Anderson, J. (2013). Warriors in the Academy: Veterans Transition from the Military to Higher Education (Doctoral di... - 0 views

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  #1 wimichaeljsmith on 15 May 14

   

  Anderson performed a qualitative study for her Master's thesis focused on transitional experiences of veterans as they transitioned into higher education from the military. Incorporated in this qualitative study was observations of student-veteran organizations (student clubs), and focus group interviews of veteran who were attending a large public university. Anderson's research concluded that there were two specific areas that posed challenges for transitioning veterans - social class and military service. Social class is a major motivation why many people join the military, they are looking to finance college, or find gainful employment. Statistics show that military members tend to come from low to middle income households. As individuals transition out of the military, they are again faced with the challenges of their social class. It is common for student veterans (adult learners) to have families to support, and work in addition to going to school. This study goes into more depth about the complex difficulty of better integrating student veterans into the general population of students: lack of time, seen as monolithic culture, health issues, and cultural disconnect. Military culture and higher education culture are very divergent to say the least. The study highlights one of the subtle differences that carries significant implications. Currently higher education emphasizes the use of technology: computer labs, wifi on campus, online courses, technology equipped classrooms, and more. In contract, military culture does not encourage use of technology (in general). At basic training, service members are basically removed from society: no smart phones, computers or internet. The emphasis on things other than technology use continues throughout the lives of most military members. The age of technology has significantly widened the transitioning gap for veterans.

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">Anderson performed a qualitative study for her Master's thesis focused on transitional experiences of veterans as they transitioned into higher education from the military. Incorporated in this qualitative study was observations of student-veteran organizations (student clubs), and focus group interviews of veteran who were attending a large public university. Anderson's research concluded that there were two specific areas that posed challenges for transitioning veterans - social class and military service. Social class is a major motivation why many people join the military, they are looking to finance college, or find gainful employment. Statistics show that military members tend to come from low to middle income households. As individuals transition out of the military, they are again faced with the challenges of their social class. It is common for student veterans (adult learners) to have families to support, and work in addition to going to school. This study goes into more depth about the complex difficulty of better integrating student veterans into the general population of students: lack of time, seen as monolithic culture, health issues, and cultural disconnect. Military culture and higher education culture are very divergent to say the least. The study highlights one of the subtle differences that carries significant implications. Currently higher education emphasizes the use of technology: computer labs, wifi on campus, online courses, technology equipped classrooms, and more. In contract, military culture does not encourage use of technology (in general). At basic training, service members are basically removed from society: no smart phones, computers or internet. The emphasis on things other than technology use continues throughout the lives of most military members. The age of technology has significantly widened the transitioning gap for veterans.</div>

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