National Guard students and academic disruptions in higher education: A hermeneutic phenomenological study

Abstract

National Guard students experience academic disruptions when military service and college academic coursework overlap. The pace of military operations and the increased reliance on the National Guard raise the likelihood of more disruptions for National Guard students who are enrolled in higher education. Extended weekend drill, state active duty, and federal activations create friction and uncertainty for National Guard students when balancing both obligations. National Guard students are often overlooked due to a gap in scholarly research and aggregation into campus student veteran population numbers. This qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenology study explored the lived experiences of 18 National Guard students who navigated academic disruptions due to military duty and college enrollment. Schlossberg’s (1984, 1995) Transition Theory was the theoretical framework. Using Peoples’s (2021) six-step analysis process, initial and axial coding (Saldana, 2021) and thematic analysis yielded three themes: (a) academic adaptation strategies, (b) inconsistent university experiences, and (c) the uncomfortable reality of military service (or embracing the suck). These findings characterized the lived experiences of National Guard students and can assist universities and the National Guard create supportive practices and accommodations to bolster student success.