Understanding the experiences of women student veterans during their transition process from the military into higher education : identity, belonging, and voice in writing courses and writing assignments in other disciplines

Abstract

Given the lack of published research on women student veterans as a group separate from men student veterans and the unique needs of women student veterans, individual attention needs to be paid to women student veterans. This qualitative study used feminist critical theory to examine the experiences of women student veterans, during their transition process from the military to higher education, regarding identity, belonging, and voice in connection with writing courses and writing assignments. Real-time in-depth interviews were conducted with seven women student veterans, either current or former, located across the country. Narrative inquiry, alongside In vivo and process coding, was used to analyze the interviews and reveal superordinate themes. These three superordinate themes are 1) Military Influence: Lifestyle Transition, Identity, and Writing; 2) Peer Connections in Writing Courses; and 3) Writing Instructor Influence. The findings informed by the superordinate themes include that women student veterans sometimes have difficulty transitioning from military writing to academic writing in higher education. Women student veterans also need peer connections in the writing classroom. Additionally, writing instructors hold much influence over belonging and voice for women student veterans. These findings led to three recommendations for future practice. The first recommendation is that writing workshops focusing on the differences between military writing and academic writing should be held for women student veterans by individual colleges and universities. The second recommendation is that colleges and universities can establish and maintain writing groups for women student veterans, in which they write and share narratives and poetry reflective of their military and other life experiences. The third recommendation is