Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

The selection process of the Peace Corps before the training period is a multifaceted operation designed to identify individuals uniquely suited to fulfilling the organization's global goals. This process is rooted in the fundamental necessity of choosing competent volunteers, as the success of the Peace Corps depends on workers who can translate humanitarian hopes into reality. The historical foundations of the program trace back to early missionary activities and the service concepts of William James and Franklin Roosevelt, eventually evolving in response to the perceived limitations of traditional foreign aid programs like the Marshall Plan. 

Recruitment serves as the initial phase, where potential volunteers are acquired through prescribed methods such as personal contact with educational institutions, labor unions, and civic groups. A significant emphasis is placed on college campuses, utilizing liason officers to generate interest and assist with placement examinations. The formal selection process then moves into a series of stages including a review of the volunteer questionnaire, a minimum of five references, qualifying placement tests, and medical examinations. A defining characteristic of the modern system is the use of an electrical computer and a matrix of scores to match applicant qualifications with the specific requirements of various international projects. 

Beyond technical skills, selection officers prioritize personal attributes such as emotional maturity, social adaptability, and proper motivation. While the Peace Corps operates as a semi-autonomous government agency, it has historically utilized the experience of independent organizations like CARE and the National Four H Club to refine its selection and training techniques. Ultimately, the selection process is viewed as a continuous cycle of self-selection by the applicant and rigorous screening by the agency to ensure that those sent abroad can effectively represent American democratic spirit while meeting the practical needs of host countries.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: The Peace Corps, established in 1961, required a systematic selection process to identify volunteers capable of fulfilling democratic goals and technical needs in underdeveloped countries without relying on traditional military drafting or purely financial aid models. 

  • The Method: The study examines the pre-training selection framework developed by Dr. Nicholas Hobbes, which utilized a revised 1962 volunteer questionnaire, a minimum of five references, and a battery of Placement Tests (verbal aptitude, modern language, and general knowledge) processed via an IBM electronic computer matrix. 

  • Quantitative Finding: As of 1962, approximately 1,000 applications were received monthly; the average age of selected volunteers ranged between 24 and 43 years; roughly 90% of applicants were found acceptable for project consideration, though only 50% were eventually utilized; only 2% of applicants were medically disqualified during initial screening, with an additional 6% rejected during training for health reasons. 

  • Qualitative Finding: Successful volunteer selection depended on "self-selection" by the applicant; essential traits identified included emotional stability, cultural empathy, and "functional intelligence" rather than purely high test scores; the transition to computer-based matching (the matrix) shifted the process from individual paper-based screening to mass automatic processing to improve efficiency. 

Publication Date

5-1962

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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