ERIC Number: ED660633
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Sep
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Mixed Method Analysis of Student Service Member/Veteran Engagement with University Military-Focused Student Services. WCER Working Paper No. 2024-5
Ross J. Benbow; You-Geon Lee
Wisconsin Center for Education Research
Student service member/veteran (SSM/V) university enrollment has grown exponentially in recent years. In response, many U.S. universities have developed military-focused student services to address navigational and social challenges SSM/Vs face on campus. While research suggests these services are beneficial, few studies have empirically examined how often contemporary SSM/Vs engage with them across universities, how engagement connects to predictors of university success, or how SSM/Vs describe such connections. Using social capital theory, surveys (n=531), and interviews (n=59) of SSM/Vs across four universities, we analyze SSM/V military-focused service engagement levels, correlations between engagement and campus belonging and institutional satisfaction, and SSM/V perspectives on engagement. Findings suggest SSM/Vs very rarely engage in these services. Higher engagement, however, is significantly associated with more campus belonging and institutional satisfaction. Interviewees describe how the moral support military-focused service staff offer while providing reliable administrative assistance, as well as SSM/V-dedicated spaces and community building, foster belonging and satisfaction.
Descriptors: Veterans Education, College Students, Student Personnel Services, Success, Student Attitudes, Student Participation, Correlation, Student College Relationship, Student Satisfaction, Social Support Groups, Student Characteristics
Wisconsin Center for Education Research. School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1025 West Johnson Street Suite 785, Madison, WI 53706. Tel: 608-263-4200; Fax: 608-263-6448; e-mail: uw-wcer@education.wisc.edu; Web site: https://www.wcer.wisc.edu/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A