Verbal Feedback and Cadets' Shooting Performance

Abstract

This study examines the impact of leadership communication styles on cadet performance within a university-level ROTC training environment. It explores how task-involving versus ego-involving verbal feedback impacts shooting accuracy during a simulated marksmanship task. Seventy-six cadets participated, with leader cadets offering feedback to follower cadets under assigned motivational climates. Results indicate that task-involving feedback, which emphasizes effort, learning, and skill mastery, results in higher shooting performance, while ego-involving feedback, which focuses on social comparison and outcome-based evaluation, resulted in greater variability, and in some cases, decreased performance. These findings align with the Achievement Goal Theory, reinforcing the importance of mastery-oriented climates in military training. By prioritizing constructive, skill-focused feedback, ROTC programs can enhance leadership effectiveness, optimize cadet performance, and improve operational readiness.