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.