Abstract:

Veterans are a growing presence on higher education campuses around the country, and as they become more ubiquitous, there is an increasing need to better understand this unique population of students. Veteran critical theory (VCT) addresses the necessity of understanding the student veteran experience by focusing on their narratives and counternarratives while pushing for a generative model of practice and inquiry. We report on data from a study of student veterans’ experiences of higher education, with a particular focus on the importance of friendships and camaraderie with other student veterans in their ongoing educational journeys. The project was conducted as a thematic narrative analysis using journey maps and a single interview, which was analyzed using VCT. We found that friendships, camaraderie, and purpose are important factors in the educational journeys of student veterans. We conclude with a discussion of how our findings contribute to the elaboration of VCT.

摘要：

退伍军人在全国各地的高等教育校园中越来越多，随着他们变得越来越普遍，越来越需要更好地了解这一独特的学生群体。退伍军人批判理论（VCT）通过关注退伍军人学生的叙述和反叙述，同时推动实践和探究的生成模型，解决了理解退伍军人经历的必要性。我们报告了一项关于退伍军人学生高等教育经历的研究数据，特别关注与其他退伍军人学生在正在进行的教育旅程中建立友谊和同志情谊的重要性。该项目使用旅程地图和一次采访进行主题叙述分析，并使用 VCT 进行分析。我们发现，友谊、友情、和目的是退伍军人学生教育旅程中的重要因素。最后我们讨论了我们的发现如何有助于 VCT 的制定。