An examination of student veteran education pathways at an American university

Military veterans are enrolling in higher education at the highest rates since the Second World War. This research seeks to examine how military experiences related to student experiences within the discipline of Geography. We use a survey instrument to measure student motivations, attitudes, and as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of geography in higher education Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 276 - 292
Main Authors Morris, Phillip, Gibbes, Cerian, Jennings, Steve
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Routledge 03.04.2018
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Analogies
Attitudes
Colleges & universities
degree selection
Demographics
Differences
Education
Geography
Geography Instruction
geography majors
Human Geography
instruction
Majors (Students)
Military personnel
Occupational Aspiration
Physical Environment
Qualitative Research
Questionnaires
Statistical Analysis
Student Attitudes
Student Experience
Student Motivation
Student Needs
Student veterans
Students
Travel
Undergraduate Students
Veterans
Veterans Education
California
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Summary:Military veterans are enrolling in higher education at the highest rates since the Second World War. This research seeks to examine how military experiences related to student experiences within the discipline of Geography. We use a survey instrument to measure student motivations, attitudes, and aspirations for declared Geography majors. Given a high presence of military connected students, we then examine the similarities and differences in motivations, attitudes, and aspirations between military connected and non-military students. Findings suggest that there are similarities between military and non-military students with regard to motivating factors for selecting Geography as a major, there are differences with regards to attitudes towards cultural geography, and differences in how students perceive their future interactions with the environment. Differences in demographics and travel experiences also are identified and likely contribute to shaping undergraduate geography experiences. The results offer useful insight on current Geography student needs, and assist faculty and departments in tailoring learning based on student experience.
ISSN:0309-8265
1466-1845
DOI:10.1080/03098265.2018.1436533