Understanding Patterns of College Outcomes among Student Veterans

Even as we expect an increase in veteran student enrollment in higher education, little attention has been paid to the role students’ background characteristics and college experiences play in college outcomes among student veterans. The purpose of this study is to examine differences in precollege characteristics and college experiences between veteran and nonveteran students and a predictive power of being a veteran student on college outcomes. Using data from the 2008 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES), the study conducted cross tabulations and blocked multiple regression analyses on two college outcomes: college GPA and sense of belonging. Results demonstrate that student veteran status is negatively associated with college GPA. The origins of the negative effect of being a veteran student are discussed.

[1]  Corey B. Rumann.  Student veterans returning to a community college: Understanding their transitions , 2010 .

[2]  K. Bollen,et al.  Perceived Cohesion: A Conceptual and Empirical Examination , 1990 .

[3]  J. Banks.  The Canon Debate, Knowledge Construction, and Multicultural Education , 1993, Diversity, Transformative Knowledge, and Civic Education.

[4]  A. Radford.  Current military service members and veterans in higher education: What the new GI bill may mean for postsecondary institutions , 2008 .

[5]  J. Schofield,et al.  Sense of Belonging as a Predictor of Intentions to Persist Among African American and White First-Year College Students , 2007 .

[6]  A. Astin.  What matters in college? : four critical years revisited , 1994 .

[7]  Ernest T. Pascarella,et al.  How college affects students , 1991 .

[8]  Scott M. Lynch,et al.  Self-Efficacy, Stress, and Academic Success in College , 2005 .

[9]  C. Abraham,et al.  Conscientiousness and achievement motivation predict performance , 2009 .

[10]  A. Astin.  Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher education. , 1999 .

[11]  Richard C. Atkinson,et al.  Center for Studies in Higher Education , 2009 .

[12]  Linda J. Sax,et al.  Student–Faculty Interaction in Research Universities: Differences by Student Gender, Race, Social Class, and First-Generation Status , 2009 .

[13]  P. Miller,et al.  Correlates of College Retention and GPA: Learning and Study Strategies, Testwiseness, Attitudes, and ACT , 1998 .

[14]  V. R. Moody.  Sociocultural Orientations and the Mathematical Success of African American Students , 2004 .

[15]  Reaching them Early: Identifying and supporting prospective teachers , 2003 .

[16]  Nolan L. Cabrera,et al.  Predicting transition and adjustment to college: biomedical and behavioral science aspirants’ and minority students’ first year of college , 2007 .

[17]  R. Robins,et al.  PERSONALITY PROCESSES AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES Personality Predictors of Academic Outcomes: Big Five Correlates of GPA and SAT Scores , 2007 .

[18]  Ernest T. Pascarella,et al.  How College Affects Students: A Third Decade of Research. Volume 2. , 2005 .

[19]  Alex Casillas,et al.  Third-year College Retention and Transfer: Effects of Academic Performance, Motivation, and Social Connectedness , 2008 .

[20]  K. Fraccastoro,et al.  Personality Predicts Academic Performance: Exploring the moderating role of gender , 2005 .

[21]  S. Chatman.  Institutional Versus Academic Discipline Measures of Student Experience: A Matter of Relative Validity , 2007 .

[22]  K. Salomone,et al.  Investigating “Sense of Belonging” in First-Year College Students , 2002 .

[23]  Tracy C. Davis.  How College Affects Students (Vol. 2): A Third Decade of Research (review) , 2006 .

[24]  W. G. Livingston.  Discovering the academic and social transitions of re-enrolling student veterans at one institution: A grounded theory , 2009 .

[25]  Jay Teachman,et al.  Military Service during the Vietnam Era: Were There Consequences for Subsequent Civilian Earnings? , 2004 .

[26]  J. Teachman.  Military Service in the Vietnam Era and Educational Attainment , 2005 .

[27]  Tara E. McNealy.  Veterans' college choices: A process of stratification and social reproduction , 2004 .