Table 1
Eight Semi-Structured Questions Used During Student Veteran Interviews.
| NUMBER | QUESTION |
|---|---|
| 1 | “Tell me a little bit about your decision to study abroad. Have you traveled abroad in the past? Have you ever been deployed overseas? What sparked your interest in study abroad?” |
| 2 | “When you first started thinking about study abroad, did you have any particular program or location in mind? If so, why was that program or location of interest to you? If not, how did you end up deciding on a program or location?” |
| 3 | “When you were preparing to study abroad, what hurdles, if any, did you have?” |
| 4 | “Did you use any veteran benefits, financial aid, or scholarships to pay in part for your study abroad experience?” |
| 5 | “Tell me about some of your favorite memories from your study abroad experience.” |
| 6 | “Tell me about a few challenges you had during your study abroad experience.” |
| 7 | “Do you feel that your identity as a student veteran influenced your experience? Why or why not?” |
| 8 | “What advice do you have for other student veterans considering study abroad?” |
[i] Note: Questions were semi-structured (Janesick, 2010) and open-ended to encourage collaborative dialogue.
Table 2
Constant Comparison Analysis Categories and Codes.
| CATEGORY | CODES |
|---|---|
| logistical issues logistical issues logistical issues logistical issues logistical issues | flights program payments paperwork Veterans Affairs benefits packing |
| logistical issues logistical issues pre-departure pre-departure pre-departure pre-departure pre-departure | housing understanding the process study abroad interest- internal/external study abroad motivations destination choice type of program major |
| pre-departure pre-departure pre-departure pre-departure experience in-country experience in-country experience in-country experience in-country experience in-country experience in-country experience in-country | familiarity with destination language study pre-departure orientation overall preparedness language difficulties local customs local history and politics activities public transportation cultural immersion friendship and meeting new people |
| experience in-country | interacting with other veterans |
| experience in-country | stereotypes of Americans |
| experience in-country | political views |
| experience in-country | differences in the educational style |
| identity | veteran identity |
| identity | age |
| identity | maturity |
| identity | life experience |
| identity | work experience |
| identity | identity as a spouse or parent |
| identity | psychological growth |
| independence | deployment |
| independence | travel style- military/student |
| independence | solo travel |
| independence | leadership in a group |
| independence | structure |
| support | veteran’s office |
| support | study abroad office |
| support | faculty support |
| support | family support |
[i] Note: Codes within the table were produced within QDA Miner Version 5.0.23 (Provalis Research, 2016), and categories were established a posteriori and composed and designated during the investigative analysis of the transcript by the researchers.