Despite generous financial aid, military veterans have high rates of undermatch and generally poor postsecondary outcomes. We conducted a large-scale, multi-arm field experiment with the U.S. Army to investigate whether personalized information about postsecondary options and access to advising affects service members' postsecondary choices and…

Parenting programs aim to improve parenting quality, which may, in turn, support various aspects of child development, including behavior and mental health. However, parenting interventions show considerable heterogeneity in response patterns across different families, demonstrating that they are not one-size-fits-all programs. This variability…

Military experience alone is no longer enough to replace a college degree for many civilian jobs, leaving nearly 15% of transitioning veterans at a disadvantage without higher education credentials. This study explored how active-duty Marines decide whether to pursue postsecondary education and assessed the role of the voluntary education (VolED)…

The tragedies that befell the USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain in 2017 cost 17 service members their lives. These incidents sent shock waves through the service, with several upper-echelon officers losing their positions while temporarily halting all naval operations. Investigating the collisions, The National Transportation Safety Board…

The Department of Defense's enduring mission is to provide combat-ready military forces needed to defend our nation, deter war, and protect the security of the United States (DoD, 2020). Effective military training and education are critical to our National Defense Strategy in that it provides a way to prepare our servicemembers with the ability…

Unfortunately, not all civilian volunteers fulfill their military contracts due to failing to meet basic combat training graduation requirements or medical issues. As the primary trainers, drill sergeants (DSs) affect the completion of basic combat training and serve as gatekeepers for civilian volunteer's completion paths. Although the DSs…

Objective: To examine the role of grit as a mediator of the relationship between student-veteran status and not seeking mental health help. Participants: A diverse and nationally representative sample of students (8,203 women, 4,934 men) from 18 U.S. colleges and universities included in the Understanding Student Distress and Academic Success…

An effective system of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) requires assessment processes that are appropriate for the nature of the experiential learning being assessed. Otherwise, potential candidates may be discouraged from engaging in RPL applications and therefore not benefit from the lifelong learning opportunities available. It has been…

While there are numerous qualitative studies exploring civilian experiences in continuing professional education programs, there is a dearth of research on the professional military education (PME) system. These systems, which sustain continuing education and professional development for over two million active and reserve members of the military,…

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), previously named the Veterans Administration, has been providing veterans educational assistance benefits, including GI Bill benefits, since 1944. The benefits have been intended, at various times, to compensate for compulsory service, encourage voluntary service, prevent unemployment, provide…

Being a subject matter expert does not make someone a good ins­tru­ctor. Most institutions do little to prepare first-time instructors. The Marine Corps puts new instructors of graduate-level programs through a rigorous 4-week program to prepare them as first-time instructors. They are exposed to adult learning theory, assessment processes, and…

Objective: To explore barriers and facilitators to mental health care among the student service member and veteran (SSM/V) population, develop an integrative model of mental health service use, and identify health communication opportunities. Participants: Participants were 21 current and former SSM/Vs recruited online and via snowball sampling.…

The purpose of this study is to identify non-cognitive attributes learned from enlisted military service that can guide student-veterans to success in higher education. Community colleges are showing poor completion rates for all the efforts toward student success and completion. Non-traditional students persist to completion and student success…

Active-duty Air Force enlisted members face challenges associated with the transition into higher education. The problem addressed in this study was that 1 in 6 Air Force enlisted members find transitioning to higher education a challenging and stressful process. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to examine perceptions of…

Veterans and students who are currently members of the U.S. Armed Forces have a long and rich history with higher education. Despite this, little quantitative research exists that examines factors that influence academic outcomes and provide results that can be acted upon by institutions, such as community colleges, to improve the academic…