Army senior leaders believe in preparing for future conflicts; the Army must shape future leaders' knowledge, skills, and attributes through rigor and critical thinking in professional military education. The problem addressed by this study was understanding Army senior leaders' perceptions concerning the appropriateness of rigor and critical…

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…

Military spouses' access to education is greatly impacted by the demands of their unique and often complex lifestyles. If postsecondary education leaders had a greater understanding of this population and their needs, challenges, and successes, they could cultivate an environment of learning rooted in student success, accessibility, and equity.…

Military life involves frequent movements requiring frequent and sometimes difficult life adaptations, especially for military families who have children with special needs. The problem addressed in this study is active-duty military families are not provided consistent family assistance or support for their children with special needs during…

Storytelling as a technique for instruction dates back to the earliest of human civilizations. Today, educators use storytelling for a variety of purposes in their classes, including to illustrate key instructional points, demonstrate practical application, and maintain student interest. In military education settings, the sharing of experiences…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how caregivers and teachers describe best practices to support the emotional, behavioral, and academic experiences of the active-duty dependent who relocate to a high school in Northern Virginia from another state or overseas school. Bowen's family system theory was the theoretical…

The support needed for military-connected children in civilian schools remains a largely unexplored subject. Military-connected children and their families face unique stressors due to the nature of military life and culture. The problem is that civilian educators are often unaware of the presence of military-connected students in their schools…

Military-connected students currently make up 1.3 million of K-12 students enrolled in public schools across the United States (US Department of Defense, 2020). There are also more than seven million students with an identified exceptionality qualifying them to receive special education services (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022).…

This study investigated the impact of learning about cultural intelligence (CQ) from senior U.S. Army Special Forces leaders (Group Commanders and Group Command Sergeants Major) on aspiring Special Forces Captains (students) at the Captains Career Course. Three research questions addressed the influence of senior leader interventions on students'…

Most military-connected students (MCS) with active-duty parents attend public schools in the United States. Due to the highly mobile military lifestyles of MCS, some are at risk for academic, emotional, and social challenges. School counselors are often charged with supporting and advocating for MCS; therefore, it is vital to understand elementary…

This dissertation is a phenomenological study of how American military spouses experience, give meaning to and navigate their shifting identities as a spouse of an active-duty military member, parents, as Americans, and as global citizens while living in Italy. Findings from 45 survey responses and 19 in-depth interviews completed in 2021, at the…

The purpose of this study was to understand the motivating factors behind U.S. Army Signal Corps senior noncommissioned officers' decisions to pursue or not pursue a college education. This study also explored how senior leaders throughout the command perceived the roles and organizational benefits of college education to U.S. Army Signal Corps…

Although scholars have well-established the benefits of higher teacher-efficacy, the lack of literature regarding the sources and influences of these self-beliefs has led to an overly-reductionistic view of the construct. A teacher's sense of efficacy is a multifaceted entity which involves the interplay of various factors individuals leverage to…

Student veterans are a growing population in higher education with over 650,000 veterans using education benefits in 2018. Student veterans are enrolling in colleges of all types, and many institutions have support services designed for them specifically. In most cases these support services are limited to veteran centers where officials certify…

Since 2001, over two million children have experienced having one or both of their parents deployed (Tunac de Pedro et al., 2018). There is significant research that shows that "military children experience tremendous psychological strain as a result of stressful military related life events" (Tunac de Pedro et al., 2011, p. 567). The…