Commonalities in an uncommon profession: Bomb disposal

The bomb disposal community seeks to attract, train, and retain individuals who are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of performing diverse and complex tasks. However, while bomb disposal technicians and organisations tend to believe that bomb disposal requires a certain “type” of individual, little research has been conducted to identify the cognitive characteristics that make a “good” bomb disposal technician. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate the extent to which individual learner preferences, as measured by learning styles and multiple intelligences, impacts on the effectiveness of bomb disposal training. The investigation used a non-experimental, descriptive methodology, and focused on a geographically dispersed group of 100 current and former bomb disposal technicians. The Canfield Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) and Multiple Intelligences Developmental Assessment Scales (MIDAS) instruments were used to assess learning style preferences and intelligence strengths. Overall, ten demographic variables, eight intelligence strengths, and 17 learning style preferences were examined, covering 250 different dimensions, 16 of which (6.4 %) showed a statistically significant difference between intelligence strengths and learning style preferences. The data supports the contention that learning style preferences and intelligence strengths can be used as predictors for academic and vocational success. As such, the results have specific implications for bomb technician education and training in terms of technician selection and the potential to learn and retain the knowledge and skills being taught.