Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between maintaining a personal aerobic fitness program and the performance of undergraduate missile training students during their initial training course at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The review of literature indicated a lack of consistency concerning the findings relating fitness to performance. The research sample consisted of 114 air force officers attending their initial training in preparation for duty as missile launch officers. A structured interview was used to determine if students maintained a personal aerobic fitness program during at least 12 weeks of the four month training program. Demographic data and performance scores on written examinations and simulator evaluations were obtained through archival records. The Point-biserial correlation was used to determine the strength and direction of the relationship between aerobic fitness and performance. The cross-tabulation technique was applied using low, medium, and high undergraduate grade point averages to examine its effect on the original relationships. The direct t ratio was used to determine the significance of the relationships between variables. This study found a somewhat weak relationship between personal aerobic fitness and performance of students during undergraduate missile training. The data also revealed that undergraduate grade point average had an interactive effect on the original relationship. However, there was a significant difference in performance between those students who maintained a personal aerobic fitness program and those who did not. In addition, the study found that the relationship between aerobic fitness and student performance was stronger in terms of the simulator evaluation scores in comparison with written test scores. Although the study made no attempt to demonstrate a causal relationship between aerobic fitness and student performance, the data did demonstrate an association between the two variables; especially for performance in the simulator evaluation. Therefore, instructors should encourage students to participate in a personal aerobic conditioning program. Future research should be directed at determining the relationship using actual job performance at an operational unit.