 0.78** 0.84** 0.58** 0.20* –
Open-mindedness 0.43** 0.32** -0.05 0.21* 0.48** 0.45** 0.33** 0.47** 0.41** –
Social intelligence 0.25** 0.31** -0.11 0.06 0.56** 0.37** 0.42** 0.61** 0.31** 0.63** –
Teamwork 0.28** 0.59** 0.07 0.16 0.62** 0.48** 0.86** 0.66** 0.52** 0.45** 0.65** –
Self-regulation 0.42** 0.58** 0.07 0.11 0.74** 0.73** 0.69** 0.37** 0.78** 0.57** 0.45** 0.64** –
Perspective 0.58** 0.58** 0.02 0.04 0.82** 0.77** 0.54** 0.28** 0.79** 0.63** 0.47** 0.56** 0.87** –
Creativity 0.45** 0.50** -0.01 0.08 0.74** 0.67** 0.54** 0.48** 0.68** 0.68** 0.66** 0.59** 0.70** 0.77** –
Love of learning 0.44** 0.50** 0.13 0.16 0.58** 0.46** 0.60** 0.54** 0.48** 0.61** 0.58** 0.65** 0.49** 0.54** 0.70** –

Hierarchical regression with MP as dependent variable.

Step R R2 Adj. R2 SE of Est. R2 Δ F Δ df1 df2 Sig. F Δ
1 0.14a 0.02 0.01 0.92 0.02 2.1 1 103 0.15
2 0.20b 0.04 0.02 0.92 0.02 1.9 1 102 0.17
3 0.69c 0.48 0.47 0.68 0.44 86.4 1 101 0.00

Hierarchical regression with AP as dependent variable.

Step R R2 Adj. R2 SE Est. R2 Δ F Δ df1 df2 Sig. F Δ
1 0.32a 0.10 0.10 0.63 0.10 11.9 1 103 0.00
2 0.32b 0.10 0.09 0.63 0.00 0.1 1 102 0.80
3 0.58c 0.34 0.32 0.55 0.24 36.2 1 101 0.00

j.jms-2021-0016.tab.007

Behaviours 1To a very little degree 2To a small degree 3To some degree 4To a high degree 5To a very high degree
1. Takes charge, organises tasks, gives orders, delegates, makes decisions. (Lead)
2. Motivates, is supportive, maintains good relations within the team. (Lead)
3. Presents him/herself as a typical leader. (Lead)
4. Presents him/herself in a genuine, authentic and sincere manner, without pretence. (Integr)
5. Communicates in an open, direct and honest way. (Integr)
6. Has the courage to advocate for unpopular views and decisions. (Integr)
7. Shows perseverance and commitment, is a hard worker. (Persis)
8. Does not give up, persists in a course of action in spite of obstacles. (Persis)
9. Puts in a lot of effort without complaining. (Persis)
10. Is willing to take on extra responsibilities. (Persis)
11. Treats others equally and fairly, gives everyone a fair chance. (Fair)
12. Does not give preferential treatment to anyone in the team. (Fair)
13. Does not let personal bias affect decisions about others. (Fair)
14. Is courageous, does not avoid frightening and/or uncomfortable situations. (Brave)
15. Has the courage to withstand group pressure and challenge the majority. (Brave)
16. Does not shy away from threats or difficulties. (Brave)
17. Faces up to unpleasant situations. (Brave)
18. Thoroughly assesses problems and challenges that arise, demonstrating critical thinking when solving tasks. (Open)
19. Is open to multiple perspectives on issues and able to change his/her mind accordingly. (Open)
20. Evaluates all aspects of an issue equally, does not jump to conclusions. (Open)
21. Is sensitive to and understands the feelings and motives of others. (Soc.int.)
22. Creates good relations with others. (Soc.int.)
23. Adapts own behaviour to the situation. (Soc.int.)
24. Is a typical team player. (Team)
25. Puts the team's need above his/her own needs. (Team)
26. Works hard for the good of the team. (Team)
27. Is good at controlling his/her impulses, desires, appetites and emotions. (Self-reg)
28. Keeps calm under stress. (Self-reg)
29. Shows good self-discipline. (Self-reg)
30. Demonstrates wisdom, is able to see the bigger picture, shows good judgement. (Perspec)
31. Demonstrates realistic confidence in his/her own skills and strengths. (Perspec)
32. Is frequently sought out for advice by other team members. (Perspec)
33. Demonstrates originality in problem solving. (Crea)
34. Is solution-focused. (Crea)
35. Is imaginative and creative. (Crea)
36. Is eager to acquire new knowledge and skills. (Lovelearn)
37. Asks questions and shows interest in learning. (Lovelearn)
38. Demonstrates ability to learn from his/her own mistakes and to adjust if necessary. (Lovelearn)

j.jms-2021-0016.tab.006

1 2 3 4 5
Has displayed this behaviour during the CFC to a very little degree Has displayed this behaviour during the CFC to a small degree Has displayed this behaviour during the CFC to some degree Has displayed this behaviour during the CFC to a high degree Has displayed this behaviour during the CFC to a very high degree

Means, standard deviations, Cronbach's α, Rwg and ICC(2) for the variables.

Variables M SD Cronbach's α Rwg ICC(2)
GPA 4.18 0.50
GMA 6.19 1.23
Perspective 3.52 0.53 0.77 0.77 0.85
Open-mindedness 3.51 0.39 0.74 0.77 0.73
Creativity 3.44 0.37 0.76 0.79 0.73
Love of learning 3.62 0.41 0.81 0.71 0.69
Leadership 3.49 0.55 0.76 0.78 0.87
Teamwork 3.90 0.47 0.84 0.75 0.80
Fairness 3.71 0.40 0.79 0.69 0.64
Integrity 3.87 0.46 0.79 0.75 0.78
Bravery 3.73 0.45 0.61 0.74 0.77
Persistence 3.88 0.55 0.87 0.74 0.84
Self-regulation 3.60 0.50 0.79 0.76 0.83
Social intelligence 3.61 0.41 0.78 0.75 0.74
MACS 3.66 0.36
MP 3.51 0.93 0.97 0.85
AP 4.29 0.66
eISSN:
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Language:
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Journal Subjects:
History, Topics in History, Military History, Social Sciences, Political Science, Military Policy
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