Kaitseväe Ühendatud Õppeasutuste Kõrgema Sõjakooli kuvand ajateenijate seas

Date

2009

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Tartu Ülikool

Abstract

Description

Based primarily on earlier studies and results of questionnaires, the author hypothesizes that conscripts to the Estonian Defence Forces have no clear idea about the Estonian National Defence College (ENDC=KVÜÕA Kõrgem Sõjakool) of the Military Educational Establishments and the strongest influence on building up their existing image about the ENDC was exerted by attitudes to military organizations in general and internal communication channels of the Defence Forces. In this thesis the quantitative research method is applied for which the data was gathered and analyzed by means of questionnaires containing 77 items, coded in numbers on the Likert Scale, and the results are given in the form of statistical generalizations, related to the assessment/measurement of an attitude or image. The author of the thesis questioned 200 conscripts to the Estonian Defence Forces in March 2009. The responses to the questionnaires testify that the image of the ENDC among conscripts is positive rather than negative and is based on little information. The image of the ENDC among the conscripts questioned is similar to the images of the Estonian Defence Forces and other military domains. Outcome of the questionnaires corroborated the author’s hypothesis that the ENDC has not communicated a clear idea and attractive image about military education and the College, on the whole, to consolidate social involvement between the ENDC and society. The latter has no access to internal information channels of the Defence Forces. To date, the College has not taken advantage of the information channels which are mostly used by its target groups. Semantic fields of the image of the College are not exhausted and the image of the ENDC as an institution of applied higher education, first of all, depends on that of the Estonian Defence Forces – however, depending on varying attitudes to the Defence Forces, the image of the ENDC also changes and the College would probably not be able to check the process. Since, in the long term, the Estonian National Defence College is not directly related to the political will of every newly elected Riigikogu, parties’ election pledges or failure in some foreign mission, the College should not depend on the image of any political domain but should work out a clear and positive image of its own to gain success in the current higher education landscape. Further research on the topic should work out and introduce specific ways to show the College more attractive and independent. One way of doing it comprises more extensive research on the internal image of the Estonian National Defence College of the Military Educational Establishments, involving an analysis of behavioural norms and patterns, and established values of both the personnel and cadets to find common ground between them and target groups.

Keywords

H Social Sciences (General)

Citation