Date Presented 3/31/2017
Educational institutions offer transformative opportunities for veterans transitioning from the military. This presentation covers the findings of a three-part dissertation investigating veteran experiences transitioning to postsecondary education.
Primary Author and Speaker: Brian Gregg
Contributing Authors: Anne Shordike, Dana Howell, Patrick H. Kitzman, Michael K. Iwama
BACKGROUND: More than 1.5 million veterans are projected to transition to academic institutions following systematic downsizing of the military and increasing access by the post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement. However, many report difficulty transitioning to civilian environments due to psychosocial challenges from combat exposure. Previous theoretical investigations into veteran transitions have not explicitly studied the influence of culture in student environments; therefore, this constructivist grounded theory study investigated the individual and collective constructions of veteran transition experiences in student culture.
METHOD: Twelve veterans were theoretically sampled and developed Kawa (Japanese for “river”) metaphorical diagrams of transitioning. Intensive interviews were used to discuss the meaning ascribed to the Kawa diagrams. Data were analyzed with the constant comparison technique until theoretical saturation was achieved.
RESULTS: A theory emerged explaining student veteran life flow by two major theoretical concepts—seeking understanding and gaining stability—to shape life flow in the transition from military to student culture. Veterans shared understanding in each cultural environment by socially interacting with others perceived to be reaching out and connecting. Autonomous actions of gaining stability by using skills, pinpointing useful resources, and cultivating personal skills all supported life flow.
CONCLUSION: Transition challenges were specific to the cultural context veterans transitioned in. Understanding veterans’ experiences in military culture assists in facilitating client-centered care by explicating meaning shared among military personnel and institutions. This study provides insights into the cultural context in which student veterans transition and how rehabilitation practitioners and educators can address veterans’ needs from a culturally relevant lens applied from an occupation-based theoretical lens.
References
Ackerman, R., DiRamio, D., Mitchell, R. L. G. (2009). Transitions: Combat veterans as college students. New Directions for Student Services, 126, 5–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ss.311
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
DiRamio, D., Ackerman, R., & Mitchell, R. L. (2008). From combat to campus: Voices of student-veterans. NASPA Journal, 45, 73–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.1908
Gregg, B. T., Kitzman, P. H., & Shordike, A. (2016). Well-being and coping of student veterans readjusting into academia: A pilot survey. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 32, 86–107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0164212X.2015.1082081
Iwama, M. K. (2006). The Kawa model: Culturally relevant occupational therapy. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingston Elsevier.
