A comparison of the performance of navigation tasks by flight students using a Geographic North Model versus a Magnetic North Model

Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of navigation tasks by flight students receiving navigational ground instruction based on a Geographic North versus a Magnetic North Model. Participants in this study were 21 students enrolled in two sections of the Theory of Flight course at Oklahoma State University during the Spring 2000 semester. The students in section I were the experimental group and received navigational instruction based solely on a geographic north model, while the students in section II were the control group and received traditional navigational instruction based on a magnetic north model. After the instruction was finished, a posttest was administered in which the subjects performed cross country navigational problem solving tasks. The accuracy of their answers and the duration of time required to achieve the tasks were measured. Chi-square and t-tests were used to evaluate the data collected.; Findings and conclusions. The first hypothesis that the experimental group would perform more accurately than the control group was not supported by a Chi-square test performed on the data collected. The second hypothesis that the experimental group would perform more expeditiously than the control group had a slightly more powerful outcome. The t-test performed on the duration-of-time to perform the first navigation task did not statistically show that the experimental group outperformed the control group. However, the t-test performed on the duration-of-time to perform the second navigation task did statistically show that the experimental group outperformed the control group. The researcher feels that a larger and more random subject sample along with an improved measurement instrument for acquiring accuracy and time data will provide improvement for further research in this area.