4,975 research outputs found

    Gulf War Era II Veterans\u27 Cognitive Information Processing and the Civilian Employment Transition

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    Gulf-War-era-II combat veterans have made professional contributions to the civilian workforce since returning from Iraq and Afghanistan combat operations. Service members in California encounter transition issues related to employment and adjusting their self-identity in the civilian employment culture. These complexities have led to career problems. Using Peterson, Sampson, Reardon, and Lenz\u27s theory of cognitive information processing and Mincer & Becker\u27s theory of human capital, the purpose of this phenomenological study was designed to provide a holistic account of the lived experiences of 11 Gulf War era II veterans who have successfully integrated into civilian employment with a focus on mitigating factors and decision making processes. Purposeful sampling and semistructured interviews were completed with Los Angeles Gulf-War-era-II veterans employed as civilians for more than 1 year. Data collected were analyzed using the Stevick-Colazzi-Keen method. Five themes emerged from the data represented the transitional experiences of the participant veterans\u27: (a) presence of self-validating values, (b) love of country and social responsibility, (c) importance of veteran networking and social support, (d) continued self-improvement, and (e) self-awareness to adapt to decision-making skills required in civilian employment. The findings identified the phenomenon that veterans evolved personally and professionally after securing meaningful civilian jobs and continued to adapt using career problem solving. This study contributes to the positive social change by aggregating resources for employment stability for veterans, increasing dialogue regarding veteran career transitions, and increasing awareness of veteran human capital values in civilian employment

    The Influences of Participation in an Elite Paralympic Military Program on the Self-Identity of Active Duty Service Members with Acquired Disabilities

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    Background/Purpose: To explore the lived experiences of active duty service members with acquired disabilities that participated in an elite military sport program to gain an enhanced perspective on how elite sport programming influences self-identity post injury. Methods: A phenomenological approach was employed, using a three phase semi-structured interview protocol to capture military journeys of four (4) service members who had sustained a physical disability as the result of a combat injury and chose to remain on active duty status as a part of a specialized unit designed to prepare service members for the Paralympics. Results: Three themes were identified with implications on the saliency of the service members\u27 identities. These were (a) goal orientation, (b) champions through transition, and (c) the unit. Participants reported that participation in the specialized unit provided new challenges and opportunities, inspired both athletic and military goals and provided the opportunity to continue to serve. Conclusion: Concepts self-determination theory (STD) were evident across the participants\u27 accounts of their military careers. The findings portray a group of highly self-determined service members, who throughout the course of their military journey experienced a strong sense of competence, relatedness and autonomy. The elite military sport program provided infrastructure required to foster the salience of a service member identity

    Supporting the Student Service Member and Veteran Population as Learners: An Exploratory Study of Academic Motivation and Best Practices in Student Services at a State Comprehensive University

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    This article explores best practices in student services for Student Service Members and Veterans (SSM/V) learners at a Midwestern state comprehensive university (SCU.) The Military Learner Academic Success Perception Survey (MLASPS) was administered to a small but targeted cohort population of SSM/V’s enrolled in a customized Associate of Applied Science (AAS) program through the institution’s new centralized student support center for SSM/V’s. The research team collected data related to the enrolled students’ perceived academic preparedness, student service needs, and academic motivation. Results informed the center about how to best serve SSM/V’s in persisting through graduation. Results may also be valuable for other universities in the early phases of launching military-student initiatives and partnerships. Additionally, this research contributes to the literature surrounding academic motivation and retention/persistence of the SSM/V population and adds to the literature on the Academic Motivation Scale – College Version AMS-C28 survey instrument

    The Relationship among Career Certainty, Career Engagement, Social Support and College Success for Veteran-Students

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    Abstract Transition from high school to college has been highly researched and shown to be a necessary process toward college success. Research on understanding the transition process from a military career to college success has been much newer and sparser; making the understanding of factors predicting college success limited. One psychological construct, self-efficacy, has been shown to be a major factor in the success of college students and would likely parallel with the accomplishments, or lack thereof, of Veterans entering college after their time in the military. It will help the development of effective educational programs or interventions aiming at enhancing Veterans’ college success if we understand the major factors that are associated with veteran students’ college self-efficacy. This study explored college self-efficacy along with life satisfaction as indicators of college success and examined their relationship with career certainty, career engagement, and perceived social support for Veteran-students. The results supported a positive relationship between college self-efficacy, career engagement, life satisfaction, and social support. Career certainty had no significant effect on college self-efficacy or life satisfaction, and Veteran-student service connection ratings had a small effect on career engagement. Career engagement and social support should be emphasized in Veteran-student experiences in to maximize their potential for college success. Keywords: Veteran-student, college self-efficacy, life satisfaction, career certainty, career engagement, social suppor

    Above-Average Student Loan Debt for Students with Disabilities Attending Postsecondary Institutions

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    Black students with disabilities face more hurdles to academic success and completion than do their non-Black non-disabled peers. With an increased reliance on student loans to finance higher education, this double-at-risk population is even more vulnerable than either Black or disabled students individually. This study examines whether there is an additional debt burden to this intersectional population. The Baccalaureate and Beyond public dataset was used to explore student debt for students who graduated in 2017. This analysis found that Black students with disabilities graduated with significantly higher debt burdens than either non-disabled Black students or students with disabilities from other racial backgrounds. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed. Importantly, Black student veterans with disabilities were found to have student debt even with the assistance of the G.I. Bill

    Recruitment Strategies, Matrices, and Techniques Used in Hiring Veterans

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    Successful transition to civilian employment is a challenge for veterans. The purpose of this single case study was to explore critical aspects of hiring managers\u27 decision-making process and to understand how these strategies and techniques affect the hiring of veterans. Tajfel and Turner\u27s social identity theory and Lewin\u27s organizational change model formed the conceptual framework for the study. The participants for this study were 8 hiring managers from a midsized company in the Upper Hudson Valley Region, New York. Data were collected using semistructured interviews. The data were analyzed and coded and 4 themes emerged: strategies used to fill open positions, specific recruitment and interview protocols, veterans\u27 skills from military training, and lack of experience with hiring veterans. The study results may contribute to veteran\u27s awareness of the skills that employers are seeking that veterans may be able to fulfill. The results of the study could create an opportunity for hiring managers to recognize that veterans represent a trained, ready-made talent pool. The social impact of the study could help hiring managers identify and design the required job description criteria to include the transferable skills of veterans

    How Military Service Influences the Transition to Adulthood Among Post-911 Young Adult Female Veterans with Service Related Disabilities

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    Over 280,000 female servicemembers have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, and a significant number of them are experiencing hidden and/or visible wounds of war. Recent reports indicate that female servicemembers have service-connected disability ratings higher than that of their male counterparts. Female servicemembers often find themselves negotiating roles that are at once ‘inside’ as well as ‘outside’ of a hierarchical, proscribed military institution whose rituals, norms, and hierarchies privilege males in positions of power. Their transition to adulthood as young veterans with service-related disabilities, within a present-day civilian society that can be more ambiguous and discontinuous than in the past decades can often be difficult; particularly during the early years after separation. Fifteen young, female veterans with service-related disabilities, who have left active duty within three years were interviewed for this study, of which 12 met the study criteria. The narratives of their pre-during-and post-military lives contribute to a grounded theory of female veteran transition to adulthood that validates the integration of the Life Course Perspective, Disability Theory, Role/Exit Theory, and theories of Identity and Belonging in ways heretofore unexplored. This study also validates the premise that the female veteran experience is sufficiently different from the male veteran experience in substantive ways. Finally, this research suggests that transition planning and post-military service supports should be customized specifically to address the needs of female servicemembers with disabilities, oriented towards preparing them to resume their civilian lives after exiting the military institution

    Factors Affecting College Choice and Transfer: A Study of the Decision-Making Process of Student Veterans

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    With the reduction of U.S. involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of veterans seeking higher education has increased. The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill has made education more affordable and accessible to service members and their families. Veterans have many choices when deciding which institution to attend, including community colleges, four-year public universities, private four-year colleges, and private for-profit institutions. Each institution has something different to offer with regard to programs and services. Since the enactment of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, both community colleges and private for-profit institutions have experienced increased enrollment of student veterans. This study explored and examined factors affecting student veterans’ decisions to attend a private for-profit institution of higher education and why many of these students later decided to transfer to a two-year public institution or community college. Interviews explored the lived experiences of student veterans regarding college choice and transfer. As institutions of higher education renew their focus on student veterans, it is paramount to understand the needs of this unique population. The results of this study promise to provide a better understanding of the college experiences of student veterans in pursuit of higher education

    Mixed methods study examining work reintegration experiences from perspectives of Veterans with mental health disorders

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    Recent findings have demonstrated that reintegration for Veterans is often challenging. One difficult aspect of reintegration—transitioning into the civilian workplace—has not been fully explored in the literature. To address this gap and examine work reintegration, this mixed methods study examined the perspectives of Veterans with mental health disorders receiving Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare. Forty Veterans rated factors that affect work success; participants also provided narratives on their most and least successful work experiences. We used t-tests and qualitative analysis to compare participants who did and did not serve in combat. Several themes relevant to work reintegration emerged in the narratives, particularly for Veterans who served in combat. An array of work difficulties were reported in the months following military discharge. In addition, Veterans who served in combat reported significantly more work barriers than Veterans who did not serve in combat, particularly health-related barriers. In conclusion, Veterans with mental health disorders who served in combat experienced more work reintegration difficulty than their counterparts who did not serve in combat. The role of being a Veteran affected how combat Veterans formed their self-concept, which also shaped their work success and community reintegration, especially during the early transition period
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