Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Is anyone listening? An ecological systems perspective on veterans transitioning from the military to academia
Journal Name
Military Behavioral Health
Journal Volume
3
Issue Number
4
Page Numbers
219-229
DOI
10.1080/21635781.2015.1057306
Summary
The beliefs and attitudes of 11 student Veterans transitioning from being on Active Duty during the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts into a private, faith-based university were explored through a qualitative phenomenological study. The lens of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory was utilized to probe at the various relationship levels that impacted the student Veterans' lived experiences
Key Findings
The participants described how the military offered security, community, and camaraderie.
Participants often struggled to find a niche and to communicate their experiences to younger students as well as their instructors.
Participants with families felt the need to make up lost time with their spouses and children and struggled to develop effective study habits.
Implications for Program Leaders
Foster open dialogues among students who are Service members, Veterans, and non-military
Develop workshops for military families as they prepare for major transitions (e.g. relocation, starting university, deployment)
Engage student Service members and Veterans in the development of on-campus support groups
Implications for Policy Makers
Support collaboration between military branches and community level organizations to more effectively help military families navigate transitions
Recommend that higher education institutions have student-run Veteran organizations
Support professional development for education professionals who work with military families (e.g., teachers, counselors, social workers) about preparing families for major life transitions
Methods
Participants were recruited at a faith-based university through an e-mail invitation.
Analysis began with team members independently reviewing each transcript many times and dividing up the comments into similar but unstructured categories. Team members met, discussed their categories and agreed upon five subgroups for prior military experiences and six subgroups for the Veterans’ experiences at the university.
At the end of the analysis, an independent researcher was added to check the groups’ findings.
Participants
From a total of 75 student Veterans, 12 responded to the e-mail solicitation and 11 ended up participating in the full study. There were 10 males and one female participant.
Criteria for inclusion in the study required having served in an Active Duty role during the post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan or Iraq and enrolled in university.
Nine were enlisted and two were officers, and they represented the Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy.
Participants’ ages, race and ethnicity were not provided.
Limitations
The participant sample included only those student Veterans who volunteered to be interviewed, possibly resulting in response bias.
Participants were drawn from one private, faith-based university. Student Veterans from other private, faith-based institutions may have differed in their experiences.
With only one female and two officers, further study would need to be done to understand these groups’ transition experiences.
Avenues for Future Research
Compare public and private institutions’ provision of student-Veteran services and correlating services with student learning outcomes and retention
Investigate in greater depth student Veterans and their transition experiences from the military to academia in other types of institutions (e.g., research, liberal arts, community college)
Examine strategies higher education institutions use to support student Veterans transitions and success
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Component
Abstract
Using an ecological systems model, this qualitative phenomenological study describes the experiences of 11 student veterans while they were in the military, as they transitioned to a private university, and as they adopted the student role. Results indicated that technology allowed military personnel to remain in multiple networks simultaneously with varied consequences. Results also indicated that the transition experiences and student experiences of these vets who served on active duty during the post-9/11 conflicts in Afghanistan or Iraq were similar to experiences of returning World War II vets. Targeted services, even at institutions with limited student-veteran enrollment, are needed.
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