Date of Award

2024

Type

Dissertation

Major

Doctor of Education

Degree Type

Doctor of Education In Curriculum and Leadership

Department

Teacher Education

First Advisor

Jennifer Lovelace, PhD

Second Advisor

Parul Acharya, PhD

Third Advisor

Lauren Neal, PhD

Abstract

The effects of a parent’s military service on their children are well-researched in the post-9/11 era, particularly for elementary-aged students. However, research involving adolescents is much narrower, despite 25% of all military dependents ranging between 9th and 12th grade. These students are already enduring major changes as adolescents, but military-connected adolescents are also navigating the many stressors of their family’s military affiliation. These students are oftentimes burdened by frequent moves, parental deployment, and acclimation to their circumstances. While the military family is acutely aware of the heightened stressors that potentially create chaos among the family unit, teachers’ awareness of these students and their issues in the secondary classroom is not prioritized. The military-affiliated subpopulation of student is not one easily recognized, as these students do not have a defining trait that makes them stand out compared to civilian peers, but their circumstances and subsequent needs are unique, warranting proactive attention from the public school systems. The researcher’s purpose is to learn about the unique needs of military-connected adolescents how their lifestyle impacts their academic, social, and emotional well-being. Through comparison of military-connected and non-military students’ academic performance on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth Reading 6+ and Math K-12 assessments, the researcher determines whether military-connected students outperform their non-military peers. Additionally, high school educators are surveyed to determine their understanding of the military-connected adolescent as well as the efficacy of teachers to support these students.

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