Military Veterans and Their Motivation to Persist in Distance Education Doctoral Programs

Abstract

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand and give a voice to military veterans' motivational experiences as they persisted to complete distance education doctoral programs in the United States. The theory guiding the research was self-determination theory (SDT), a theory of human motivation, development, and wellness that provided a lens to explore how motivation influences behavior, in this case, persistence. Various data sources (demographics questionnaire, timeline, advice letter, and semi-structured interview) were used to triangulate military veterans' motivational experiences and to determine how or if those experiences aligned with SDT. Emerging themes included: (a) completing the mission; (b) translating military experiences to the classroom; (c) fostering relationships; and (d) demonstrating a continuum of motivation. Objective/PurposeMilitary men and women are loyal, respectful, honorable, and courageous (Fall, Kelly, & Christen, 2011). While serving, they are trained to demonstrate self-motivation and commitment to a mission while carrying out difficult tasks; however, military veterans are retiring or separating from the military with a 25% military workforce reduction every year for the next 5 years (Davis & Minnis, 2016). Many of these men and women are leaving the military and attending higher education institutions (Bergman & Herd, 2016;Davis & Minnis, 2016) representing 4% of the graduate student body in American colleges (Starr-Glass, 2013). This growing student body enters higher education equipped with their military experiences and capabilities such as leadership, discipline, and abilities to manage stress (Olsen, Badger, & McCuddy, 2014).