Table 1
Service-member/veteran and nonveteran students’ demographic characteristics.
| Veterans/Service-members | Nonveterans | |
|---|---|---|
| Military branch | Army, n =3; | NA |
| Marine, n = 2; | ||
| Navy, n = 1; | ||
| Air Force, n = 1; | ||
| Combat veteran, n = 5 | ||
| Sex | Men, n = 6; | Men, n = 24; |
| Women, n = 1 | Women, n = 33 | |
| Race | Caucasian, n = 2; | Caucasian, n = 22; |
| Native American, Choctaw, n = 5 | Native American, n = 18; | |
| African-American, n = 6; | ||
| Hispanic/Latino, n = 7; | ||
| Asian, n = 1; | ||
| mixed, including a Native American race, n = 3 | ||
| Marital Status | Married, n = 3; | Married, n = 12; |
| Single, n = 4 | Single, n = 45 | |
| Children living in the home | 1–3 children, n = 3; | n = 40 |
| 4–6 children, n = 1 | ||
| Age | 18–24, n = 3; | 18–24, n = 37; |
| 25–34, n = 2; | 25–34, n = 13; | |
| 35–44, n = 2 | 35–44, n = 7 | |
| Rurally located or from a rural location | n = 7 | n =57 |
| PTSD diagnosis | n = 6 | NA |
| TBI | n = 4 | NA |
| Works 20 plus hours weekly | n = 5 | n = 45 |
| Major | Business, n = 2; | Business/Management, n = 21; |
| Safety, n = 2; | Marketing, n = 2; | |
| Criminal Justice, n = 3 | Accounting, n = 2; | |
| Finance, n = 1; | ||
| Aviation, n = 4; | ||
| Criminal Justice, n = 5; | ||
| Psychology, n = 4; | ||
| Education, n = 6; | ||
| English, n = 5; | ||
| Journalism, n = 1; | ||
| Chemistry, n = 1; | ||
| Fisheries/Wildlife, n = 4; | ||
| Undecided, n = 2 |
[i] N = 7 Service-members/veterans.
N = 57 Nonveteran students, with 15 being the child of a parent(s) with military service.
Note: Some students listed more than one major.
Table 2
Students’ potential family military history and military family role models.
| Veterans/Service-members | Nonveterans and Children of Veterans/Service-members | Nonveterans Without Parents with Military Service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (Step)great-grandparent(s) in the military | n = 7 | n = 10 | n = 45 |
| (Step)grandparent(s) in the military | n = 7 | n = 9 | n = 47 |
| (Step)parent(s) in the military | n = 4 | n = 15 | n = 15 |
| Uncles/Aunts/Cousins in the military | n = 5 | n = 9 | n = 32 |
| Sibling(s) in the military | n = 2 | n = 4 | n = 10 |
| Family member(s) served as a positive role model | n = 7 | n = 15 | n = 48 |
| Participant has a military family history but did not know or know well those who participated in the military | n = 0 | n = 0 | n = 5 |
| Family member(s) served as a negative or no role model | n = 0 | n = 0 | n = 4 |
[i] N = 7 Veterans/service-members.
N = 57 Nonveterans, with 15 being the child of a parent(s) with military service.
Table 3
Students’ military-topic-related reading preferences.
| Veterans/Service-members | Nonveterans and Children of Veterans/Service-members | Nonveterans (without Parents with Military Service) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Likes Biographies of Military Leaders and Personnel | n = 7 | n = 52 | n = 45 |
| Likes Military History | n = 7 | n = 54 | n = 40 |
| Likes Military-related Fiction | n = 7 | n = 40 | n = 48 |
| Likes Military-related Nonfiction | n = 7 | n = 39 | n = 39 |
| Likes News/Other Information Facing Veteran College Students Concerning Jobs, the Economy, Families, etc. | n = 7 | n = 53 | n = 53 |
| Believes that Military-related Readings Are Too Graphic or Depressing to Read | n = 0 | n = 0 | n = 1 |
| Does Not Like to Read about Military Subjects | n = 0 | n = 0 | n = 2 |
[i] N = 7 Service-members/veterans.
N = 57 Nonveterans, with 15 being the child of a parent(s) with military service.
Table 4
A survey of students’ self-reported outcomes upon completing the course.
| Students’ Self-Reported Academic Outcomes for Composition II | |
|---|---|
| Strengthened critical thinking skills | 94% (60) |
| Strengthened research skills | 93% (>60) |
| Strengthened reading skills | 96% (61) |
| Strengthened writing skills | 96% (61) |
| Proved useful in learning more about personal narratives as a genre | 84% (54) |
| Strengthened collaborative practices | 77% (49) |
| Strengthened reflective skills | 92% (59) |
| Promoted educational and personal interests | 89% (57) |
| Prompted student to consider writing future accounts about their military-related background on their own | 67% (43) |
[i] N = 7 Veterans/service-members.
N = 57 Nonveterans.
Table 5
Raters’ assessment of students’ academic outcomes for the Personal Identity Essay.
| Writing Outcomes for the Personal Essay | Percentage of Assignments Associated with Each Outcome, with “1” Being the Lowest and “5” the Highest | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fails to Meet Requirements | Fair | Meets Requirements | Good | Excellent | |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Synthesis of information and cohesion | 5% | 5% | 20% | 50% | 20% |
| n = 3 | n = 3 | n = 13 | n = 32 | n = 13 | |
| Development and clarity | 5% | 5% | 25% | 25% | 40% |
| n = 3 | n = 3 | n = 16 | n = 16 | n = 26 | |
| Diction, style, and voice | 10% | 5% | 35% | 35% | 15% |
| n = 6 | n = 3 | n = 21 | n = 22 | n = 9 | |
| Audience and genre requirements | 5% | 10% | 25% | 25% | 35% |
| n = 3 | n = 6 | n = 16 | n = 16 | n = 22 | |
[i] N = 7 Veterans/service-members.
N = 57 Nonveterans.
Table 6
All students’ mentions of a service-member/veteran stereotype.
| Stereotype Treated Concerning Veterans’ Perceived Nature | Number of Times Discussed per Papers |
|---|---|
| Loves war | 9 |
| Is heroic | 11 |
| Is “broken” | 17 |
| Has a mental health issue | 14 |
| Has a substance abuse issue | 3 |
| Is likely to be imprisoned | 2 |
| Is homeless | 14 |
| Is unemployed | 12 |
| Is less educated or lacked options besides joining the military | 23 |
| Is likely to commit mass murder | 6 |
| Is unable to think for himself/herself | 13 |
| May marry and have children only to utilize more military benefits | 8 |
[i] N = 7 Veterans/service-members.
N = 57 Nonveterans.