revistaieee7

Juan Antonio Martínez Sánchez
Thoughts on military education and training in Spain
Without forgetting that many other factors influence the dedication and performance
of a teacher, such as training, motivation and satisfaction - and that when a military officer
makes the decision to work in teaching the decision is influenced by other factors, such as
the location of the education centre he applies to be posted to and the chances of obtaining
certain financial and social benefits (prestige, wage supplements, etc.), it is clear that
vocation is a fundamental aspect of military education. However, this does not mean that
it is a prerequisite for the teacher. In fact, during their careers, many military officers find
themselves forced to perform teaching activities for reasons that have nothing to do with
vocation, and they do so with excellent results.
We are not going to get involved in a debate as to whether vocation is innate or acquired
and developed throughout a lifetime. Nobody was born being a good teacher and
every teacher who has to face the complexity of a classroom and a group for students for
the first time does so with many doubts and little experience. Practice and experience are
essential in education, therefore professionals who - regardless of their positions and years
of service - show a strong vocation and calling for teaching, should be given opportunities
in this respect. This could be achieved with an appropriate policy for assigning teachers to
vacancies in CDMs that value the preparation, vocation and willingness of the applicant;
given that, as Ávila has advocated, if the aim is to achieve excellence in military training,
teaching destinations should not be seen as just any “old” destination. 104
Obviously, military officers who are new to teaching should be supervised by their heads
of studies, department managers and teachers with more experience in the area or subject.
Motivation and satisfaction of the teaching staff are key in military education
Education psychology has studied the influence of numerous internal or personal
variables on the teacher’s job performance, his interpersonal relations and student
performance. These variables included attitude, concern, behaviour and, above all,
motivation. 105 In the opinion of Professor Fernández Enguita, who lectures on Sociology
at the University of Salamanca, teacher satisfaction and motivation are the key to
academic success. 106 These factors are of paramount importance in the current education
context and most especially at university level. 107
104 Ávila, Santiago: “A vueltas con la reforma de la enseñanza superior militar”, op. cit.
105 LIEBERMAN, Ann and MILLER, Lynne: Staff Development for Education in the ‘90s: New
Demands, New Realities, New Perspectives, op. cit.
106 MESTRES I SALUD, Laia: “Fracaso y éxito académico: la importancia del profesorado”, Educaweb,
12 December 2011, http://www.educaweb.com/noticia/2011/12/12/fracaso-exito-escolar-importancia-profesorado-5148/
[last visited: 28.10.2015].
107 GALÁN, Arturo; GONZÁLEZ, M. Ángeles y ROMÁN, Marcos: “La irrupción del factor comunitario
en el perfil del profesorado universitario”, Bordón, 64(3), 2012, pp. 133-148.
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