Suchergebnisse

Eine nachhaltige Entwicklung bedeutet eine dauerhaft mögliche Entwicklung innerhalb des ökologischen Erdsystems. Durch das weltweite Bevölkerungswachstum, den ansteigenden Wohlstand und nicht-nachhaltige Lebensweisen drohen die ökologischen Belastungsgrenzen unsere Erde jedoch überschritten zu werden bzw. wurden teilweise bereits überschritten. Dies hat zur Folge, dass nachfolgende wie auch parallel existierende Generationen nicht die gleichen Möglichkeiten zur Erfüllung ihrer Bedürfnisse haben, wie die heute in den Industriestaaten lebenden. Die landwirtschaftliche Erzeugung trägt dabei einen bedeutenden Teil zu dieser Bedrohung und Überschreitung der planetaren Grenzen bei, denn insbesondere der hohe und weiter ansteigende Konsum von tierischen Produkten weltweit hat zahlreiche ökologisch, jedoch auch sozial und gesundheitlich nachteilige Folgen. Einer der grundlegenden problematischen Aspekte tierischer Produkte ist der hohe Energieverlust im Laufe des Veredlungsprozesses von pflanzlichen Futtermitteln zu Fleisch- und Milchprodukten. Die Folge sind große intensiv genutzte Landwirtschaftsflächen, die notwendig sind, um jene Futtermittel zu produzieren. Dies führt zu Biodiversitätsverlusten, Treibhausgasemissionen, Landraub und gesundheitlichen Problemen aufgrund des Pestizidgebrauchs. Weitere Konsequenzen eines hohen Konsums tierischer Produkte umfassen einen hohen Wasserbedarf, Flächenkonkurrenzen zwischen dem direkten Lebensmittel- und dem Futtermittelanbau, aber auch den ethisch bedenklichen Umgang mit Tieren sowie Gefahren für die menschliche Gesundheit, z. B. koronare Herzerkrankungen und Antibiotikaresistenzen. Begründet liegt dieser hohe und weiter wachsende Konsum tierischer Produkte in persönlichen, sozialen, ökonomischen und politischen sowie strukturellen Faktoren, wobei in vorliegender Arbeit auf den durch die westeuropäische Kultur geprägten Menschen fokussiert wird. Persönliche und soziale Hindernisse für einen reduzierten Konsum tierischer Lebensmittel liegen insbesondere in einem fehlenden Wissen, dem psychologischen Phänomen der kognitiven Dissonanz, mangelnder Achtsamkeit sowie dem Druck sozialer Normen. Wirtschaftspolitische und strukturelle Hindernisse umfassen eine wachstumsorientierte Ökonomie, fehlende Preisanreize für einen nachhaltigen Konsum sowie eine Infrastruktur, die den Konsum tierischer Produkte begünstigt. Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NRO) als Teil des sog. Dritten Sektors, neben der Wirtschaft und der Politik, und als Vertreterinnen der Gesellschaft sind essentielle Akteurinnen in nationalen und internationalen Gestaltungsprozessen. Sie werden zumeist von der Gesellschaft oder zumindest Teilen der Gesellschaft unterstützt und können durch Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und andere Maßnahmen auf politische und ökonomische Protagonisten Druck ausüben. Somit sind NRO als potentielle Schnittstelle zwischen Gesellschaft, Politik und Wirtschaft vielversprechende Einrichtungen um den Konsum tierischer Produkte zu senken. Aufgrund der o. g. multidimensionalen Auswirkungen des hohen Konsums tierischer Produkte, haben insbesondere NRO, die die Ziele Umweltschutz, Ernährungssicherung, Tierschutz und Gesundheitsförderung verfolgen, potentiell Interesse an einer Reduktion des Fleisch-, Milch- und Eikonsums. Studien über NRO in Schweden, Kanada und den USA weisen jedoch darauf hin, dass Umweltorganisationen sich in ihrer Arbeit für eine Begrenzung des Klimawandels nur in begrenztem Umfang für eine pflanzenbetonte Ernährungsweise einsetzen. Aufgrund der o. g. mehrdimensionalen Folgen eines hohen Konsums tierischer Lebensmittel weitet vorliegende Arbeit den Erhebungsumfang aus und umfasst die Untersuchung von deutschen Umwelt-, Welternährungs-, Gesundheits- und Tierschutzorganisationen in Hinblick auf deren Einsatz für eine Reduktion des Fleisch-, Milch- und Eikonsums. Die Erhebung umfasst die Untersuchung von 34 der wichtigsten deutschen NRO mittels Material- und Internetseitenanalyse, vertiefende leitfadengestützte Expert*inneninterviews mit 24 NRO sowie eine Fokusgruppendiskussion zur Ergebniskontrolle, wobei das zentrale Element dabei die Expert*inneninterviews darstellen. Insgesamt entspricht der Forschungsprozess der Grounded Theory Methodologie (GTM), einem ergebnisoffenen, induktiven Vorgehen. Die Forschungsfragen umfassen neben der Analyse des aktuellen Umfangs des Einsatzes für eine pflanzenbetonte Ernährungsweise insbesondere die Einflussfaktoren auf diesen Umfang sowie die umgesetzten Handlungsstrategien für eine Reduktion des Konsums tierischer Lebensmittel. Entsprechend der GTM steht am Ende des Forschungsprozesses vorliegender Arbeit ein Modell, das die Erkenntnisse in einer verdichteten Kernkategorie zusammenfasst. Als zentrales Ergebnis der Erhebung kann das 'Modell der abwägenden Bestandssicherung' gesehen werden. Es weist, in Übereinstimmung mit der Literatur, darauf hin, dass NRO als Teil der Gesellschaft von der Außenwelt abhängig sind, d. h. von ihren Mitgliedern und staatlichen wie privaten Geldgeber*innen, aber auch von parallel agierenden NRO, Medien und gesellschaftlichen Entwicklungen. Dies kann unter der Überschrift der 'Einstellung relevanter Interessensgruppen' zur Thematik der tierischen Lebensmittel gefasst werden. Auf der anderen Seite steht die 'Einstellung der Mitarbeitenden' einer NRO, da die Themenaufnahme der Problematik eines hohen Fleisch-, Milch- und Eikonsums auch davon abhängt, welche Bedeutung die Mitarbeitenden dieser Thematik zusprechen und inwiefern sie bereit sind sie in das Maßnahmenportfolio aufzunehmen. Wenn sowohl die Interessensgruppen als auch die Mitarbeitenden einer NRO der Themenaufnahme befürwortend gegenüber gestellt sind, so ist ein umfassender Einsatz für eine Reduktion des Konsums tierischer Lebensmittel von dieser NRO zu erwarten. Dies trifft in vorliegender Erhebung vorwiegend auf Tierschutzorganisationen und einige Umweltorganisationen zu. Der gegenteilige Fall einer fehlenden Thematisierung tierischer Produkte tritt ein, wenn weder relevante Interessensgruppen, noch die Mitarbeitenden einer NRO die Themenaufnahme befürworten oder als dringlich erachten. Dies kann insbesondere bei Welternährungs- und Gesundheitsorganisationen beobachtet werden. Wenn die Mitarbeitenden einer NRO die Thematisierung der Problematik tierischer Lebensmittel befürworten, die relevanten Interessensgruppen jedoch ablehnend gegenüber derartigen Maßnahmen stehen, ist eine zurückhaltende Thematisierung zu erwarten, die sich auf Informationstexte bspw. auf den Internetseitenauftritten der NRO beschränkt. Dies ist v. a. bei Umwelt- und Welternährungsorganisationen erkennbar. Der vierte Fall, dass die Interessensgruppen einer NRO für eine Reduktion des Konsums tierischer Produkte eintreten würden, nicht jedoch die Mitarbeitenden der NRO, konnte in vorliegender Erhebung nur in Ansätzen bei Umweltorganisationen beobachtet werden. Der Hauptgrund, warum NRO, insbesondere Welternährungs- und Gesundheitsorganisationen, die Problematik des hohen Konsums tierischer Produkte nicht oder nur in geringem Umfang aufnehmen, liegt in der o. g. Abhängigkeit der NRO von öffentlichen Geldgeber*innen, wie auch von privaten Spender*innen und Mitgliedern ('Einstellung relevanter Interessensgruppen'). Weitere Faktoren umfassen bspw. die Arbeitsteilung wie auch den Wettbewerb zwischen NRO, insofern dass auf andere NRO verwiesen wird und Nischen für eigene Themen gesucht werden. Neben den Gründen für den Umfang der Thematisierung des hohen Konsums tierischer Lebensmittel wurden auch Strategien erfragt, die die NRO anwenden um denselben zu senken. Hierbei wurde insbesondere die Öffentlichkeitsarbeit in verschiedenen Ausrichtungen genannt und als sehr wirksam eingeschätzt. Vor allem emotional ausgerichtete, positiv formulierte, zielgruppenspezifische und anschaulich dargestellte Kampagnen können als effektiv eingeschätzt werden. Auch politische oder juristische Maßnahmen, wie Lobbyismus oder Verbandsklagen werden von den NRO durchgeführt, wobei die befragten NRO auf der bundespolitischen Ebene derzeit kaum Potential sehen Änderungen herbeizuführen; auf Regionen- oder Länderebene jedoch realistischere Einflussmöglichkeiten sehen. Als nächste Schritte für NRO im Sinne einer (verstärkten) Thematisierung der Problematik tierischer Lebensmittel können folgende Maßnahmen geraten werden: • Eine Erhebung der Meinung von Mitgliedern und Spender*innen zu der o. g. Themenaufnahme in das Maßnahmenportfolio der jeweiligen NRO. Dies ist insbesondere bei NRO sinnvoll, die unsicher über die Reaktion ihrer Mitglieder und Spender*innen auf einen Einsatz für eine Reduktion des Konsums tierischer Produkte sind. • Eine Prüfung von alternativen Finanzierungsmöglichkeiten, die eine Abhängigkeit von staatlichen Geldern verringern. Hierdurch würde der Bedeutung von NRO als Teil des Dritten Sektors neben Politik und Wirtschaft gerecht und die Einflussmöglichkeiten auf dieselben erhöht. • Eine vermehrte Kooperation zwischen NRO innerhalb einer Disziplin und zwischen Disziplinen, sodass bspw. im Rahmen eines Netzwerkes aufeinander verwiesen werden kann. Dies ermöglicht die Einhaltung der jeweiligen Organisationsphilosophien und Kernkompetenzen trotz Zusammenarbeit mit NRO, die andere Herangehensweisen an die Förderung einer pflanzenbetonten Ernährungsweise verfolgen. Zudem ermöglicht diese Netzwerkbildung eine erhöhte Wettbewerbsfähigkeit mit dem ökonomischen und politischen Sektor. • Die Anerkennung der Handlungsfähigkeit von NRO als Pionierinnen des Wandels. Als Dritter Sektor neben der Politik und Wirtschaft kommt NRO eine große Bedeutung in der Beeinflussung gesellschaftlicher Prozesse, insbesondere auf zwischenstaatlicher Ebene zu. Auch komplexe Themen und, angesichts der Überschreitung der planetaren Grenzen, dringliche weltumfassende Themen können von kleinen, regionalen NRO aufgegriffen werden. • Die Fortführung von bewährten Maßnahmen zur Reduktion des Konsums tierischer Produkte, wie verschiedene Formen der Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, kann als sinnvoll erachtet werden. Hinzu können neue Inhalte genommen werden, wie bspw. die Förderung eines achtsamen Konsumstils durch naturnahe Lernorte. Für eine Umsetzung wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse zu Verhaltensänderungen hinsichtlich nachhaltiger Konsumstile ist eine verstärkte Zusammenarbeit mit Forschungseinrichtungen sinnvoll. Diese Erkenntnisse hinsichtlich der Gründe für eine Thematisierung der Problematik tierischer Produkte durch NRO lassen sich evtl. auch auf andere Themen übertragen, die von NRO aufgegriffen werden können, wie bspw. die Kritik an Flugreisen. Zudem ist es denkbar, dass die auf Deutschland beschränkte Analyse auch auf weitere, insbesondere westlich geprägte Länder übertragen werden kann. ; Sustainable development facilitates a permanently pursuable development which is within the ecological earth system. Through the worldwide population growth, the increasing wealth and unsustainable lifestyles the ecological limits are about to be or are already exceeded, so that future generations as well as parallel living generations haven't got the same possibilities to meet their needs as those living in current developed nations. Agricultural production contributes a high share to this threat to and exceedance of planetary boundaries, as in particular the high and further increasing consumption of animal source products has numerous ecological but also social and health consequences. One of the basic problematic aspects of animal source products is the high energy loss during the processing from plant animal feed to meat and dairy products. As a result large intensively used agricultural areas are necessary to feed animals leading to biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, land grabbing and health problems due to pesticide usage. Furthermore, high water usage, competition between food and fodder, as well as inhumane treatment of animals, and threats to human health by e.g. coronary heart diseases and antibiotic resistance are consequences of a meat-rich diet. Reasons for this high and increasing animal product consumption include personal, social, economic and political as well as structural factors, whereby in the thesis at hand the focus lies on people which are shaped by a Western European culture. Personal and social barriers to a reduced consumption of animal source food mainly include a lack of knowledge, the psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance, a lack of consciousness as well as the pressure of social norms. Political and economic barriers comprise the growth-oriented economy, a lack of price incentives for a sustainable consumption as well as an infrastructure which facilitates the consumption of animal source products. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as part of the so called Third Sector, besides politics and economy, and representatives of the society are a vital player in national and international governance. They are mostly supported by the society or at least by parts of it and can put pressure on political and economical protagonists through public relations activities and other means. Thus, NGOs as potential interface between society, politics and economy are one promising player for reducing animal product consumption. Due to the above named multidimensional consequences of a high consumption of animal source products especially NGOs targeting to protect the environment, improve the world nutrition situation, care for animal ethics and enhance the health status are potentially interested to reduce the consumption of meat, dairy and eggs. However, according to previous studies in Sweden, Canada and the U.S., there is a limited degree of engagement in encouraging reduced meat consumption of environmental NGOs in light of climate change. Due to the multidimensional consequences of animal source products in the thesis at hand the coverage of analysis is extended and includes the investigation of German environmental, food security, health and animal welfare organizations regarding their commitment to a reduced consumption of animal products. Research consists of a material analysis of 34 NGOs, 24 expert interviews with NGO staff and a focus group discussion testing the preliminary results of the interviews, whereby the central element is the expert interviews. Overall the research process complies with the Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM), which is an inductive procedure without fixed expectations regarding the results. In particular, the research questions include, besides the analysis of the current scope of the commitment to a plant-based nutrition, the influencing factors on this scope as well as the kind of strategies of action for a reduced consumption of animal source products. In accordance to the GTM a new model has been developed as final result of the research process which summarizes the findings in a compact core category. As central result of the research the 'model of the weighing of existence-securing' can be presented. In compliance with previous literature it indicates that NGOs as part of the society are dependent on their environment, i. e. on their members as well as public and private funders, but also on parallel existing NGOs, the media and societal developments. This can be summarized under the headline 'attitude of relevant stakeholders' to the theme of animal source products. On the other side, the 'attitude of the staff' of a NGO can be named as influencing factor, as the thematisation of the problematic of the high animal product consumption is also dependent on the importance which is awarded to this topic by the staff members and in how far they are ready to include the topic in their portfolio of action. In case of the support of the topic by both the stakeholders and the staff members of a NGO, a comprehensive thematisation of the problematic of animal source products can be expected from the respective NGO. In the investigation at hand, this is mainly true for animal welfare and environmental organisations. The contradictory case of no thematisation occurs if neither relevant stakeholders nor the staff members of a NGO support the urgency and thematisation of the reduced animal product consumption. This case can be observed mainly for food security and health organisations. If staff members of a NGO are in favour of the thematisation of the problematic of animal source products, but the stakeholders reject such measures, a restrained thematisation can be expected, which is limited to information texts e. g. on the website of the respective NGO. This is mainly for some environmental and food security organization observable. The fourth case, in which stakeholders are in favour of the thematisation, but staff members aren't, is merely true for some environmental organisation in the analysis at hand. The main reason for a restrained plaid for a reduced consumption of animal source products, mainly by food security and environmental organisations, can be detected in the dependence on financial means from the government, donors and members ('attitude of relevant stakeholders'). But there are also factors like the division of responsibility and the competition between NGOs which impede an engagement in reducing animal product consumption, as NGOs refer to other NGOs or are search for own thematic niches. Besides the reasons for the scope of animal product thematisation by NGOs, strategies of the NGOs advocating a reduced animal product consumption has been analysed. These strategies include mainly public relations work in different variants, which is estimated by the NGOs to be highly effective. In particular emotionally created, positively formulated, target group specific and vividly presented campaigns can be rated as effective. In addition political and legal measures like lobbying or representative actions are named by the interviewed NGOs, whereby they don't see any potential for change on the federal level but on regional or provincial level. As next steps for NGOs according to the reduction of the consumption of animal source products, the following measures can be advised: • A survey about the opinions of the members and donators about the inclusion of the above named topic into to portfolio of measures. Particularly this is relevant for NGOs which are not sure about the reaction of their members and donators to their commitment to a reduced consumption of animal product consumption. An analysis of alternative possibilities of the origin of financial means, which minimize the dependence on public funds. Through this change of the origin of financial means NGOs would satisfy their meaning as part of the Third Sector besides politics and the economy and would increase their possibilities of influencing them. • An increased cooperation between NGOs of the same discipline as well as between different disciplines, so that they can e.g. refer to each other within a network. This enables NGOs to follow their respective organisational philosophy and core competences while at the same time allows cooperating with NGOs following a different approach to foster a plant-based way of nutrition. In addition, this creation of networks facilitates an increased competitiveness with the economic and political sector. • The acknowledgement of NGOs possibilities for action as agents of change. As part of the Third Sector besides politics and the economy, NGOs have a high importance in the influencing of social developments, especially on the interstate level. Complex topics as well as – due to the exceedance of planetary boundaries – urgent global topics can be thematised both by small, regional and large, international NGOs. • The continuation of proven measures aiming to reduce the consumption of animal source products, like different kinds of public relations work, is reasonable. In addition, new contents can be included, like e. g. the fostering of a conscious style of consumption through learning facilities close to nature. For an implementation of scientific findings about behaviour change regarding sustainable styles of consumption an improved cooperation of NGOs and research institutions is recommendable. These findings regarding the reasons for the thematisation of the problematic of animal source products through NGOs might be able to be transferred to other topics, which are thematised by NGOs, like e. g. the criticism on air travels. Furthermore, it is conceivable to transfer the findings about German NGOs to other countries, especially Western characterised countries.

Issue 47 of Publicaciones brings excellent news for this research journal: from October 2017 it is included in the prestigious Scopus database. This achievement has been made possible by two factors: on the one hand, all the work done by previous editors-in- chief of Publicaciones, the Editorial Board, the Advisory Board, the peer reviewers, the Administration and Services staff of the Melilla university campus, the various interns the journal has had, and our sponsors, the Department of Education, Youth and Sport of the Autonomous City of Melilla and the Office of the Vice-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer of the University of Granada. On the other hand, the new strategy of internationali- sation and visibility on social media that the journal has been following since July 2016 has also made an important contribution. During the past year, Publicaciones has been presented in higher education institutions in China (Shanghai International Studies University and Peking University) and Mexico (Autonomous University of Yucatán and Centre for Teaching and Research of the Ministry of Education of the Yucatán State Government), and it will continue on this path of interna- tionalisation over the next few years. It has also established collaboration agreements with a number of institutions and international education networks to publish special issues. As for its presence on social media, work has been done on search engine optimisation (SEO) and networks, web traffic monitoring, updating the Google Scholar Citations profile and creating a new Facebook profile. All this is gradually building a process of national and international growth and expan- sion for the journal, which will continue seeking to be included in new document collections and databases and to increase its quality factors and indicators. Turning now to the content of this issue, number 47, it begins with a study on the use of information and communication technologies (video tutorials), improving the educa- tional process and effective inclusion of students with different interests. This is followed by a literature review on democratic citizenship and cultural diversity. Next comes an empirical article on development and validation of the School Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ), using statistical homogeneity, factorial and internal and external validity analy- sis. Fourth, there is a study carried out at the University of Cienfuegos (Cuba) on the use of responsibility value by a sample of physical education teachers in higher education. The fifth article addresses the psychological and physiological response to listening to music, through galvanic skin response (GSR), alpha brain waves (ABW) and heart rate (HR). The issue concludes with a pilot study on improving entrepreneurial competence in secondary education. As in previous issues, the team would like to take this opportunity to express its grati- tude to the authors of the articles published, to those who have helped carry out the various tasks needed to make it possible to publish this issue number 47, and to the institutions that sponsor its publication. ; El número 47 de la revista Publicaciones trae consigo una excelente noticia para esta publicación científica: desde octubre de 2017, la revista está incluida en la prestigiosa base de datos Scopus. Este logro ha sido posible gracias a dos factores, por un lado, a todo el trabajo hecho por los anteriores directores de Publicaciones; el Consejo de Redacción; el Consejo Asesor; los evaluadores; el Personal de Administración y Servicios del Campus Universitario de Melilla; las diferentes becarias que ha tenido la revista; y nuestros patrocinadores, la Consejería de Educación, Juventud y Deportes de la Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla y el Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de la Universidad de Granada. Por otro lado, ha coadyuvado también la nueva estrategia de internacionalización y visibilidad en redes digitales que la revista sigue desde julio de 2016. Durante el último año, la revista se ha presentado en instituciones de educación superior de China (Shanghai International Studies University y Peking University) y México (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán y Centro de Docencia e Investigación de la Secretaría de Educación del Gobierno del Estado de Yucatán), y continuará con esta senda de internacionalización durante los próximos años. Además, ha establecido acuerdos de colaboración con diferentes institucio- nes y redes internacionales de educación, para la publicación de monográficos. En cuanto a su presencia en redes digitales, se han llevado a cabo labores de posiciona- miento en motores de búsqueda (SEO) y redes, seguimiento del tráfico web, actualización del perfil de Google Scholar Citations y creación de un nuevo perfil en Facebook. Todo lo anterior va construyendo un crecimiento y expansión sostenidos de alcance nacional e internacional para la revista, que seguirá tratando de incorporarse a nuevos fondos y bases documentales y de incrementar sus índices y evidencias de calidad. En cuanto a los contenidos del número 47, éste comienza con un trabajo sobre el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (vídeo-tutoriales), la mejora del proceso educativo y la inclusión efectiva de alumnos con diferentes intereses. A continua- ción, aparece un estudio de revisión de la literatura sobre ciudadanía democrática y diver- sidad cultural. Seguidamente, se muestra un artículo empírico sobre desarrollo y validación del Cuestionario de Adaptación al Centro (CAC), mediante análisis estadístico de homoge- neidad, factorial y validez interna y externa. En cuarto lugar, aparece un estudio realizado en la Universidad de Cienfuegos (Cuba) sobre el uso del valor responsabilidad por parte de una muestra de docentes de educación física en educación superior. El quinto trabajo aborda la respuesta psicofisiológica ante la escucha musical, mediante la respuesta galvánica de la piel- rgp, onda cerebral alfa-oca y frecuencia cardíaca-fc. Cierra este número un estudio piloto sobre la mejora de la competencia emprendedora en educación secundaria. Como en los anteriores números, el equipo de personas vinculado a la gestión de Publicaciones expresa aquí su agradecimiento a los autores de los artículos publicados, a los colaboradores en las diferentes tareas necesarias para hacer posible la edición de este número 47, y a las instituciones que patrocinan su publicación. ; Le numéro 47 de la revue Publicaciones s'accompagne d'une excellente nouvelle pour cette publication scientifique : depuis octobre 2017, la revue figure dans la prestigieuse base de données Scopus. Cela a été possible grâce à deux facteurs : d'une part, le travail réalisé par les anciens directeurs de la publication, le conseil de rédaction, le conseil consultatif, les évaluateurs, le personnel d'administration et de services du Campus universitaire de Melilla, les différentes stagiaires ayant travaillé avec nous, ainsi que nos parraineurs : la Direction de l'éducation, de la jeunesse et des sports de la ville autonome de Melilla et le Vice-rectorat pour la recherche et le transfert de l'Université de Grenade. Par ailleurs, la nouvelle stratégie d'internationalisation et de visibilité dans les réseaux numériques adoptée par la revue depuis juillet 2016 a également contribué à ce succès. Durant l'année écoulée, la revue a été présentée dans des établissements d'enseignement supé- rieur de Chine (Shanghai International Studies University et Peking University) et du Mexique (Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán et Centre d'enseignement et de recherche du Secrétariat à l'éducationduGouvernementdel'ÉtatduYucatán)etpoursuivracettedémarched'internationalisation lors des années à venir. De plus, elle a conclu des accords de collaboration avec diverses institutions et réseaux internationaux d'éducation pour la publication de monographies. Quant à sa présence dans les réseaux numériques, elle a été renforcée par des activités de référencement sur les moteurs de recherche (SEO) et les réseaux, le suivi du trafic web, l'actualisation du profil Google Scholar Citations et la création d'un nouveau profil Facebook. Tout cela favorise une croissance et une expansion soutenues à l'échelle nationale et internationale pour la revue, qui envisage de poursuivre ses efforts pour intégrer de nouveaux fonds et bases documentaires et augmenter ses indices et ses attestations de qualité. Quant au contenu du numéro 47, celui-ci commence par un article sur l'utilisation des technologies de l'information et de la communication (tutoriels vidéo), l'amélioration du processus éducatif et l'inclusion effective d'élèves ayant divers centres d'intérêt. Il est suivi par une revue de littérature sur la citoyenneté démocratique et la diversité culturelle. Un article empirique est ensuite consacré au développement et à la validation du questionnaire d'adaptation à l'établissement sur la base d'une analyse statistique d'homogénéité, factorie- lle et de validité interne et externe. Le quatrième volet est une étude réalisée à l'Université de Cienfuegos (Cuba) sur l'utilisation de la valeur responsabilité par un échantillon d'enseignants de l'éducation supérieure. Le cinquième article aborde la réponse psychophysiologique à l'écoute musicale, via la réponse galvanique de la peau (RGP), l'onde cérébrale alpha (OCA) et la fréquence cardiaque (FC). Ce numéro se termine par une étude pilote sur l'amélioration des compétences entrepreneuriales dans l'enseignement secondaire. Comme dans les numéros précédents, l'équipe chargée de la gestion des publications tient à adresser ses remerciements aux auteurs des articles publiés, aux personnes ayant colla- boré aux différentes activités ayant permis de publier ce numéro 47 ainsi qu'aux institutions qui ont parrainé la publication.

This doctoral thesis focuses on the modification of ACC to include actual driver workload in the context of automatic headway change. ACC is a driver assistance system that automatically maintains a preliminary defined speed and permits a driver to perform manual headway changes. As drivers show worse (brake) reaction times under high workload situations, the system increases headway accordingly. Driver workload is estimated based on physiological data. Here, we investigate the possibilities of such a system, assuming that physiological sensors can be implemented in future vehicles. The thesis consists of three parts: In the first part, the theoretical background is described and a suitable theoretical model is developed; in the second part, experiments are described, and in the last part, results are discussed. Altogether four experiments support this thesis: 1. The first experiment investigates the foundational relationships between physiology, brake reaction time and workload level. The study employs a simulator setting and results show that physiological data, such as heart rate and skin conductance, permit the identification of different workload levels. These findings validate the results of other studies showing that workload leads to an increase in reaction time. These results could only be validated between the extremes "no-workload" and "high workload" situations. 2. The second experiment simulates an ideal workload-adaptive cruise control (WACC) system. In a simulator setting, system acceptance and awareness are studied, with a view toward future implementation in a real car. The results show better acceptance of WACC in comparison with ACC when subjects receive additional information about the new system. This is because subjects do not perceive changes in distance under high workload conditions. 3. The third experiment focuses on acceptance of the simulated system in on-road conditions. In this study, WACC is integrated in the car and is operated using a MATLAB model. The experiment shows that more subjects notice changes in distance in the on-road condition. In general WACC is preferred over ACC; it is especially these subjects who do not notice changes in distance, who value WACC more than ACC. With the aim of implementing an operational WACC that is capable of adjusting distance according to changes in physiological data, a workload algorithm is developed. 4. The fourth experiment validates the workload algorithm. Results of the algorithm are compared with recordings of the activated workload task and detection rate is calculated. The detection of workload periods was feasible in nearly every case and detection rate was favorable, especially if one considers lags due to design-related latency periods. The experiments presented here indicate that workload is detectable in physiological data and that it influences brake reaction time. Further, we provide evidence pointing to the technical possibility of implementing WACC as well as positive acceptance. The results have been published as an article and are part of this thesis. Also, some parts of the thesis are published as a book chapter (see footnotes). Another publication is in preparation, coauthored by diploma thesis students, who are supervised by the author (consult footnotes). This dissertation is composed, in part, of these publications. References to page numbers of the diploma theses are given to ensure correspondence. The author escorted the topic WACC from the beginning to the end. Sometimes students were involved and intensively supervised, from a thematic as well as a personnel guidance perspective. The author planned the whole project and executed studies and calculations. His psychology insights were not only limited to the discipline of psychology but were furthermore, with the help of students, interdisciplinarily expanded to the subject of informatics. Every study and every result which is presented within this work, was conducted or achieved by the author or (if students supported him) was discussed with the author in weekly discussions (and often several times a day). In these discussions the author provided new ideas and corrections if necessary. Apart from that, the author looked after the fulfillment of the central theme, implemented his psychological knowledge on a daily basis and provided his expertise to complement interdisciplinary point of views. He discussed the central theme as well as details with external partners like the MIT AgeLab as well as professors of the European Union from the adaption project (a project aimed at educating future researchers which includes involvement of highly important commercial and educational partners) and beyond. In this time he also visited conferences and accumulated knowledge which led to the successful achievements of the main objective and he was relevant in reaching the common goals of the adaption project. Furthermore he presented the results of the scientific work on a conference, workshops and in written publications. Within BMW Group Research and Technology, he identified important department- and project- partners and combined the knowledge to a result which benefits science and economy.:1 Introduction 2 Goal And Research Questions 3 Theoretical And Empirical Background 3.1 Theoretical Model 3.2 Workload Measurement over Physiology 3.3 Secondary Task: The N-Back Task 4 Forward Collision Warning Experiment 4.1 Introduction and Objectives 4.2 Method 4.3 Procedure 4.4 Results 4.5 Discussion and Conclusion 5 Workload-adaptive cruise control - A new generation of advanced driver assistance systems 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Material 5.3 Measurements 5.4 The Secondary Task: N-Back Task 5.5 WACC system 5.6 Procedure 5.7 Results 5.8 Discussion and conclusion 6 On-Road Study Of The Simulated WACC 6.1 Introduction and Objectives 6.2 Method 6.3 Results 6.4 Discussion and conclusion 7 Online detection of workload in an on-road setting 7.1 Introduction and objectives 7.2 Method 7.3 Results 7.4 Discussion and conclusion 8 General discussion 8.1 Background and chosen approach 8.2 Summary of findings 8.3 Discussion and conclusion 9 References ; In dieser Dissertation wird eine Abwandlung des Active Cruise Control (ACC) untersucht, das zusätzlich die Belastung (Workload) des Fahrers als Parameter betrachtet, um den Abstand zum Vordermann automatisiert zu verändern. Bei diesem ACC handelt es sich um ein Fahrerassistenzsystem, das automatisiert die eingestellte Geschwindigkeit hält und eine manuelle (durch den Nutzer ausgelöste) Abstandsveränderung zum Vordermann ermöglicht. Da sich die Bremsreaktionszeit von Fahrern in hohen Belastungssituationen verschlechtert, soll das entwickelte Workload-adaptive Cruise Control (WACC) in Situationen hoher Belastung den Abstand zum Vordermann automatisiert erhöhen. Die Belastung des Fahrers soll durch physiologische Daten ermittelt werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht die Möglichkeit eines solchen Systems unter der Annahme, dass in Zukunft geeignete physiologische Sensoren ins Auto eingebaut werden können. Die Arbeit besteht aus drei Teilen: • Im ersten Teil wird der theoretische Hintergrund beschrieben und ein passendes theoretisches Modell entwickelt. • Im zweiten Teil werden die durchgeführten Experimente beschrieben. • Im dritten Teil werden die Ergebnisse diskutiert. Insgesamt wurden im Rahmen dieser Arbeit vier Experimente durchgeführt: Das erste Experiment beschäftigte sich mit den grundlegenden Zusammenhängen zwischen Physiologie, Bremsreaktionszeit und Belastungslevel. Wie die Ergebnisse der im Simulator durchgeführten Studie zeigen, können mit physiologischen Daten wie Herzrate, Herzratenvariabilität und Hautleitfähigkeit unterschiedliche Workloadlevel identifiziert werden. Darüber hinaus wurden die Ergebnisse anderer Studien bestätigt, die belegen, dass Workload die Bremsreaktionszeit erhöht, wobei dies nur im Kontrast zwischen den Extrembereichen "kein Workload" und "hoher Workload" nachweisbar ist. Das zweite Experiment diente der Simulierung eines perfekten WACC. Im Simulator wurden Akzeptanz und Systemwahrnehmung getestet, um vor der Implementierung in ein Realfahrzeug weitere Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen. Im Vergleich zum ACC wurde das WACC von den Probanden besser akzeptiert, nachdem sie zusätzliche Informationen zum neuen System erhalten hatten. Der wesentliche Grund dafür ist, dass die Probanden ohne Informationen die Abstandsveränderung bei hohem Workload nicht realisieren. Das dritte Experiment fokussierte auf die Akzeptanz des simulierten Systems unter Realbedingungen. Das WACC wurde in das Auto integriert und durch ein MATLAB Modell gesteuert. Als Ergebnis zeigte sich, dass unter Realbedingungen mehr Probanden die Abstandsveränderung realisieren als im Simulator. Generell wird das WACC präferiert – vor allem jene Probanden, die die Abstandsveränderung nicht realisieren, bewerten das WACC besser als das ACC. Mit den in diesem Teilexperiment erhobenen Daten wurde ein Algorithmus zur Workloaderkennung entwickelt. Auf dieser Basis konnte im letzten Experiment ein Realsystem implementiert werden, das aufgrund physiologischer Daten den Abstand verändert. Das vierte Experiment beschäftigte sich mit der Validierung des Algorithmus zur Workloaderkennung. Die Ergebnisse des Algorithmus wurden mit der aufgezeichneten Aktivierung des Workloadtasks verglichen und eine Detektionsrate ermittelt. Die Detektion der Workloadperioden gelingt in fast allen Fällen und die Detektionsrate ist vielversprechend, gerade wenn man Verzögerungen berücksichtigt, die wegen der Latenzzeit körperlicher Reaktionen nicht verbesserungsfähig sind. In den vorliegenden Experimenten konnte gezeigt werden, dass Workload über die Physiologie messbar ist und sich auf die Bremsreaktionszeit auswirkt. Darüber hinaus wurde gezeigt, dass ein WACC technisch machbar ist und die Ergebnisse lassen außerdem auf eine hohe Akzeptanz schließen. Die Forschungsergebnisse wurden in einem Artikel publiziert, der auch in dieser Dissertation zu finden ist. Teile der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden außerdem als Buchkapitel veröffentlicht (siehe Fußnoten), eine weitere Publikation mit den vom Autor umfassend betreuten Diplomanden ist in Ausarbeitung. Um die Nachvollziehbarkeit zu gewährleisten, wurde auf die Seitenzahlen der entsprechenden Diplomarbeiten verwiesen. Als Autor dieser Dissertation habe ich das Thema WACC von Anfang bis Ende selbst erarbeitet bzw. wurden Studenten eingesetzt und angeleitet, wo es sinnvoll erschien. Neben der fachlichen wie personellen Führung der Studenten umfassten meine Aufgaben die Planung des Gesamtprojekts, das Durchführen der Studien und die Berechnung von Kennzahlen – sowohl in meinem eigenen psychologischen Fachgebiet als auch interdisziplinär mit Hilfe von Experten aus der Informatik. Jedes Ergebnis, das in dieser Arbeit präsentiert wird, wurde entweder von mir selbst erzielt oder – sofern ich dabei von Studenten unterstützt wurde – mit mir in wöchentlichen (oft auch mehrmals täglich stattfindenden Meetings) besprochen. Wichtig war mir als Autor, einen durchgängigen Weg zur Entwicklung eines WACC zu wahren, mein psychologisches Fachwissen täglich anzuwenden und in interdisziplinären Aufgaben und Diskussionen meine Perspektive einzubringen. Besonders wichtig war dabei die Diskussion des Gesamtprojekts und der Details mit externen Partnern wie dem MIT AgeLab oder Professoren aus der Europäischen Union im Rahmen des Adaptation Projekts (ein von der EU gefördertes Projekt zur Ausbildung von Forschern, unter Einbindung wirtschaftlich und wissenschaftlich hochrangiger Partner). Durch die Präsentation der Ergebnisse auf Konferenzen, in Workshops und Publikationen konnte ich einen Beitrag dazu leisten, um die Adaptation-Ziele zu erreichen. Innerhalb der BMW Group Forschung und Technik habe ich darauf geachtet, relevante Schnittstellen- und Projektpartner zu identifizieren und das erlangte Wissen zu einem Ergebnis zu verbinden, das Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft gleichermaßen nützt.:1 Introduction 2 Goal And Research Questions 3 Theoretical And Empirical Background 3.1 Theoretical Model 3.2 Workload Measurement over Physiology 3.3 Secondary Task: The N-Back Task 4 Forward Collision Warning Experiment 4.1 Introduction and Objectives 4.2 Method 4.3 Procedure 4.4 Results 4.5 Discussion and Conclusion 5 Workload-adaptive cruise control - A new generation of advanced driver assistance systems 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Material 5.3 Measurements 5.4 The Secondary Task: N-Back Task 5.5 WACC system 5.6 Procedure 5.7 Results 5.8 Discussion and conclusion 6 On-Road Study Of The Simulated WACC 6.1 Introduction and Objectives 6.2 Method 6.3 Results 6.4 Discussion and conclusion 7 Online detection of workload in an on-road setting 7.1 Introduction and objectives 7.2 Method 7.3 Results 7.4 Discussion and conclusion 8 General discussion 8.1 Background and chosen approach 8.2 Summary of findings 8.3 Discussion and conclusion 9 References

Background InVietnam, the proportion of people aged 60 and above has increased rapidly in recent decades. The majority live in rural areas where socioeconomic status is more disadvantaged than in urban areas.Vietnam's economic status is improving but disparities in income and living conditions are widening between groups and regions. A consistent and emerging danger of communicable diseases and an increase of non-communicable diseases exist concurrently. The emigration of young people and the impact of other socioeconomic changes leave more elderly on their own and with less family support. Introduction of user fees and development of a private sector improve the coverage and quality of health care but increase household health expenditures and inequalities in health care. Life expectancy at birth has increased, but not much is known about changes during old age. There is a lack of evidence, particularly in rural settings, about health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among older people within the context of socioeconomic changes and health-sector reform. Knowledge of long-term elderly care needs in the community and the relevant models are still limited. To provide evidence for developing new policies and models of care, this thesis aimed to assess general health status, health care needs, and perspectives on future health care options for community-dwelling older people. Methods An abridged life table was used to estimate cohort life expectancies at old age from longitudinal data collected by FilaBavi DSS during 1999-2006. This covered 7,668 people aged 60 and above with 43,272 person-years. A 2007 cross-sectional survey was conducted among people aged 60 and over living in 2,240 households that were randomly selected from the FilaBavi DSS. Interviews used a structured questionnaire to assess HRQoL, daily care needs, and willingness to use and to pay for models of care. Participant and household socioeconomic characteristics were extracted from the 2007 DSS re-census. Differences in life expectancy are examined by socioeconomic factors. The EQ-5D index is calculated based on the time trade-off tariff. Distributions of study subjects by study variables are described with 95% confidence intervals. Multivariate analyses are performed to identify socioeconomic determinants of HRQoL, need of support, ADL index, and willingness to use and pay for models of care. In addition, four focus group discussions with the elderly, their household members, and community association representatives were conducted to explore perspectives on the use of services by applying content analysis. Results Life expectancy at age 60 increased by approximately one year from 1999-2002 to 2003-2006, but tended to decrease in the most vulnerable groups. There is a wide gap in life expectancy by poverty status and living arrangement. The sex gap in life expectancy is consistent across all socioeconomic groups and is wider among the more disadvantaged populations. The EQ-5D index at old age is 0.876. Younger age groups, position as household head, working, literacy, and belonging to better wealth quintiles are determinants of higher HRQoL. Ageing has a primary influence on HRQoL that is mainly due to reduction in physical (rather than mental) functions. Being a household head and working at old age are advantageous for attaining better HRQoL in physical rather than psychological terms. Economic conditions affect HRQoL through sensory rather than physical functions. Long-term living conditions are more likely to affect HRQoL than short-term economic conditions. Dependence in instrumental or intellectual activities of daily living (ADLs) is more common than in basic ADLs. People who need complete help are fewer than those who need some help in almost all ADLs. Over two-fifths of people who needed help received enough support in all ADL dimensions. Children and grand-children are confirmed to be the main caregivers. Presence of chronic illness, age groups, sex, educational level, marital status, household membership, working status, household size, living arrangement, residential area, household wealth, and poverty status are determinants of the need for care. Use of mobile teams is the most requested service; the fewest respondents intend to use a nursing centre. Households expect to use services for their elderly to a greater extent than did the elderly themselves. Willingness to use services decreases when potential fees increase. The proportion of respondents who require free services is 2 to 3 times higher than those willing to pay full cost. Households are willing to pay more for day care and nursing centres than are the elderly. The elderly are more willing to pay for mobile teams than are their households. ADL index, age group, sex, literacy, marital status, living arrangement, head of household status, living area, working status, poverty and household wealth are factors related to willingness to use services. Conclusions There is a trend of increasing life expectancy at older ages in ruralVietnam. Inequalities in life expectancy exist between socioeconomic groups. HRQoL at old age is at a high level, but varies substantially according to socioeconomic factors. An unmet need of daily care for older people remains. Family is the main source of support for care. Need for care is in more demand among disadvantaged groups. Development of a social network for community-based long-term elderly care is needed. The network should focus on instrumental and intellectual ADLs rather than basic ADLs. Home-based care is more essential than institutionalized care. Community-based elderly care will be used and partly paid for if it is provided by the government or associations. The determinants of elderly health and care needs should be addressed by appropriate social and health policies with greater targeting of the poorest and most disadvantaged groups. Building capacity for health professionals and informal caregivers, as well as support for the most vulnerable elderly groups, is essential for providing and assessing the services. ; Aging and Living Conditions Program ; Vietnam-Sweden Collaborative Program in Health, SIDA/Sarec

Although women's police centers have been gaining popularity as a measure to address domestic violence, to date no quantitative evaluations of their impacts on the incidence of domestic violence or any other manifestations of gender equality have been done. This paper estimates the effects of women's police stations in Brazil on female homicides, as a measure of the most severe form of domestic violence. Given that a high fraction of female deaths among women ages 15 to 49 years can be attributed to aggression by an intimate partner, female homicides appear the best available proxy for severe domestic violence considering the scarcity of data on domestic violence. The paper uses a panel of 2,074 municipalities and takes advantage of the gradual rollout of women's police stations from 2004 to 2009, to estimate the effect of establishing a women's police station on the municipal female homicide rate. Although the analysis does not find an association on average, women's police stations appear to be highly effective among some groups of women: women living in metropolitan areas and younger women. Establishing a women's police station in a metropolitan municipality is associated with a reduction in the homicide rate by 1.23 deaths per 100,000 women (which roughly amounts to a 17 percent reduction in the average homicide rate in metropolitan municipalities). The reduction in the homicide rate of women ages 15 to 24 is even higher: 5.57 deaths per 100,000 women. Qualitative work suggests that better economic opportunities and less traditional social norms in metropolitan areas may explain the heterogeneous impacts of women's police stations in metropolitan areas and outside them.

It gives me great pleasure to accept the invitation to address this conference on "Meeting the Challenges of Cultural Diversity in the Irish Healthcare Sector" which is being organised by the Irish Health Services Management Institute in partnership with the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism. The conference provides an important opportunity to develop our knowledge and understanding of the issues surrounding cultural diversity in the health sector from the twin perspectives of patients and staff. Cultural diversity has over recent years become an increasingly visible aspect of Irish society bringing with it both opportunities and challenges. It holds out great possibilities for the enrichment of all who live in Ireland but it also challenges us to adapt creatively to the changes required to realise this potential and to ensure that the experience is a positive one for all concerned but particularly for those in the minority ethnic groups. In the last number of years in particular, the focus has tended to be on people coming to this country either as refugees, asylum seekers or economic migrants. Government figures estimate that as many as 340,000 immigrants are expected in the next six years. However ethnic and cultural diversity are not new phenomena in Ireland. Travellers have a long history as an indigenous minority group in Ireland with a strong culture and identity of their own. The changing experience and dynamics of their relationship with the wider society and its institutions over time can, I think, provide some valuable lessons for us as we seek to address the more numerous and complex issues of cultural diversity which have arisen for us in the last decade. Turning more specifically to the health sector which is the focus of this conference, culture and identity have particular relevance to health service policy and provision in that The first requirement is that we in the health service acknowledge cultural diversity and the differences in behaviours and in the less obvious areas of values and beliefs that this often implies. Only by acknowledging these differences in a respectful way and informing ourselves of them can we address them. Our equality legislation – The Employment Equality Act, 1998 and the Equal Status Act, 2000 – prohibits discrimination on nine grounds including race and membership of the Traveller community. The Equal Status Act prohibits discrimination on an individual basis in relation to the nine grounds while for groups it provides for the promotion of equality of opportunity. The Act applies to the provision of services including health services. I will speak first about cultural diversity in relation to the patient. In this respect it is worth mentioning that the recognition of cultural diversity and appropriate responses to it were issues which were strongly emphasised in the public consultation process which we held earlier this year in the context of developing National Anti-Poverty targets for the health sector and also our new national health strategy. Awareness and sensitivity training for staff is a key requirement for adapting to a culturally diverse patient population. The focus of this training should be the development of the knowledge and skills to provide services sensitive to cultural diversity. Such training can often be most effectively delivered in partnership with members of the minority groups themselves. I am aware that the Traveller community, for example, is involved in in-service training for health care workers. I am also aware that the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism has been involved in training with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. We need to have more such initiatives. A step beyond the sensitivity training for existing staff is the training of members of the minority communities themselves as workers in our health services. Again the Traveller community has set an example in this area with its Primary Health Care Project for Travellers. The Primary Health Care for Travellers Project was established in 1994 as a joint partnership initiative with the Eastern Health Board and Pavee Point, with ongoing technical assistance being provided from the Department of Community Health and General Practice, Trinity College, Dublin. This project was the first of its kind in the country and has facilitated The project included a training course which concentrated on skills development, capacity building and the empowerment of Travellers. This confidence and skill allowed the Community Health Workers to go out and conduct a baseline survey to identify and articulate Travellers' health needs. This was the first time that Travellers were involved in this process; in the past their needs were assumed. The results of the survey were fed back to the community and they prioritised their needs and suggested changes to the health services which would facilitate their access and utilisation. Ongoing monitoring and data collection demonstrates a big improvement in levels of satisfaction and uptake and ulitisation of health services by Travellers in the pilot area. This Primary Health Care for Travellers initiative is being replicated in three other areas around the country and funding has been approved for a further 9 new projects. This pilot project was the recipient of a WHO 50th anniversary commemorative award in 1998. The project is developing as a model of good practice which could inspire further initiatives of this type for other minority groups. Access to information has been identified in numerous consultative processes as a key factor in enabling people to take a proactive approach to managing their own health and that of their families and in facilitating their access to health services. Honouring our commitment to equity in these areas requires that information is provided in culturally appropriate formats. The National Health Promotion Strategy 2000-2005, for example, recognises that there exists within our society many groups with different requirements which need to be identified and accommodated when planning and implementing health promotion interventions. These groups include Travellers, refugees and asylum seekers, people with intellectual, physical or sensory disability and the gay and lesbian community. The Strategy acknowledges the challenge involved in being sensitive to the potential differences in patterns of poor health among these different groups. The Strategic aim is to promote the physical, mental and social well-being of individuals from these groups. The objective of the Strategy on these issues are: While our long term aim may be to mainstream responses so that our health services is truly multicultural, we must recognise the need at this point in time for very specific focused responses particularly for groups with poor health status such as Travellers and also for refugees and asylum seekers. In the case of refugees and asylum seekers examples of targeted services are screening for communicable diseases – offered on a voluntary basis – and psychological support services for those who have suffered trauma before coming here. The two approaches of targeting and mainstreaming are not mutually exclusive. A combination of both is required at this point in time but the balance between them must be kept under constant review in the light of changing needs. A major requirement if we are to meet the challenge of cultural diversity is an appropriate data and research base. I think it is important that we build up our information and research data base in partnership with the minority groups themselves. We must establish what the health needs of diverse groups are; we must monitor uptake of services and how well we are responding to needs and we must monitor outcomes and health status. We must also examine the impact of the policies in other sectors on the health of minority groups. The National Health Information Strategy, currently being developed, and the recently published National Strategy for Health Research – Making Knowledge Work for Health provide important frameworks within which we can improve our data and research base. A culturally diverse health sector workforce – challenges and opportunities The Irish health service can benefit greatly from successful international recruitment. There has been a strong non-national representation amongst the medical profession for more than 30 years. More recently there have been significant increases in other categories of health service workers from overseas. The Department recognises the enormous value that overseas recruitment brings over a wide range of services and supports the development of effective and appropriate recruitment strategies in partnership with health service employers. These changes have made cultural diversity an important issue for all health service organisations. Diversity in the workplace is primarily about creating a culture that seeks, respects, values and harnesses difference. This includes all the differences that when added together make each person unique. So instead of the focus being on particular groups, diversity is about all of us. Change is not about helping "them" to join "us" but about critically looking at "us" and rooting out all aspects of our culture that inappropriately exclude people and prevent us from being inclusive in the way we relate to employees, potential employees and clients of the health service. International recruitment benefits consumers, Irish employees and the overseas personnel alike. Regardless of whether they are employed by the health service, members of minority groups will be clients of our service and consequently we need to be flexible in order to accommodate different cultural needs. For staff, we recognise that coming from other cultures can be a difficult transition. Consequently health service employers have made strong efforts to assist them during this period. Many organisations provide induction courses, religious facilities (such as prayer rooms) and help in finding suitable accommodation. The Health Service Employers Agency (HSEA) is developing an equal opportunities/diversity strategy and action plans as well as training programmes to support their implementation, to ensure that all health service employment policies and practices promote the equality/diversity agenda to continue the development of a culturally diverse health service. The management of this new environment is extremely important for the health service as it offers an opportunity to go beyond set legal requirements and to strive for an acceptance and nurturing of cultural differences. Workforce cultural diversity affords us the opportunity to learn from the working practices and perspectives of others by allowing personnel to present their ideas and experience through teamwork, partnership structures and other appropriate fora, leading to further improvement in the services we provide. It is important to ensure that both personnel units and line managers communicate directly with their staff and demonstrate by their actions that they intend to create an inclusive work place which doesnÃ'´t demand that minority staff fit. Contented, valued employees who feel that there is a place for them in the organisation will deliver a high quality health service. Your conference here today has two laudable aims – to heighten awareness and assist health care staff to work effectively with their colleagues from different cultural backgrounds and to gain a greater understanding of the diverse needs of patients from minority ethnic backgrounds. There is a synergy in these aims and in the tasks to which they give rise in the management of our health service. The creative adaptations required for one have the potential to feed into the other. I would like to commend both organisations which are hosting this conference for their initiative in making this event happen, particularly at this time – Racism in the Workplace Week. I look forward very much to hearing the outcome of your deliberations. Thank you.

This guide accompanies the following article: Christopher R. Freed, 'In the Spirit of Selden Bacon: The Sociology of Drinking and Drug Problems', Sociology Compass 4/10 (2010): 856–868, 10.1111/j.1751‐9020.2010.00325.x.Author's introductionIn 1943, the sociologist Selden Bacon proposed studying drinking behavior from a 'sociologic' perspective. Since then a problem‐oriented approach – a sociology of problem drinking and problem drug use, not a sociology of drinking and drug use behavior – has dominated the literature on alcohol and other drugs. However, the literature reveals a sociology of drinking and drug problems in the spirit of the research that Bacon proposed. The sociology of drinking and drug problems exposes the considerable influence of 'sociologic' factors on problem drinking and problem drug use and, in particular, that problem drinking and problem drug use are not caused exclusively by biologic traits. However, more research needs to analyze the normal use of alcohol and other drugs to better understand the connection between substance use and social life.Author recommends Bacon, Selden D. 1943. 'Sociology and the Problems of Alcohol: Foundations for a Sociologic Study of Drinking Behavior.'Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol 4
: 402–45. In this seminal article, Bacon proposes a research plan for the 'sociologic' study of drinking behavior. Bacon urges sociologists to examine the functions of alcohol consumption; the manner and method by which alcohol is consumed, including where, when, and with whom; and drinking norms, sanctions, and sanctioning agents. Bacon also recommends that sociologists who study alcohol consider race, socio‐economic status, and occupation, social and cultural mores and institutional demands, social change, and how drinking comportment, habits, customs, and roles are learned. Becker, Howard S. 1953. 'Becoming a Marihuana User.'American Journal of Sociology 59: 235–42. Becker argues that regular marijuana use is a learned behavior. Based on 50 interviews with musicians, laborers, and white‐collar professionals who use marijuana, Becker suggests that novice marijuana users do not continue to use marijuana unless they learn from experienced users: (i) how to properly smoke marijuana, (ii) how to recognize its effects, and (iii) how to enjoy those effects. Fingarette, Herbert. 1988. Heavy Drinking: The Myth of Alcoholism as a Disease. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Fingarette proposes that Americans have been so inundated with the idea that alcoholism is a disease that they overlook personal and scientific observations that indicate heavy drinkers can control their alcohol consumption. Heavy drinking is not a disease, Fingarette states, but a 'central activity' in the lives of some drinkers: heavy drinkers organize their daily life around drinking and look for settings that promise and promote heavy drinking. Heavy drinking, similar to all central activities, carries momentum and becomes a difficult pattern to break. Levine, Harry G. 1978. 'The Discovery of Addiction: Changing Conceptions of Habitual Drunkenness in America.'Journal of Studies on Alcohol 39: 143–74. In this classic article, Levine argues that the mid‐19th century development of market capitalism and middle‐class society in America led to the discovery of addiction. Rapid social change and related social problems prompted medical professionals, religious leaders, and the American public to regard alcohol as inherently addicting and alcohol consumption as dangerous for society. Levine also traces the historical evolution of ideas concerning the cause and nature of alcohol addiction. Lindesmith, Alfred R. 1968. Addiction and Opiates, Rev. edn. Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing Company. Lindesmith finds that opiate users experience addiction only if they learn by observation or experience how to recognize opiate withdrawal, link withdrawal to their opiate use, and then use opiates again to relieve their withdrawal distress. According to Lindesmith, persons who do not become 'enlightened' about the symptoms of opiate withdrawal do not become addicted to opiates. MacAndrew, Craig and Robert B. Edgerton. 1969. Drunken Comportment: A Social Explanation. Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing Company. MacAndrew and Edgerton question the conventional wisdom that drinkers lose control when they consume alcohol. MacAndrew and Edgerton acknowledge that alcohol affects drinkers pharmacologically, but they also provide a wealth of anthropological evidence that reveals drunken comportment is 'societally sanctioned.' Cultural norms and values socialize individuals how to behave during different drinking situations. Pittman, David J. and Charles R. Snyder. (eds) 1962. Society, Culture, and Drinking Patterns. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. This volume consists of some of the most influential analyses of alcohol consumption and alcoholism in the social science literature, organized under five different themes: (i) the anthropology of drinking, (ii) modern setting, (iii) social structure and subcultures, (iv) the origin and patterns of alcoholism, and (v) responsive movements and systems of control. Reinarman, Craig and Harry G. Levine. (eds) 1997. Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Reinarman and Levine bring together essays about the crack scare in America that occurred during the late 1980s and the early 1990s. This important work in the sociology of alcohol and other drugs covers four broad areas: (i) myths and realities, (ii) crack in comparable societies, (iii) the price of repression, and (iv) punitive prohibition and harm reduction. Waldorf, Dan, Craig Reinarman, and Sheigla Murphy. 1991. Cocaine Changes: The Experience of Using and Quitting. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. Waldorf, Reinarman, and Murphy suggest that a 'stake in conventional life'– a family, finances, a job, and social status, for example – helps heavy cocaine users control their use or even quit using cocaine. Health problems and diminishing pleasure from cocaine also help control use. Whatever cocaine users value and prioritize in their lives can be more powerful than the pharmacological effects of cocaine.Online materialsRutgers Center of Alcohol Studies Library http://alcoholstudies.rutgers.edu/library/index.html The Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies Library holds a wide‐ranging collection of resources on the medical, psychological, and social aspects of alcohol and other drug use and abuse. The library's Alcohol Studies Database provides searchable access to over 80,000 works on alcohol and other drugs, including audio–visual materials. The Alcohol History Database covers alcohol‐related subjects from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 2009).Alcohol Research Group Library, Public Health Institute http://www.arg.org/resources/library.php The Alcohol Research Group Library contains almost 70,000 works on alcohol and other drugs from social, cultural, and legal perspectives. The library also holds items related to treatment and prevention (Public Health Institute 2010).The New York Academy of Medicine Library http://www.nyam.org/library/ The New York Academy of Medicine Library houses a medical collection of over 550,000 works, a portion of which will soon be directly available online. The library's historical collection consists of resources from as early as 1700 BC on the history of medicine, public health, and other health care fields. Researchers and the general public can search most of these materials through the library's online catalog (The New York Academy of Medicine 2010).The Chester H. Kirk Collection, Brown University Library http://dl.lib.brown.edu/libweb/collections/kirk/index.php The Chester H. Kirk Collection consists of works on alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous. Related collections at the Brown University Library include: the Robert Holbrook Smith Collection of Books, Manuscripts and Memorabilia, the Rutgers Anti‐Saloon League Collection of Temperance and Addiction Studies Periodicals, the Archives of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc., the Ernest Kurtz Collection on Alcoholism, and the Clarence Snyder Alcoholics Anonymous Collection. These collections are searchable through Josiah, the online catalog of Brown University Library (Brown University Library 2010).Division on Addictions, Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School http://www.divisiononaddictions.org/ The Division on Addictions provides researchers, policy advocates, and the public with information about addiction to alcohol, drugs, and gambling. Through its Library and Archives portal, the Division offers access to scholarly articles authored by its staff and to the weekly BASIS, the Brief Addiction Science Information Source, a web‐based publication that summarizes and analyzes the latest scientific research on various addiction‐related topics. Other resources of the Division include Expressions of Addiction, a photographic essay that documents individuals during different stages of addiction (Division on Addictions 2010).Alcohol and Drugs History Society http://historyofalcoholanddrugs.typepad.com/ The Alcohol and Drugs History Society provides scholarly and popular information about the history of alcohol and other drugs. Its website consists of interest categories that range in subject from alcohol, to inhalants, to tea. The Alcohol and Drugs History Society website also provides access to back issues of The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs: An Interdisciplinary Journal, the official publication of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society (Alcohol and Drugs History Society 2010).Sample syllabusWeeks 1 and 2: IntroductionBacon, Selden D. 1943. 'Sociology and the Problems of Alcohol: Foundations for a Sociologic Study of Drinking Behavior.'Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol 4: 402–45.Freed, Christopher R. 2010. 'In the Spirit of Selden Bacon: The Sociology of Drinking and Drug Problems.'Sociology Compass 4: 856–68.Reinarman, Craig and Harry G. Levine. 1997. 'Crack in Context: America's Latest Demon Drug.' Pp. 1–17 and 'The Crack Attack: Politics and Media in the Crack Scare.' Pp. 18–51 in Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice, edited by Craig Reinarman and Harry G. Levine. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Week 3: Different people, different 'genussmittel'Schivelbusch, Wolfgang. 1992. 'Preface.' Pp. xiii–xiv,'Spices, or the Dawn of the Modern Age.' Pp. 3–14, 'Coffee and the Protestant Ethic.' Pp. 15–84, and 'Chocolate, Catholicism, Ancien Regime.' Pp. 85–95 in Tastes of Paradise: A Social History of Spices, Stimulants, and Intoxicants, translated by David Jacobson. New York, NY: Vintage Books.Weeks 4 and 5: Constructing and deconstructing the disease concept of alcoholismLevine, Harry G. 1978. 'The Discovery of Addiction: Changing Conceptions of Habitual Drunkenness in America.'Journal of Studies on Alcohol 39: 143–74.Kurtz, Ernest. 1979. 'Beginnings: November 1934–June 1935. The Limitations of the Drinking Alcoholic.' Pp. 7–36 in Not‐God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous. Center City, MN: Hazelden.Seeley, John R. 1962. 'Alcoholism is a Disease: Implications for Social Policy.' Pp. 586–93 in Society, Culture, and Drinking Patterns, edited by David J. Pittman and Charles R. Snyder. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Rudy, David R. 1986. 'A Typology of Careers.' Pp. 55–69 in Becoming Alcoholic: Alcoholics Anonymous and the Reality of Alcoholism. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.Fingarette, Herbert. 1988. 'What Science Now Knows, but the Public Doesn't.' Pp. 1–9, 'Can Alcoholics Control Their Drinking?' Pp. 31–47, and 'Understanding Heavy Drinking as a Way of Life.' Pp. 99–113 in Heavy Drinking: The Myth of Alcoholism as a Disease. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Week 6: Pharmacological fallacy: The socio‐cultural effectMacAndrew, Craig and Robert B. Edgerton. 1969. 'The Conventional Wisdom.' Pp. 1–12 and 'Drunkenness as Time Out: An Alternative Solution to the Problem of Drunken Changes‐for‐the‐Worse.' Pp. 83–99 in Drunken Comportment: A Social Explanation. Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing Company.Morgan, John P. and Lynn Zimmer. 1997. 'The Social Pharmacology of Smokeable Cocaine: Not All It's Cracked Up to Be.' Pp. 131–70 in Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice, edited by Craig Reinarman and Harry G. Levine. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Week 7: Using and quittingLindesmith, Alfred R. 1968. 'The Nature of Addiction.' Pp. 69–96 in Addiction and Opiates. Rev. edn. Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing Company.Becker, Howard S. 1953. 'Becoming a Marihuana User.'American Journal of Sociology 59: 235–42.Schaler, Jeffrey A. 2000. 'Do Drug Addicts Lose It?' Pp. 21–36 in Addiction Is a Choice. Chicago, IL: Open Court.Waldorf, Dan, Craig Reinarman, and Sheigla Murphy. 1991. 'Making Sense of Cessation: A Synthesis.' Pp. 218–41 in Cocaine Changes: The Experience of Using and Quitting. Philadelphia. PA: Temple University Press.Week 8: The medical treatment of addictionWhite, William L. 2003. 'The History of 'Medicinal Specifics' as Addiction Cures in the United States.'Addiction 98: 261–67.Armstrong, Elizabeth M. 2003. 'Medical‐Moral Authority and the Redefinition of Risk in the Twentieth Century.' Pp. 189–212 in Conceiving Risk, Bearing Responsibility: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome & the Diagnosis of Moral Disorder. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.Freed, Christopher R. 2007. 'Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry in America: The Impact of Physicians in Recovery on the Medical Treatment of Addiction.'Contemporary Drug Problems 34: 111–35.Freed, Christopher R. 2010. 'Addiction Medicine and Addiction Psychiatry in America: Commonalities in the Medical Treatment of Addiction.'Contemporary Drug Problems 37: 139–63.Week 9: The origins, consequences, and value of punitive prohibitionReinarman, Craig and Harry G. Levine. 1997. 'Punitive Prohibition in America.' Pp. 321–33, Siegel, Loren. 1997. 'The Pregnancy Police Fight the War on Drugs.' Pp. 249–59, and Reinarman, Craig and Harry G. Levine. 1997. 'The Cultural Contradictions of Punitive Prohibition.' Pp. 334–44 in Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice, edited by Craig Reinarman and Harry G. Levine. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Levine, Harry G. 2002. 'The Secret of Worldwide Drug Prohibition: The Varieties and Uses of Drug Prohibition.'The Independent Review 7: 165–80.Week 10: Drug, set, and settingZinberg, Norman E. 1984. 'Preface.' Pp. vii–xiii in Drug, Set, and Setting: The Basis for Controlled Intoxicant Use. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Zinberg, Norman E. 1972. 'Heroin Use in Vietnam and the United States: A Contrast and a Critique.'Archives of General Psychiatry 26: 486–88.Shaffer, Howard J. 1996. 'Understanding the Means and Objects of Addiction: Technology, the Internet, and Gambling.'Journal of Gambling Studies 12: 461–69.Room, Robin. 2003. 'The Cultural Framing of Addiction.'Janus Head 6: 221–34.Focus topics/questions

 Distinguish the sociological perspective of alcoholism and addiction from the medical model of alcoholism and addiction.
 Describe the social construction of the disease concept of addiction.
 List some of the social factors that cause and contribute to chronic alcohol and drug use.
 How can the sociological perspective on alcoholism and addiction help individuals who suffer from chronic alcohol and drug use?
 Should social and behavioral scientists conduct more research on normal alcohol and drug use? What contribution would this research make to the extant literature on drinking and drug problems?

Project ideaAlcoholics Anonymous (AA) has profoundly influenced modern conceptions of chronic alcohol and drug use. Ask students to observe one or more local and 'open' AA meetings during Weeks 4 and 5. 'Open' AA meetings are available to anyone interested in AA whereas 'closed' meetings are reserved for members of the organization. AA World Services, Inc. provides a searchable listing of local meetings in the United States and Canada at http://www.aa.org/lang/en/meeting_finder.cfm?origpage=29. For AA meetings in other countries, see http://www.aa.org/lang/en/aa_international.cfm?origpage=31.Ask students to report on their observations, as related to the assigned readings and class discussions during Weeks 4 and 5, in one of several different oral or written formats. In framing this project, instructors should consider whether students will need approval from an Institutional Review Board to fulfil the assignment, bearing in mind that students have an ethical obligation to preserve the anonymity of the AA members who attend the meeting or meetings that they observe.ReferencesAlcohol and Drugs History Society. 2010. 'Alcohol and Drugs History Society: Online Home of The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs.' Alcohol and Drugs History Society. Retrieved August 28, 2010 (http://historyofalcoholanddrugs.typepad.com/).Brown University Library. 2010. 'Alcohol and Addiction Studies: A Guide to Resources at Brown.' Providence, RI: Brown University Library. Retrieved August 18, 2010 (http://dl.lib.brown.edu/libweb/collections/kirk/index.php).Division on Addictions. 2010. 'About the Division on Addictions.' Medford, MA: Division on Addictions. Retrieved August 30, 2010 (http://www.divisiononaddictions.org/).Public Health Institute. 2010. 'Resources.' Emeryville, CA: Public Health Institute. Retrieved September 5, 2010 (http://www.arg.org/resources/library.php).Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. 2009. 'Center of Alcohol Studies Information Services.' Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Retrieved September 1, 2010 (http://alcoholstudies.rutgers.edu/library/index.html).The New York Academy of Medicine. 2010. 'About Us.' New York, NY: The New York Academy of Medicine. Retrieved September 8, 2010 (http://www.nyam.org/library/).

The study of the military veterans' experience in higher education has coincided with the history of the GI Bill® and the various iterations of the benefits of this program, beginning with the original version following WWII. With the latest version, the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, institutions of higher education have experienced the highest enrollment numbers of veterans since the conclusion of the Vietnam Conflict. Institutions have historically been reactive in support of new waves of veterans entering higher education. This study sought to gain the perspective of veterans, as to how the institutions have been serving veterans by creating a veteran friendly campus through the admission, enrollment, and veterans services processes. The study also sought to gather the veterans' perspective related to how well faculty and staff understand the military experience, and how well veterans have been integrated into the classroom environment and into higher education in general. In addition, the study sought to measure the perspective of veterans with disabilities and their specific experience in higher education. A survey of the veteran experience was conducted in 2-year and 4-year institutions in a western state. Results indicated that although improvements have been made in relation to veterans in this study, there are still areas that need addressing in order to improve the veteran experience in overall. The veteran, the institution, and the community in general can benefit immensely as veterans use their GI Bill® benefit to pursue higher education, and then put that education to work upon graduation. It is incumbent on institutions of higher education to ensure that a veteran friendly process is in place, in order to attract and retain veterans through graduation. ; MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 2 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my parents, Robert E. and Janice D. Czech, for their sound example, for instilling proper values, and for exemplifying good character. Without them and who they were, I would not be where I am or who I am today. I would also like to express appreciation to my family and friends for their unwavering support to me during the process of completing my graduate degree. Without their support I do not believe I would have endured my many struggles to meet this goal. My appreciation to Dr. Peggy Saunders for her guidance throughout this process, and to my many professors for their patience and understanding throughout each semester. Their wisdom and intuition allowed me to flourish as a non-traditional student, in an environment that seemed foreign. I would like to acknowledge the foundation of hard work, leadership, and service that I learned during my 22 years in the United States Anny. It was not always easy, but the lessons learned have helped me to endure this graduate degree process. Finally, thanks to my graduate committee chair Dr. Natalie Williams. She was my guide, advisor, and champion during this final project. Without her outstanding patience, understanding and depth of knowledge I would have never made it to my goal. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 3 Table of Contents NATURE OF THE PROBLEM . 7 Literature Review . 9 Introduction . 9 Historical Foundations . 10 WWII Era GI Bill® (Original) . 10 Korean Era GI Bill® . 11 Vietnam Era GI Bill® . 12 Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Education Assistance Program (VEAP) . 12 Montgomery GI Bill® and Reserve Programs . 13 Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Current) . 13 GI Bill® Use (as of Fiscal Year 2013) . 14 Effects of the Post 9/11 GI Bill® on Higher Education . 15 Veterans with combat related disability issues . 19 Accommodating veterans with disabilities on campus . 20 Veterans' with disabilities . 25 Reintegration into Society . 28 Higher education: Weathering the perfect storm . 30 Summary . 32 PURPOSE . 34 METHOD . 36 Participants . 37 MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 4 Instruments . 38 Procedure . 3 8 Data Analysis . 41 RESULTS . 43 Demographic Data . 43 Overall Experience in Higher Education . 44 Website Navigation . 44 Admissions . 45 Enrollment Services . 46 Veterans Services Office . 47 Faculty Awareness, Classroom Environment, and Campus Life . 48 Service-connected Disability . 51 DISCUSSION . 53 Implications of Results . 55 Limitations . 61 Future Research . 62 Summary . 63 REFERENCES . 65 APPENDICES . 69 Appendix A: Veterans Survey . 70 Appendix B: IRB Approval . ; . 74 Appendix C: Survey Results Spreadsheet. . 76 MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 5 List of Tables Table I. Respondents by branch and years of service, and by branch and gender . 37 Table 2. Summary of Survey Responses by Section, with Totals by Section and Response Type . 52 MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 6 Abstract The study of the military veterans' experience in higher education has coincided with the history of the GI Bill® and the various iterations of the benefits of this program, beginning with the original version following WWII. With the latest version, the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, institutions of higher education have experienced the highest enrollment numbers of veterans since the conclusion of the Vietnam Conflict. Institutions have historically been reactive in support of new waves of veterans entering higher education. This study sought to gain the perspective of veterans, as to how the institutions have been serving veterans by creating a veteran friendly campus through the admission, enrollment, and veterans services processes. The study also sought to gather the veterans' perspective related to how well faculty and staff understand the military experience, and how well veterans have been integrated into the classroom environment and into higher education in general. In addition, the study sought to measure the perspective of veterans with disabilities and their specific experience in higher education. A survey of the veteran experience was conducted in 2-year and 4-year institutions in a western state. Results indicated that although improvements have been made in relation to veterans in this study, there are still areas that need addressing in order to improve the veteran experience in overall. The veteran, the institution, and the community in general can benefit immensely as veterans use their GI Bill® benefit to pursue higher education, and then put that education to work upon graduation. It is incumbent on institutions of higher education to ensure that a veteran friendly process is in place, in order to attract and retain veterans through graduation. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM With the passing of the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (2008), also known as the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, colleges and universities are seeing higher enrollment by military veterans than they have since the conclusion of the Vietnam Conflict (Cook & Kim, 2009; Rumann & Hamrick, 2009), and the intricacies and implementation of this new GI Bill® has caused confusion and frustration for both the veterans and university staff. After WWII, the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (or GI Bill®) granted unprecedented educational and economic benefits to veterans. Other GI Bill® programs and adjustments have been made over the years, but the Post 9/11 version was said to be the most generous since the WWII era GI Bill® (Radford, 2009). 7 With the most recent changes to the GI Bill®, veteran presence was expected to grow on campuses across the country and therefore schools have had to adjust to meet the new demand (Cook & Kim, 2009; Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). Many of the veterans, active military and active military reservists (92%) currently enrolled in university indicated that education should play a role in post-service transition (Zoli, Maury, & Fay, 2015). Many veterans currently enrolled in higher education were exposed to direct and indirect conflict and suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and other physical and psychological challenges. Church (2009) said that "returning veterans will have a wide range of medical diagnoses and related health problems that will have a temporary or chronic impact on their living, working, learning, MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE and relationship functions" (pg. 44). These issues make it difficult for veterans to adjust to a higher education setting, and cause tangible problems for their academic progress. 8 Although there are many positive qualities that veterans bring to an institution of higher education, many also bring with them these battle related issues. These issues make it difficult for veterans to adjust to this setting. The American Council on Education (ACE) found that veterans reported problems meeting academic expectations, while managing service connected injuries, including PTSD and TBI (Steele, Salcedo, and Coley, 2010). Not all veterans will openly disclose the visible and invisible injuries they have, so it is incumbent on colleges and universities to develop welcoming programs that meet these challenges (Church, 2009). This lack of self-disclosure could lead veterans to underutilize traditional campus disability services and therefore not receive the accommodations that may make their experience more manageable. Unfortunately, most post-secondary schools are ill prepared to meet the needs of these Veterans, creating lost opportunities for both the Veteran and the institution. Schools that are slow in meeting the challenges that the veterans present, find they are reacting rather than being proactive in meeting veteran needs. If institutions of higher education do not work to understand this veteran population, then it is likely to lead to an unsuccessful experience for the veteran and the institution (Brown & Gross, 2011). There are areas where higher education is generally meeting the needs of veterans, like including veteran issues in strategic planning, offering specific programs and services for veterans, recognizing prior military experience with college credit, assisting veterans with finding counseling services, providing financial accommodations, and providing counseling on veterans' educational benefits. But there are many areas that still show MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE room for improvement including assisting veterans' transition to college, developing faculty and staff awareness of veteran specific issues, meeting the needs of veterans with military related disabilities, assisting re-enrolling veterans, and providing peer to peer experiences for veterans (Cook & Kim, 2009). Literature Review Introduction This literature review will first establish some historical background relating to the GI Bill®, including changes that have taken place since its establishment following WWII. It will highlight the benefits of each version, especially the original version and the most recent version known as the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, and demonstrate the problems caused by the large influx of new veterans in higher education. Next, it will highlight some of the issues veterans have in a higher education setting related to their combat related disabilities and experiences, and the lack of preparation and forethought by colleges and universities related to these new veterans. Historical IFoundation~1office1] 9 The relationship of higher education and the military dates back to the 1862 Morrill Act, which established military training programs at land-grant institutions (Rumann & Hamrick, 2009, 2010). Subsequently, just prior to WWI, Congress passed the 1916 National Defense Act (NDA) which provided colleges a leading role in training soldiers. The NDA also established the three components of the military: the active duty military component, the military reserve component, and the state National Guard component. In addition, it created the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) that standardized what had been solely independent military training programs at colleges and MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 10 universities. These were the fotmdations of the relationship between the military and higher education. Even though the NDA was established prior to WWI, many veterans were unsatisfied with the benefits offered to them, which resulted in significant economic and social unrest. This dissatisfaction prompted the writing of Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). WWII Era GI Bill(RJ (Original). With the large numbers of military veterans returning home after WWII the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (i.e., GI Bill®) granted unprecedented educational and economic benefits to these veterans. After much strnggle, this act was passed by congress and signed into law by President Roosevelt on June 22, 1944 (Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). When signing the GI Bill®, President Roosevelt said "It gives emphatic notice to the men and women in our armed forces that the American people do not intend to let them down" (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2013, para. 24). This trnly generous WWII era GI Bill® provided many financial and educational benefits to veterans and their families. Additionally benefits included living stipends, Veterans were given loan guarantees for homes, farms and businesses (e.g., nearly 2.4 million loans from 1944 to 1952), as well as unemployment pay and employment assistance (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2013). By the time the original GI Bill® had ended in 1956, 7.8 million of the nearly 16 million WWII veterans had used education benefits to some extent. In the peak year of 1947, veterans made up 49% of all college admissions. One interesting fact is that although there was an unemployment benefit available, less than 20% of the funds set aside for this benefit was used by the veterans. The total cost of this original version of MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE the GI Bill® was $14.5 Billion (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2013; Military.com, 2006). 11 Many names have been given to this generation of veterans that served in WWII, such as the Greatest Generation, the G .I. Generation, and the Civic Generation. Regardless of the label, the impact of this generation due in large part to the GI Bill® education benefits, is immeasurable and can be felt to the present. In her book, Mettler (2005) stated that ''.just as the G.I. Bill transformed the lives of veterans who used it, they in tum helped change America" (p. 11 ). This GI Bill® opened up educational opportunities to those other than the privileged in America. Higher education that had previously been reserved for mainly white, native-born, Protestant Americans prior to WWII, was now a possibility for those that were Jewish, Catholic, African American, immigrants, and the working class. This changed the landscape of America forever (Mettler, 2005). Korean Era GI Bill.® The Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1952, or Korean Conflict GI Bill®, was instituted to carry on the tradition of taking care of those who served and fought for their country. It was approved by President Truman on July 16, 1952. It was available for use by veterans who served between June 27, 1950 and Febrnary 1, 1955. Although this GI Bill® still provided education benefits and living stipends, as well has loan guarantees, it left the employment assistance up to the individual states. By the time this program ended in 1955, some 43% of the over 5.5 million veterans of the Korean Conflict had used their education benefits to some extent. Total cost to the country was $4.5 Billion and over 1.5 million loans were guaranteed, meaning the MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE government guaranteed a portion of the loan to the lien holder in case of default (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2013; Military.com, 2006). Vietnam Era GI Bill.® 12 The Veterans Readjustment Act of 1966, or Vietnam Era GI Bill®, was signed by President Johnson on March 3, 1966. It retroactively covered post Korean Conflict veterans who served after February 1, 1955 and continued for veterans who served until May 7, 1975. It again provided education benefits, for the first time including active duty military members, and again loan guarantees. Between 1966 and 1989, 6 million Vietnam veterans, 1.4 million Post-Korean veterans, and 7 51,000 active duty military used this education benefit to some extent. More than $42 Billion was spent on this version of the GI Bill®, and 4.5 million loans were guaranteed (Military.com, 2006). Post-Vietnam Era Veterans Education Assistance Program (VEAP). VEAP was a transitional program that bridged the gap between the Vietnam Era GI Bill®, and the Montgomery GI Bill®. Veterans, who entered after December 31, 1976 were eligible for education benefits under this version, but unlike the previous versions this one required a contribution by the military member and they had to choose to participate upon enlistment. The participant contributed through payroll deductions up to $2700 and the government then matched two dollars for every dollar contributed for a maximum of $5400. If one chose not to participate, then they had no money for education available at the end of their service. In addition to this money for education, the loan guarantees continued (Military.com, 2006). MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 13 Montgomery GI Bill® and Reserve Programs. The Montgomery GI Bill®, named for its sponsor Representative G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery, was established in 1984. Representative Montgomery was the chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and worked to support veterans. For the first time a version of the GI Bill® also included education benefits for those serving in the reserve components, although at a reduced benefit to their active duty counterparts. A reserve member had to enlist for 6 years, and after serving 6 months they could begin using their education benefit. It again required the active military member to contribute toward their future education, with matching funds by the military. An active duty veteran was eligible if they served after 30 June, 1985 and had to enlist for a minimum of 2 years. This program continues to be used by veterans up to this day, and overlaps with the new Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2013; Military.com, 2006). Post 9/11 GI Bill® (Current) The newest of the GI Bill® education and benefit programs is called the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program (Post 9/11 GI Bill®). It was signed into law in July of2008, and became effective August 1, 2009. The Post 9/11 GI Bill® is the most comprehensive bill since the original in 1944. It provides benefits to service members, both active and reserve, who served at least 90 aggregate days of active military service after September 10, 2001. This means that an active duty member and a reserve component member serving the same amount of active duty time will receive the same benefit. The benefit can be used while still in the active military or reserve component and after discharge (Post 9/11 GI Bill Overview, n.d., Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 14 The Veterans Administration (VA) pays up to 100% of the student's tuition and fees for their education, based on the amount of service after the date of eligibility. The tuition and fees provided under this version of the GI Bill® are sent directly to the educational institution. This GI Bill® also includes up to $1000 per year for textbooks, a living stipend while emolled in school, based on cost ofliving which averages $1368 per month nationally, a one-time relocation payment of $500 for those relocating from a rural area to attend school, and for those still on active duty in the military the opportunity to transfer some or all of the benefit to their children (Post 9/11 GI Bill Overview, n.d.; Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). The benefit is tiered depending on how much active duty service was rendered after September 10, 2001. For instance if the member served at least 36 months of active duty service, then they receive 100% of the benefits. For 30-36 months it is 90%, 24-30 months is 80%, 18-24 months is 70%, 12-18 months is 60%, 6-12 months is 50%, and 90 days to 6 months is 40% (Post 9/11 GI Bill Overview, n.d.). GI Bill® Use (as of Fiscal Year 2013). With the increased benefit of the Post 9/11 GI Bill® came a new wave of college bound military veterans and reserve members, and in some cases their family members to whom they have transferred benefits. The higher educational institutions around the country will need to prepare for this new wave, just as they had to prepare and react to the wave of veterans entering school following WWII. The Institute for Veterans and Military Families, at Syracuse University, conducted a multi-pronged study to gain a better understanding of social, economic, and wellness concerns of the newest generation of veterans. There are over 3.9 million MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 15 veterans identified as disabled by the Veterans Administration (VA). Of those, 43% were from the Gulf War era and beyond. Additionally, of the more than 8,500 respondents in that study 58% reported a service related disability. Of those in the survey that reported service-connected disability, 79% said that the disability created obstacles for them when they transitioned to civilian life. In fact, 12% indicated the disability hindered starting higher education, and 28% said the disability created obstacles in completing their higher education. These same veterans indicated that of the many motivations to join the military, 53% said that educational benefits were a reason they joined, followed by a desire to serve their country at 52%. In the research 92% of respondents indicated that education should play a role in post-service transition. The response to this particular question indicated how overwhelmingly important education is to the most recent service members and veterans, and showed intent to further their education. A study of GI Bill® usage by veterans was published providing data through fiscal year 2013. The study indicated that in the Fiscal Year (FY) of2009 the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) reported just 34,393 students using the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, but in FY 2013 the total was up to 754,229 students. If all of the current GI Bill® benefit programs are included, there were 1,091,044 students (FY 2013) using benefits. Payments from the Post 9/11 GI Bill® in FY 2013, to students and colleges, was over $10 billion, with the total from all GI Bill® programs being over $12 billion (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014). Effects of the Post 9/11 GI Bill® on Higher Education. Military veterans are likely to enroll or reenroll in higher education following military service. It is incumbent upon these institutions to be prepared, in order to make MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 16 the veterans' transition easier (Rumann and Hamrick, 2009). This is especially the case with the advent of the generous benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill®. The researchers further pointed out that because of generational and societal perspectives, many current administrators and faculty have most likely not experienced military service. This has caused issues with how faculty and staff at institutions relate to veterans. Rumann and Hamrick (2009) suggested that building relationships with outside veteran organizations could bridge the gap that may exist. In addition, they suggested that campus administrations could provide opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to better understand aspects of military service, complimenting a broader focus on diversity on campuses. In their more recent study, Rumann and Hamrick (2010) focused on a small group of National Guard and reserve veterans who had returned from wartime deployments to re-enroll in school. The veterans experienced things such as lingering high stress levels related to their deployments, a maturity gap that had developed between them and traditional undergraduate students, personal relationship issues, and identity related issues. Cook and Kim (2009) took a broader look at easing the transition of service members on campus. Their study involved surveys returned by 723 institutions across the country. The study found that there was a varied approach to serving veterans, with no obvious pattern as to which programs and services were provided, or what entity on campus was responsible, and reported that nearly two thirds of colleges and universities that did offer veteran services have increased those services since September 11, 2001. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 17 In the same study, researchers came to the conclusion that there were areas where higher education was generally meeting the needs of military students, and areas where institutions could improve. Some examples of areas where institutions met veteran needs were including veteran issues in strategic planning, offering specific programs and services for veterans, recognizing prior military experience with college credit, assisting veterans with finding counseling services, providing financial accommodations, and providing counseling on veterans' educational benefits (Cook & Kim, 2009). Areas that needed improvement included helping veterans transition to a college environment, providing professional development to faculty and staff on veteran transition issues, training of staff on meeting the needs veterans with brain injuries and other military related disabilities, streamlining of administrative procedures for veterans enrolling or re-enrolling, and providing opportunities for veterans to connect with peers on campus. With the expected influx of students using the Post-9/11 GI Bill®, institutions need to address these areas of weakness when it comes to veteran services and programs. In their report, Brown and Gross (2011) stated that successful management of military students brings benefits to all involved: the student; the academic institution; and the community. Part ofthis management includes understanding the characteristics of veteran and active military students. Radford (2009) detailed many characteristics of veterans and military undergraduates. The study states that: Slightly more than 3 percent of all undergraduates enrolled during the 2007-08 academic year were veterans, and slightly more than 1 percent were military service members. Among these military undergraduates, about 75 percent were MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE veterans, 16 percent were military service members on active duty, and almost 9 percent were military service members in the reserves. (p. 6) 18 The researcher also detailed issues faced by military undergraduates who wished to attend college: Difficulty transitioning to life after military service; experiencing psychological and/or physical post-war trauma; readjusting to personal relationships; and adapting to a new lifestyle. Radford also highlights that veterans can face bureaucratic red tape from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) relating to their education benefits as well as from the college or university staff who were often not well versed in the details of those benefits. Many veterans face obstacles and challenges in using the Post-9/11 GI Bill® and transitioning to college (Steele, Salcedo, & Coley, 2010). Challenges noted included expectations different from their military experience, balancing academics and other responsibilities, relating to non-veteran students, managing service-connected injuries and disabilities. They also noted institutional efforts to adapt to the new GI Bill® benefits. Schools reported increased staff workloads of 50% to 200% related to the new influx of veteran students. The researchers (Steel, Salcedo, & Coley, 2010) noted some of the reasons behind this influx were, increases in total GI Bill® enrollment over previous years, lack oflmowledge in details of the new law, coordination with student accounts offices with respect to receipt of payments, the need to submit enrollment verification of each veteran student, and the need to assist veteran students in understanding their benefits. Institutions could more effectively serve veteran students according to the results ofa focus group study (Steel, Salcedo, & Coley, 2010). Institutions that encourage MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 19 veterans to self-identify early, ensure veteran program administrators are adequately trained, and that other staff and administration are trained on the new GI Bill®, tend to have more effective programs for veterans. The institutions should employ disability and mental health staff who understand veterans' issues, have consistent policies for college credit for military training, have veteran specific orientations and informational sessions, and encourage veteran student organizations on campus (Steel, Salcedo, & Coley, 2010). Veterans with Combat Related Disability Issues One challenge America faces as the more recent conflicts wind down, is that there will be more veterans with disabilities returning from military service, and these veterans will be seeking higher education. It will be important for staff and faculty of associated schools to be prepared to assist these veterans with disabilities in their transition (DiRarnio & Spires, 2009). The veterans that find it especially difficult to adjust to higher education are those with combat related disability issues, including hidden issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Survivability from combat injury has increased and therefore an increase in veterans with disabilities on campus is inevitable. In the most recent conflicts, nearly 85% of those receiving combat injuries are surviving due to advances in protective body annor, use of coagulants, and advances in the military medical evacuation system (Madaus, Miller II, & Vance, 2009). The Veterans Administration (VA) reported that in 1986 there were 2,225,289 military veterans with service-connected disabilities. By 2013 the number of veterans with service-connected disabilities had climbed to 3,743,259, mainly due to exposure to the MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 20 most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and the increased survivability from combat injury (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014b). Researchers from a study of veterans with three major conditions (e.g., PTSD, TBI, and major depression) reported that 18.5% of those returning from the most recent conflicts had PTSD or depression, and 19.5% reported experiencing TBI during their deployment. Of the veterans responding to the study, 11.2% reported PTSD or depression but no TBI, 7.3% reported PTSD/depression and TBI, and 12.2% reported just TBI (Tanielian & Jaycox, 2008). More recent casualty statistics reported to congress indicate that, approximately 118,829 military members/veterans deployed between 2000 and 2014 were diagnosed with PTSD. During the same period 307,283 were diagnosed with some form ofTBI (Fischer, 2014). Colleges and universities across the country need to find ways to accommodate these new military veterans that may be coming to their institutions, but especially those with these sometimes unseen disabilities. The Disability Services (DS) offices on campus will need to take a leading role in this accommodation. Accommodating Veterans with Disabilities on Campus. In a study of the role of the DS staff in accommodating veterans with disabilities, 237 members of the Association on Higher Education and Disabilities completed a survey, responses indicated that only 33% were comfortable or knowledgeable about campus efforts to serve these wounded warriors. Additionally, only 17.3% felt they had above average ability to serve these veterans (Vance, Miller II, 2009). There is a need to develop veteran friendly programs that reduce red tape, and have a designated point person or office. Other recommendations were to have an ongoing campus dialogue MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 21 which includes members of the DS staff, work on collaboration with other campus professionals, and work to collaborate in educating faculty and staff on the unique needs of these veterans (Vance & Miller II, 2009). There have been many discussions on how to accommodate veterans with disabilities on college and university campuses. The American Council on Education (ACE), with support from the Kresge Foundation and the Association on Higher Education and Disability and America's Heroes at Work conducted a "Veterans Success Jam" in May of2010. The "Veteran Success Jam'', was a three-day online collaboration that brought together thousands of veterans and their families, active service members, campus leaders, nonprofit organizations, and govermnent agencies from around the country. Recommendations were generated for colleges and universities accommodating veterans with PTSD and TBI (American Council on Education, 2010). During discussions at the Veterans Success Jam it was determined that overall veterans bring a lot of good qualities with them to campus, such as a higher degree of maturity, experience and leadership qualities, familiarity with diversity, and a level of focus not seen in their peers. Unfortunately, these qualities have been earned at great personal expense, and may well affect their educational goals. Campuses that are prepared to handle these challenges will rnake the transition of these veterans much easier, and the schools will benefit from being seen as veteran friendly (American Council on Education, 2010). Part of preparing to properly serve and accommodate these veterans is to understand what PTSD and TBI are, and what effect they may have on the academic MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 22 progress of these students. It is imperative that faculty and staff be educated and aware of these possible challenges (American Council on Education, 2010). Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in veterans usually involves a blow or concussion to the head which may include a penetrating head injury, which disrupts the function of the brain itself. These are most often associated with contact with an improvised explosive device (IED). Generally TBI can result in long and short-term issues, but most people get better over time. For those with mild cases of TB I, about 80% of the cases from the most recent conflicts, the recovery time can be as little as 3-6 months (American Council on Education, 2010). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological injury that develops in response to exposure to an extreme traumatic event or events over time. PTSD trauma may include threatened death of oneself or others, serious injury, and even just the constant threat of personal injury. This creates a feeling of fear and helplessness that actually changes the brains chemical and hormonal balance. For some victims the symptoms will disappear when they are no longer exposed, yet for others they persist over a long period of time. Flashbacks or reliving events can happen in PTSD cases, which bring the stresses back to the forefront. These victims can sometimes avoid these feelings by avoiding events or situations that may trigger them. Usually PTSD symptoms manifest themselves within a few months, but they can take years to appear (American Council on Education, 2010). Staff and faculty may find it helpful to know what cognitive difficulties may be manifested in a veteran with PTSD or TBI. Each person manifests symptoms differently, so it hard to generalize. These symptoms can be things such as: difficulty in MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 23 concentration and attention; challenges processing infonnation; learning and memory deficits; sluggish abstract reasoning; and slowed executive functioning including problem solving, planning, insight, and sequencing. These veterans may also experience stressors outside the classroom involving home life, work, sleep disturbances, trouble managing time, and panic attacks (American Council on Education, 2010). When considering how to accommodate veterans with these types of disabilities it is best to understand that PTSD and TBI .symptoms are expressed in very unique ways. Standard procedures for accommodating a student with disabilities may not work with these veterans. In addition, in extreme cases, PTSD and TBI may also lead to depression and suicidal thoughts. These symptoms can be aggravated by academic pressure, health concerns, relationship issues, sleep problems, and substance abuse issues. Some factors that may have a positive effect on these veterans are social support by other veterans, professional medical treatment, good health and eating habits, and participation in recreational activities (American Coimcil on Education, 2010). Institutional faculty and staff should also be aware that not all veterans with PTSD or TBI will require disability accommodations to be successful in education, while others may. If they do require and qualify for special accommodations they will normally fall under either the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or Section 504 of the Vocational and Rehabilitation Act of 1973. So adjustments may be made for these veterans, as they are with others with disabilities, as long as the accommodations do not change the overall academic program in question (American Council on Education, 2010). MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 24 Another factor to consider is that these veterans are less likely than their peers on campus to access special accommodations for which they may qualify. There are many reasons this may occur such as pride, lack of understanding campus resources on their part, or the feeling that faculty and staff do not understand PTSD or TBI. It is necessary to realize that most staff and faculty have not experienced anything close to what these veterans have been exposed to in combat (Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). Faculty and staff must be informed in other ways because of the lack of exposure to military experiences and lifestyle. Increased awareness by faculty and staff can also meet the needs of broader commitment to diversity on campus (American Council on Education, 2010; Rtunann & Hamrick, 2009). Faculty and staff should know that the manifestation of symptoms, and even the diagnosis of these conditions, may not occur until well after they leave the military. Therefore, they may come to the campus undiagnosed. Becoming aware of the outward signs of PTSD and TBI could present opportunities to counsel veterans on possible accommodations, for those that have not already made arrangements with the DS office on campus. Of course, veterans must be willing participants and never be coerced (American Council on Education, 2010). Faculty and staff would also find it useful to become aware of other veteran resources on campus and in the community that may be helpful in the veterans' transition to the college or university setting. These could be resources such as the Veteran Student Services office, Veterans Upward Bound (VUB), the local Student Veterans of America chapter, or various community veteran resources like the Veteran Service Organizations (American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Disabled American Veterans MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 25 (DAV)), the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital, and others. Partnering with outside organizations would help university staff in handling veteran specific issues (American Council on Education, 2010; Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). In general faculty and staff should understand that most veterans are new to their disabilities as well and may be unaware of their rights as disabled students to receive accommodations for an identified disability. The process of getting and accepting help can take time for these veterans. Sometimes their military background can hinder them, mainly due to the stigma of weakness that can be placed upon someone in the military with disabilities or shortcomings. Faculty and staff should also be aware that there are many other disabilities that veterans may bring to campus in addition to PTSD/TBI such as loss oflimb(s), severe burns, deafness, vision issues, and general learning disabilities (American Council on Education, 2010). Veterans with Disabilities. In a study published in 2012, focus groups were held involving 31 veterans who had self-reported PTSD symptoms. Transcripts of the sessions were analyzed to establish dominant themes in the responses of these veterans. Findings indicated that veterans with PTSD. needed services in a variety of different areas, and they also had some specific recommendations for easing their transition (Ellison, et al., 2012). The veterans in the study found it important for the schools to provide services for educational planning, including helping them to prepare for the rigors of higher education. The reality is that many of these veterans went into the military because they felt they were not ready for college. The veterans felt they needed help with counseling on the educational goals, and in choosing an appropriate major (Ellison, et al., 2012). MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 26 Another concern for these recent veterans is being able to reintegrate into society after their military service. Many of them left from their parents' homes right after high school without learning to live civilian life on their own. The veterans indicated the sudden change in social, psychological, and environmental norms from the military to civilian life created concerns. These concerns included homelessness, lack of family support, medical and/or addiction needs, physical disability needs, financial difficulties, and the how to balance their education and living needs (Ellison, et al., 2012). One theme that manifested itself across the veterans was the need for guidance and counseling regarding their GI Bill® and VA benefits. The veterans indicated that when calling veterans services they had difficulty reaching an actual person who could answer questions for them. When they did reach an individual, this person lacked proper knowledge of benefits, or could not properly cotmsel them on the pitfalls of choosing one educational benefit over the other. The staff at these offices need to be knowledgeable and infonnative (Ellison, et al., 2012). These veterans were concerned over the impact that their PTSD would have on their educational attainment. They indicated high anxiety dnring classes which could be triggered by things such as loud and sudden noises, hypervigilance while traveling to school, or anything that might remind them of their combat experience. Some indicated that they coped with these difficulties by using medication, positioning themselves at the back of the class, trying to choose classes with fewer students, or even evening or online classes. The veterans also expressed concern with perceived difficulties in memory and concentration in class, and the need for special accommodations (Ellison, et al., 2012). MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 27 The veterans provided some possible ways that institutions could mitigate some of the difficulties that they face. They indicated the need for on campus outreach services from VA facilities where the veterans normally gather. The younger veterans also expressed a need for more outreach by veterans their own age and not just by groups of what they perceived to be veterans old enough to be their fathers (Ellison, et al., 2012). Peer support was another area where they felt services could be utilized to their benefit. The veterans felt that being able to interact with veterans who have had similar experiences, would help them to navigate the difficulties of the environment. There is an unseen trnst bond that fellow veterans feel from each other, especially if they know they have each served in similar combat situations. The veterans thought that a program of veterans providing counseling to veterans would be ideal and that one-on-one service settings would be best (Ellison, et al., 2012). These veterans also suggested that there should be some coordination between services received with their VA education benefit and with the clinical services related to their PTSD treatment. Veterans were concerned with the logistics of managing their schooling and the case management involving their treatment. The veterans suggested that there be some coordination between the schools and the VA to have school representatives available at the VA facilities for question and answer sessions related to higher education, as well as maybe some workshops related to college preparation. The veterans also wondered if it were possible to have individual advocates that would walk them through the processes such as admissions, financial aid, and enrollment (Ellison, et al., 2012). MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 28 The veterans also suggested that there is a big change between the structured life of the military and the less structured civilian culture. Veterans felt in the military they had less autonomy and flexibility, and were concerned that their dependence on the military structure could hinder them in college persistence. Veterans felt that the process on campus needed to be streamlined and clear in order for them to better cope with the process. A one-stop-shop for veteran student services was suggested (Ellison, et al., 2012). Another concern was the perceived disconnect from the social networks the veterans relied upon prior to serving in the military. Having experienced many traumatic combat related experiences, and feeling a veteran no longer fit into groups or social settings that veterans may have been included in prior to their service. The veterans' social networks had become those that were fonned in the military and the transition back to civilian social networks was difficult. Veteran student groups on campus and national student veteran organizations could help ease these concerns (Ellison, et al., 2012). Reintegration into Society As veterans return from conflicts they have difficulties reintegrating into work environments, educational environments, social interactions and relationships, general physical functions, and sound emotional well-being. This is especially true for veterans that return with disabilities such as PTSD and TBI (Ostovary & Dapprich, 2011). As related specifically to (re)integration in education, veterans find both challenges and opportunities await them. The challenges come in many different forms and veterans need help navigating them upon entering the higher education environment. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE The opportunities depend on the approach to veterans established in each school (Ostovary & Dapprich, 2011). 29 One of the challenges faced in educational (re )integration is the loss of the direct benefits veterans were used to receiving in the military. Veterans are used to their day to day needs being taken care of for them with relative ease for the most part. Veterans' educational benefits can sometimes be delayed. The veterans are encouraged to apply for their GI Bill® benefits soon after discharge, yet the process of receiving these benefits is not immediate. This urgency in using the education benefit may cause the veteran to feel rushed into college enrollment and amplify things such as anger, irritability, and poor concentration in school. Classroom settings can also be a challenge and veterans may be affected by class size and noise, placement in the room, and attention and concentration issues. The veterans themselves report problems with the rigors of the curricuhun, social interaction with other students, and their perceived limits to services on campus (Ostovary & Dapprich, 2011). Educational satisfaction of veterans relates to how the respective institution of higher education works to become veteran friendly. Colleges and universities need adapt to the needs of new veterans as they transition. A veteran friendly campus is one that collaborates all services related to the (re)integration of veterans with disabilities. The services should include veteran centers on campus, veteran specific orientations, intramural programs for disabled students, and a campus-wide focus on veteran services. In addition, a student veteran organization should be established on campus. These organizations may improve interaction between veterans and traditional students, and between veterans and faculty and staff (Ostovary & Dapprich, 2011). MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 30 As has been the pattern of past generations, social and political change has occurred when veterans return from the fight, including those that return with disabilities. Following WWI the change came in the form of what was called the Commission on National Aid to Vocational Education and Disabled Veterans Act. Following WWII the change was known as the Serviceman's Readjustment Act. Then after Vietnam the program was called Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act. Our newest veterans with disabilities are covered under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (AD AAA) of 2008 (Ostovary & Dapprich, 2011 ). Higher Education: Weathering the Perfect Storm. It has been said that the return of veterans from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the passage of the ADAAA, and the comprehensive benefits of the new Post 9/11 GI Bill® have created a so-called perfect storm that higher education has to overcome (Grossman, 2009). How higher education reacts will detennine how well they navigate the storm. Veterans with disabilities have historically been seen as assertive when it comes to their civil rights and educational benefits earned during their service. Many have been through traumas of the battlefield and will have been diagnosed with PTSB, TBI, and other issues (Grossman, 2009). Institutions of higher education will have to adapt to and learn to accommodate these veterans. Postsecondary institutions can become overwhelmed by this new influx of veterans with disabilities, or it could see this as an opportunity for positive changes. These new veterans could become the wakeup call that higher education needs, or a stumbling block. To weather the storm they will need to look at this challenge from a MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 31 new perspective and come up with new solutions that include a campus-wide response to accommodating veterans, and a Universal Design (UD) approach to their education (Burnett & Segoria, 2009; Grossman, 2009). The researcher (Grossman, 2009) lays out the challenges that come along with this perfect storm, and that higher education institutions will have to decide how they meet the challenges. First, they have to decide to prepare for this new population of veterans, of which they have had little if any experience dealing with. This will require training of faculty, staff, and DS staff on the characteristics and needs of these veterans. Although the AD AAA makes it clear that institutions are not required to fundamentally change their programs, but when it comes to veteran accommodations they may need to determine what really is fundamental. Veterans with PTSD and TBI require adjustments (accommodations) to the status quo, yet at the same time they do not want to be coddled (Grossman, 2009). The second challenge for colleges and universities is to develop veteran outreach activities that encourage them to enroll in college, take advantage of earned accommodations, and persist to graduation. They will need to address veterans with disabilities that hesitate to self-identify, that bristle at even being called or considered disabled, but that still need to be informed of campus benefits. Outreach activities should take place at locations where veterans may congregate (on and off campus), on social media cites, and at local military base education centers where possible. Veteran-specific student organizations, clubs, and fraternities may also be developed to inform veterans. For the most part these veterans are not used to the academic culture surrounding MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 32 disability accommodations and need help reviewing their documented disabilities or help obtaining proper documentation (Grossman, 2009). The next challenge noted is that veterans need someone on campus that can support them when the challenges and rigors of academic life arise. Ideally this would be someone with military experience generally similar to the individual veteran experience. Veterans with disabilities need to have someone they know can relate to their specific needs, and challenges, and be sympathetic to their cause (Grossman, 2009). Finally, colleges and universities need to be up to the challenge that this is an ongoing opportunity to help these current veterans and those that may come in the future. The higher education institutions should realize that America has made a commitment to these veterans and that part of that commitment is to their proper education. The commitment to this opportunity has to stay consistent, perpetual, and always focused on meeting the needs of these veterans with disabilities (Grossman, 2009). Summary There has been a long history established of federal assistance for veterans leaving military service, especially since WWII concluded. The GI Bill® has become a major part of those benefits. The original GI Bill® was a very generous benefit that provided an educational opportunity to millions of veterans following WWII, and literally changed society for generations. The newest version, the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, once again offers a tremendous benefit to veterans transitioning from the military and entering higher education environments around the country. This new GI Bill®, along with the large number of veterans leaving service following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have facilitated the need for change MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 33 and adaption of student services at these institutions of higher education. Some of these colleges and universities have done better at adapting than others, but the need for all to make the change is required. Reintegration of these veterans into society, and more specifically into education, is critical for their well-being. These veterans almost always need help navigating the challenges faced in a higher education environment. Colleges and universities must change and adapt as society does in relation to veterans. Many of these new veterans coming to higher education have been exposed to combat and may have disabilities, including PTSD and TBI, which will need to be accommodated. Adjustments will need to be made by faculty and staff in order to address the educational needs of these veterans with disabilities. How these adjustments are made, and how effective they are in helping the veterans transition, will impact the experience of both the institutes of higher education the veterans they serve. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 34 PURPOSE With the passing of the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, colleges and universities have seen the greatest influx of veterans in higher education since the end of the Vietnam conflict (Cook & Kim, 2009; Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). This new GI Bill® benefit is the most generous since the end of WWII (Radford, 2009) which has resulted in higher veteran enrollment, and has required colleges and universities to adjust policies and procedures to meet the needs of these veterans. In research by Zoli, Maury, and Fay (2015) of more than 8,500 military members and veterans, 92% said that education should play a role in post-service transition. Unfortunately most colleges and universities were inadequately prepared to meet the needs of this new influx of veterans and have been reactive in making the necessary adjustments to meet their needs (Brown & Gross, 2011). Many of these new veterans have returned with disabilities related to their wartime experiences, such as PTSD and TBI, which require additional considerations and accommodations. These veterans with disabilities have both temporary and chronic health issues that have affected their educational experience (Church, 2009). Faculty, staff, and related student services offices need to work together to meet the needs and special accommodations of these veterans with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to detennine veterans/veterans with disabilities perspectives on how well they have been integrated and accommodated at the community college and university level in a western state. The study sought to determine how veterans with disabilities perceive overall services for injured veterans on campus, accommodations and disability services for veterans, and supportive services that allow veterans to persist and graduate from a post-secondary school. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 35 The primary research questions were: 1. To what extent do veterans feel that their respective college or university has developed a veteran friendly campus by streamlining the admission, enrollment, and veteran services processes? 2. To what extent do veterans feel faculty and staff have an adequate understanding of the experiences of military veterans and are faculty and staff aware of helpful ways of integrating or reintegrating them into the classroom and into higher education in general? 3. To what extent do veterans perceive that colleges or universities adequately understand and accommodate veterans' with disabilities, specifically those disabilities related to combat related issues such as PTSD and TBI? MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 36 METHOD To address the purpose of this study, a needs analysis through survey research was conducted using the perspectives of veterans at both a university and community college in a western state. Veteran attitudes and perspectives were gathered related to their experiences during the admissions and emollment processes at their institutes of higher / education. Additionally the participants considered disabled, due to PTSD or TBI, were further queried relating to their specific experiences on campus. The study was conducted using a survey consisting of 4-point Likert scale questionnaire (Appendix A), with follow-up open-ended questions. The Likert scale questions were used to measure the overall perception of veterans' experiences in higher education. The open-ended questions were used to identify common themes and opinions from these same veterans. Additional survey questions were provided for veterans who self-identified as having PTSD and/or TBL The study was of particular interest to the researcher due to past experience in the military, work experience serving veterans on campus, and experience as a student having used GI Bill® benefits for graduate studies. The researcher served in the U.S. Army for over 22 years retiring in 2005, was grandfathered into the Post 9/11 GI Bill® benefits after retirement, and used those benefits in pursuit of a Master of Education degree at a university in a western state. Additionally the researcher is a service-connected veteran with disabilities. The researcher worked with veterans at a university as a staff member in a Department of Education program called Veterans Upward Bound (Department of Education, 2014), and was a member of a university committee of concerned faculty and staff, dedicated to creating a veteran friendly environment. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 37 Participants The study surveyed veterans attending a university and a community college in a western state, who were associated with the Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) program at each campus. The survey was distributed to 158 veterans who participated in VUB between 2013 and 2015. Total respondents to the survey were 33, a 23% response rate. As with the military in general, it was anticipated that the majority of the respondents would be male (see Table 1). Part of the survey allowed the veterans to identify whether they had a service­connected disability for PTSD and/or TBI. Those that identified themselves as disabled due to PTSD/TBI were further queried, to gather information related to their particular experiences regarding disability accommodations and services on campus. Table I. Respondents by branch and years of service, and by branch and gender. 0-5 years 6-10 years 11-19 years Retired 20+ Male Female Army 4 4 1 1 8 2 Navy 2 1 NIA 1 3 1 Air Force NIA 4 NIA 4 5 3 Marine Corp 5 2 NIA NIA 6 1 Nat. Guard NIA NIA NIA 1 NIA 1 Reserve 1 2 NIA NIA 3 Total 12 13 1 7 25 8 MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 38 Instruments This research was conducted using a survey of questions related to the veterans' experiences and satisfaction level with campus services, including questions specifically for those veterans who identified themselves as having a service-connected disability (Appendix A). The questionnaire measured levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with each topic. No neutral response was offered to the respondents. The researcher's rationale being that the veterans were either satisfied or not with each aspect of their experience on campus. The open-ended questions required a written response that allowed the respondents to express deeper feelings related to the topics. These were used to further identify common themes. Procedure The study identified veterans enrolled in VUB using program specific database software known as Blumen® (Compansol, 2012). The database is used to track the progress of veterans in VUB and was readily available to the researcher. Although the researcher had access to the veterans in the VUB program, Institutional Review Board (IRB) permissions were requested in accordance with institutional procedures. The IRB request included all survey instruments and informed consent forms required for the study. Once approval of the study was given (Appendix B), the researcher obtained a current number ofVUB participants served between 2013 and 2015, and began the survey process. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 39 An email was sent to 158 veterans emolled in VUB between 2013 and 2015. The initial email introduced the study and asked each veteran to participate in the survey. The email made clear that their participation in the survey was consent for their data to be used in the study. The veterans were instructed that these surveys would include descriptive information such as background, age, and sex, but that no identifiable information would be published in the results. Of the initial 158 emails sent, 15 were rejected due to invalid emails, and two veterans specifically requested not to be contacted further and were removed from the participant list. The final pool was 141 veterans. One week after the initial email, a second email was sent to each veteran with a link to the survey and they were asked to complete it as quickly as possible. After a two week response period the researcher sent the link again, to offer those veterans who have not yet responded the opportunity to participate. Due to minimal response, the survey link was then sent out two additional times before it was determined that the maximum voluntary response was likely reached. There were a total of 33 completed surveys received, or a 23% response rate approximately. Of those received, eight women veterans completed the survey, or 24%. Unfortunately researchers have found that response rates to online surveys are significantly lower than paper surveys, despite various practices used to lift total responses. It was reported that online surveys had response rates 23 % lower than that of paper surveys (Nulty 2008). Nulty suggests the following procedures as a way to boost response rates from online surveys such as: MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 1. "Pushing" the survey using an easy access URL sent directly to the participants. 2. Frequent reminders to the participants, at least 3, however some researchers in the study were concerned with irritating the survey population. 3. Involving academics with a vested interest, to remind possible participants. 40 4. Somehow persuading participants that the data from their responses will be used usefully and taken seriously. 5. Providing rewards of some sort, prizes, points, extra credit, etc. But some cautioned that students should do it because it is worth their time, versus extrinsic motivators that may skew the sample. 6. Help students to understand how to give constructive criticism, which can help their open-ended responses. 7. Create surveys that seek constructive criticism, which encourages participation and avoids the pitfalls of simple numerical rating surveys. During the data collection process, some of these tactics were employed to increase response rates. As indicated earlier in this research, multiple emails with an easy to access URL were used, providing frequent reminders, participants were informed that their data would be used to improve the situation of current and future veteran students, and the survey was constrncted in a way that would allow the veterans to provide constrnctive criticism using both a Likert scale survey and follow-up open-ended comments. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 41 Based on the researcher's work with veterans for over 10 years prior to this study, the response rate for the current research was not a surprising. Most veterans have been reluctant to participate in extracurricular activities and assignments given through VUB, due to their busy life and their focus on the requirements of their education which effect their grades. In addition, female veterans seem more likely to participate than male veterans. Female veterans made up only 16% of the initial pool of veterans to whom the survey was sent, but responded at a rate of 24%. Additionally, of those who responded 33% indicated they had been diagnosed with PTSD and/or TBI. Data Analysis The survey was administered and gathered over the course of a semester and the results were analyzed. Data were reviewed on a regular basis as the surveys were returned by the respondents. The researcher reviewed the responses for overall concepts, emerging patterns, and overarching categorization. The data were described and interpreted to answer questions posed by the research on the military veteran experience in higher education in a western state. An ecological psychology approach was talcen to analyze the participant's perspectives related to their environment (Boudah, 2011). Ecological psychology is the study of the relationship of humans and their environments, and how that enviromnent affects the inhabitants. In this case the higher education environment and military veterans. The researcher collected the data over time and then coded the data for analysis. During coding the researcher worked to identify patterns, developed categories, and MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE looked for common themes and trends. As new responses crune in, patterns categories and themes were changed and adjusted as necessary. 42 The researcher then moved beyond the patterns, categories and themes to develop a theory based on a review of the causes, consequences, and relationships of the veteran perspective. The researcher brought a theoretical sensitivity to the subject based on past experience in the military and current work with veterans on college and university crunpuses. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE RESULTS 43 The survey questions were broken down into demographic data, and seven survey sections: (a) overall experience in higher education, (b) website navigation, (c) admissions, (d) enrollment services, (e) veterans services office, (f) faculty awareness/classroom enviromnent/campus life, and (g) service-connected disability. Likert scale answers were gathered, and the respondents were also given the opportunity to comment on each section as well. See the Likert scale results (Appendix C). Demographic Data Based on the survey answers in this section, the researcher received a good mixture of military veterans. Of the respondents, seven indicated they were retired military (typically a minimum of20 years served), one had served 11-19 years, 13 had served 6-10 years, and 12 had served in the military 0-5 years. As to the question of how long each veteran had been out of the military before starting college, nine veterans had been out just 0-6 months, only three 7-12 months, seven had been out 1-2 years, three had been out 3-5 years, and 11 had been out of the military over five years. Of the veterans who responded, 25 were male and eight were female. Combat zone experience was high among respondents, which reflects the fact that the military has been involved in one conflict or another for over a decade. Of the 33 respondents 25 had been deployed to a combat zone, including six of the eight female veterans. There was a fairly even mixture of veteran students attending two or four year postsecondary institutions as well. Of the respondents, 10 were attending a 2-year institution and 13 were attending a 4-year institution. The rest were either imminently MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 44 graduating, starting school the following semester, or were just not enrolled in school at the time of the survey. The military branch breakdown of the respondents were 10 that had served in the Army, four from the Navy, eight from the Air Force, seven from the Marines, and four who had served in a reserve component. Overall Experience in Higher Education When asked iftheir overall experience in higher education had been positive, nearly 73% either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, and the remaining 27% disagreed or strongly disagreed. As to whether their school was working to accommodate veterans, 66% either agreed or strongly agreed and the remaining 33% disagreed or strongly disagreed. And finally as to whether veteran programs/benefits have improved since they have been at school, nearly 56% either agreed or strongly agreed, while 44% either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Open ended comments from this section included one from a veteran who said, "Seems to be more difficult once you've been identified as a veteran." Another veteran commented, "Some departments are set up in such a way that Veterans who use their G .I. Bill do not get the full benefits. ([e.g.] the Automotive Department) Some of the classes have 25 hours of seat time for 1 week with homework and is considered part time." Website Navigation The respondents overwhelmingly agreed that their respective college/university website was easy to find online, with 100% that either agreed or strongly agreed. Once they found the site 75% either agreed or strongly agreed that the site was easy to navigate, MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 45 while 25% reported a negative experience and either disagreed or strongly disagreed that the website was easy to locate. When it came to veteran-specific webpages, 60% either agreed or strongly agreed that it was easy to locate veteran-specific webpages and that they were either in one location or easily linked. Yet 40% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and found the webpages more difficult to locate. The respondents that either agreed or strongly agreed that veteran webpages were clear and understandable was about 73%, with about 27% that disagreed or strongly disagreed. Finally, over 93% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that contact information for Veterans Services was easy to find on the website. When asked to comment about website navigation, one veteran said, "Veterans Services website need[s] a complete makeover. Veterans Upward [B]ound need[s] some life to it, graphics. Still have very old pictures. Out of date. Its 2015 folks." Admissions A clear 100% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that online admissions application was easily fotmd, clear, and understandable. Over 68% either agreed or strongly agreed that the application clearly asked them to identify as a military member or veteran, with approximately 31 % that either disagreed or strongly disagreed that the application clearly asked them to identify as a military member or veteran. The vast majority of the veterans, over 96%, either agreed or strongly agreed that the admissions office was easy to locate on their campus if needed. Approximately 63% either agreed or strongly agreed that the admissions staff was helpful, were able to answer MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE veteran related questions, and understood veteran related procedures while over 36% disagreed or strongly disagreed. 46 Just over 53% of the veterans either agreed or strongly agreed that the procedure to transfer in credit for military experience was clear and understandable, while nearly 47% disagreed or strongly disagreed. As to whether their respective school offered veteran-specific orientations or information sessions, approximately 53% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Nearly 47% agreed or strongly agreed. When asked whether the overall admissions process was veteran friendly, nearly 70% either agreed or strongly agreed that it was, while about 30% disagreed or strongly disagreed that the process was veteran friendly. Comments on admissions included one veteran who said, [About the application] "the box that asks if you are a vet is a small box that most vets don't see." [As to whether the staff was helpful] "When you ask any questions on the phone, as soon as you say you're a vet, they transfer you to Veteran Services, even though your question is about admissions." [In reference to veteran orientation] "Some orientations include a portion for vets, but most don't." Another veteran commented, "I honestly can't remember if Veteran status was an option on the application. The local VA office had to add me as Veteran with school. There is a disconnect somewhere." Enrollment Services When asked about enrollment services, over 85% ofrespondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the online registration process was clear and understandable, with just over 14% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Nearly 94% of the veterans either agreed or strongly agreed that the registrar's office was easy to locate on their respective campus. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 47 The veterans were also asked if they had access to an advisor for help planning and choosing courses, as well as assistance in enrolling. Approximately 74% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed, with just about 26% that disagreed or strongly disagreed. As to whether the registrar office staff were familiar with veteran­specific needs, only about 45% either agreed or strongly agreed, and 55% didn't feel their needs were met. Over 78% of the veterans surveyed either agreed or strongly agreed that enrollment deadlines, add/drop periods, and the semester schedules were made clear, while approximately 22 % disagreed or strongly disagreed. One veteran said concerning enrollment services, "I specifically had to ask for an adviser with a military background to assist me. It was difficult to process to figure out what classes I needed to finish my degree with the military. The other advisers gave a generic tutorial on general education classes which was helpful to a point. To be fair it was extremely difficult to get assistance from the military." Another veteran commented, "I could find no specific counselor to meet with to plan a course schedule. That was left up to the advisor for the degree you majored in. Getting a meeting with that person is absolutely ridiculous and time consuming. Not easy in the slightest." Veterans Services Office When it came to ease of locating Veterans Services on campus, almost 85% either agreed or strongly agreed that it was no problem, with the remaining 15% who either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Some 78% ofrespondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the staff was friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable on GI Bill® benefits, but the 22% remaining either disagreed or strongly disagreed. The majority of the veterans, just over 77%, either agreed or strongly agreed that procedures for certification of GI MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE Bill® benefits clear and understandable, or they were explained adequately. The remaining 23% either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Nearly 81 % of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the Veterans Services staff helpful in giving guidance for registration each semester, with the remaining 19% either disagreed or strongly disagreed. 48 When asked if problems with GI Bill® benefits were resolved for them in a timely manner, over 84% indicated that they either agreed or strongly agreed, with 16% that either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Comments about Veterans Services Office included one veteran who said, "The Veterans Student Services were very helpful, lmowledgeable and professional." While another commented, "The Veterans Services Office was able to answer my questions and refer me to the appropriate services I required, however, I wondered why other school officials hadn't referred me to Veterans Services first. I could have avoided a lot of confusion and wasted time." Faculty Awareness, Classroom Environment, and Campus Life When asked about whether their school had offered a reintegration program to help with transition, about 57% indicated that their school did not offer this type of program, and either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Only 43% either agreed or strongly agreed that a reintegration program was offered. Over 63% of the respondents either disagreed or strongly disagreed that their professors were aware of veteran resources on campus, with the remaining 3 7% who agreed or strongly agreed that professors were aware. Some 70% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that their instructors/professors interacted well with them, and MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 49 honored the veterans' confidentiality requests. The remaining 30% disagreed or strongly disagreed. When asked if veterans were aware of instructors being trained about what the military experience is like, over 60% either disagreed or strongly disagreed that the instructors had been trained, and only 40% agreed or strongly agreed that they were. As to whether the respondents felt they were treated fairly and respectfully on campus, almost 82% agreed or strongly agreed. The remaining 18% either disagreed or strongly disagreed. About 87% agreed or strongly agreed that they were allowed to share their military experiences when appropriate, while the remaining 13% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Of the veterans that responded, 80% agreed or strongly agreed that allowances were made for specific veteran seating needs. Nearly 82% agreed or strongly agreed that classroom populations are manageable in size and encourage learning, while the remaining 18% veterans disagreed or strongly disagreed. Peer mentoring programs allow veterans to get assistance with coursework, directly from other veteran students. Just over 64% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their school had a peer mentoring program for support of veterans, while almost 36% disagreed or strongly disagreed. In addition, over 65% of the veterans agreed or strongly agreed that their school had a relationship with veteran service organizations, such as The American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and the Veterans ofForeign Wars, that can assist veterans in obtaining further benefits, with the remaining respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed. Also, about 87% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their school allowed the Veterans Administration (VA) to have a MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE presence on campus to assist with things such as mental health counseling, education benefits, veterans with disabilities' benefits. 50 In regards to Student Veteran Organizations (SVO), about 47% agreed or strongly agreed that they were aware their school had a SVO on campus, but about 53% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Many colleges offer a "one-stop-shop" for any resource on campus related to veterans, such as Veteran Services, VUB, Admissions, Registration, and Disability Services. This helps the veterans by providing a streamlined process for administrative offices and support resources needed while applying for and attending college. Just 58% of veterans agreed or strongly agreed that their school offered such a resource, while the remaining 42% disagreed or strongly disagreed. When asked to comment on faculty awareness, classroom environment, and campus life, a veteran commented "A one-stop shop for veterans/military issues would be very beneficial." Another veteran commented, "The VA office was moved from the student services building to a building on the outskirt of campus. It should be co-located with other student services. Their current facilities are inadequate for study or parking. I pushed hard to assist and establish a veteran student organization with no luck. Finally, it was hard transition from the "military life" and it would have been nice to have a fellow Vet as a mentor." Another veteran said, "Veterans services are on opposite ends of the campus and not located "on campus" per se. The Veterans Services Office used to be located in the administration building on campus and it was more convenient to walk between the registrars, cashier, and Vet services when problems or questions arose, but MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE last summer is was moved outside of the building and it now seems disconnected from the school." Service-connected Disability Of those that responded to this question of the survey, just over 35% (11) indicated that they had been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI, or a combination of the two illnesses. Nearly 83% of these veterans with disabilities agreed or strongly agreed that the staff of Disability Services, at their campus, were friendly, welcoming, and had an understanding of veteran-specific disabilities. 51 About 71 % of the veterans with disabilities agreed or strongly agreed that Disability Services staff had an understanding of the cognitive difficulties related to PTSD/TBI, and were trained to counsel veterans, while the remaining veterans with disabilities disagreed or strongly disagreed. As to whether Disability Services helped veterans deal with the stigma related to being "disabled", almost 74% agreed or strongly agreed, and the remaining 26% either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Over 82% of the veterans with disabilities agreed or strongly agreed that Disability Services coordinated with the VA to properly accommodate the veterans with disabilities on campus, while almost 18% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Just over 83% of veterans with disabilities agreed or strongly agreed that classroom accommodations are given to veterans with PTSD/TBI diagnoses, while nearlyl 7% disagreed or strongly disagreed. About 84% agreed or strongly agreed that test-taking and test location accommodations were given to veterans with these diagnoses, with the remaining that either disagreed or strongly disagreed. Finally, when asked whether Disability Services collaborates to educate other campus professionals MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 52 about veterans with disabilities' needs, 80% of the veterans with disabilities agreed or strongly agreed that they did, and 20% disagreed or strongly disagreed. Of those veterans that indicated they had either PTSD or TBI, one commented "If provisions are available at Weber State University for Disabled Veterans I am not aware of them." And finally, another commented "I experienced Sexual trauma in the military and received disability accommodations finally after three years at college. It would be helpful to have a female Psychologist for female veterans. I don't feel comfortable sharing my anxiety issues with a male." Table 2. Summary of responses by survey section, with the totals by section and response type. Section Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Survey Sections Responses Agree Disagree a. Overall 93 27 34 14 18 Experience (3) b. Website 155 36 88 22 9 Navigation (7) c. College 224 48 111 43 22 Admissions (7) d. Enrollment 152 29 86 26 11 Services ( 5) e. Veteran Services 153 57 67 20 9 Office (5) f. Faculty 388 82 167 92 47 Awareness/ Classroom Environment (13) g. Service- 147 64 53 12 18 connected Disability (7) MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE DISCUSSION 53 As seen in the review of previous research on this subject, the study found that with the passing of the Post 9/11 GI Bill®, colleges and universities have seen the greatest influx of veterans in higher education since the end of the Vietnam conflict, some 40 years ago (Cook & Kim, 2009; Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). In research by Zoli, Maury, and Fay (2015) of the more than 8,500 military members and veterans who participated, 92% indicated that education should play a role in post-service transition. This new GI Bill® has resulted in higher veteran enrollment, and has required colleges and universities to adjust policies and procedures to meet the needs of these veterans. The previous research found that most colleges and universities across the country were inadequately prepared to meet the needs of this new influx of veterans and had been reactive in making the necessary adjustments to meet their needs (Brown & Gross, 2011). Research also showed a need for improvement in areas related to veterans such as assisting veterans' transition to college, developing faculty and staff awareness of veteran specific issues, meeting the needs of veterans with military related disabilities, assisting re-enrolling veterans, and providing peer to peer experiences for veterans (Cook & Kim, 2009). Previous research also suggested that institutions that encourage veterans to self­identify early, ensure veteran program administrators are adequately trained, and that other staff and administration are trained on the new GI Bill®, tend to have more effective programs for veterans. The university should employ disability and mental health staff who understand veterans' issues, have consistent policies for college credit for military MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE training, have veteran specific orientations and informational sessions, and encourage veteran student organizations on campus (Steel, Salcedo, & Coley, 2010). 54 The current study provided an opportunity to obtain the perspective of the veterans, in one western state, as to how their respective college or university was adapting to this change. The study sought to determine veteran/veterans with disabilities' perspectives as to what extent they have been integrated and accommodated at the community college and university level. In addition, the purpose of the study was to also determine how veterans with disabilities perceive overall services for injured veterans on campus, accommodations and disability services for veterans, and supportive services that allow veterans to persist and graduate from a post-secondary school. Specifically the study sought to determine to what extent the institutions of higher education have developed a veteran friendly campus, determine to what extent does the institutional faculty and staff have an adequate understanding of the military experience, are reintegrating veterans into the classroom and into higher education in general, and to determine to what extent do the institutions adequately understand and accommodate veterans with service-connected disabilities such at PTSD and TBI. What the current study demonstrated is that progress has been made in relation to this study group but there is still room for improvement, and that colleges and universities should continue to move in a positive direction. These institutions should focus on improving all aspects of interaction with military veterans to include improving the veteran experience through proper integration, user friendly web-based resources, veteran-specific admissions and registration procedures, proactive veteran services, faculty and staff awareness and training, developing a welcoming classroom MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE environment, improved veteran integration in campus life, and also improved disability services and accommodations for veterans witb disabilities. Implications of the Results 55 There are very meaningful reasons why institutions should do tbe best job possible when serving, managing, and educating veterans. As pointed out in the previous research reviewed, Brown and Gross (2011) showed that successful management of military students brings benefits to all involved: the student; the academic institution; and the community. The study sought to measure how the veterans felt that the institutions of higher education were doing in that respect. Overall, the results of tbe current research on the veteran perspective was quite positive. The survey results indicated that, in general, there were 949 (72 % ) positive responses to survey questions and 363 (28%) negative responses (Appendix C). This by no means indicates that there have been no negative impacts on veterans at the institutions involved, but it demonstrates tbat strides are being made in a positive direction when it comes to the veteran experience at the these schools. A portion of the survey addressed the research question related to how the veterans felt their respective college or university had developed a veteran friendly campus through streamlining the admission, enrollment, and veteran services processes. When it came to the admissions process, most of the survey participants felt that the admissions process was generally smooth and could be viewed as veteran-friendly, but over one-third of the veterans thought that the admissions staff was not helpful and lacked understanding of veteran-specific issues. Also a clear procedure for transferring credit for military experience is warranted, based on tbe nearly one-half of veterans MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 56 unsatisfied with that process. This would indicate that staff training related to veteran­specific issues and problems that arise could reduce that level of dissatisfaction. Another possible option would be to have a staff member with military experience available to assist veterans. The admissions process is likely the first stumbling block that these veterans have in starting their higher education journey, so it is incumbent on the institutions to ensure veterans are welcomed, treated fairly, and that veteran needs are being addressed. Once admitted to an institute of higher education, veterans must tackle the enrollment process and find coursework suited for their chosen academic major. This can be a daunting task for veterans, many of whom have never been in a higher education environment. Over one quarter of the veterans responding to the survey felt that they did not have access to an advisor that would work with them in choosing and enrolling in courses. It is critical that veterans are advised properly, given the fact that their GI Bill® benefits are finite. Veterans cannot afford to waste time or money on coursework unrelated to their major. In addition over one half of the respondents felt that the registrar staff was unfamiliar with veteran-specific needs. If a staff member is unaware of the VA policy (e.g. against paying for courses unrelated to the veteran's major) and improperly advises the veteran, then it may create financial for the veterans. Again, training on veteran related issues and/or the presence of a veteran staff member may mitigate these kinds of problems. Veterans Services is a critical part of the veteran experience on the community college and university campus, especially for those veterans using GI Bill® benefits. It can become financially difficult on veterans if they have issues with receiving their MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE educational benefits, so Veterans Services must be efficient when certifying veterans' benefits. 57 Most survey responses relating to Veteran Services were positive, but some found that veteran services was hard to locate, that the staff was unfriendly, and that the process for obtaining GI Bill® benefits was not clear or explained properly. Some also had trouble getting proper guidance from Veteran Services during registration each semester, or when veterans experienced problems with receiving GI Bill®benefits, the problems were not resolved in a timely manner. Not all veterans will be satisfied with how a particular process unfolds, but veterans utilizing Veteran Services on campus should feel that the staff there are on the veterans' side to the best extent possible. Veteran Services should viewed by the veterans as an ally on campus, and staff should do the utmost to accommodate veteran needs. This office should be a safe haven where veterans can come for support when they are frustrated by other campus services and procedures. Interaction with instructors and professors make up most of the personal contact veterans have in higher education. Ideally they should have some knowledge about veteran issues and resources available. The second research question attempted to determine if veterans felt faculty and staffhad an adequate understanding of the experiences of military veterans. Additionally, the study attempted to determine veterans' perception as to whether the faculty and staff were aware of helpful ways of integrating or reintegrating them into the classroom and into higher education in general. Some of the difficulties that veterans face in higher education involve under informed MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE faculty, their negative classroom experiences, and general non-involvement in campus life and activities. 58 The researcher believes that it is critical to the long-term viability of veteran students, for them to be understood, accommodated, and integrated into these institutions. Over one half of the veterans indicated that their respective school either did not have an integration program, or if it did they were unsatisfied with results. In addition, nearly two thirds of veteran respondents indicated that their instructors and professors were unaware of veteran resources on campus. All staff and faculty should be aware of resources that benefit veterans, which can serve to make things easier on the veteran, staff, and faculty. The study results indicate that over one half of the veterans in the survey perceived that the faculty were not adequately trained to understand the military experience. Some colleges across the country have establish a "basic training" type program for faculty to help them be more aware of different aspects of the military experience, to help them to understand and be sympathetic. For example Purdue University, and the Veterans Success Center there, offers "Green Zone Training" to discuss what it means to serve and what veterans bring to campus. With fewer and fewer staff and faculty having military experience themselves, a program like this would be beneficial and enlightening as more veterans pursue higher education. On a positive note, the veterans overwhelmingly felt that they were treated fairly and respectfully, and were given the opportunity to share their experiences when they felt comfortable doing so in class. Approximately 30 % of the veterans who responded did not feel that the faculty honored the veterans' confidentiality requests. Some veterans really want to blend into MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 59 the fabric of the campus and do not feel comfortable being singled out or identified as a military veteran. Faculty should be sensitive to this on an individual basis, and avoid calling attention to a veteran who may not want to be identified that way. Some veterans are uncomfortable speaking of their military experiences in class, or relating it to their education, especially if it involves combat experiences. Although if comfortable in sharing, veterans' experiences can contribute to classroom learning environment and to the learning experience of all students overall, so faculty need to be sensitive and aware. Peer mentoring and student veteran organizations are other programs that have been beneficial to veterans on campuses across the country. Veterans learning and being mentored by other veterans can be another way to increase retention of veterans at the respective college or university. Organized student groups can give similar kinds of support to veterans (e.g. Student Veterans of America). An experienced veteran in college can help newer student veterans get through the difficult times by showing these fellow veterans how they survived themselves. Over one third of the veterans in the survey did not feel that there was a sound peer mentoring program, or at least an effective one at their respective schools. In addition, over one half of the veterans in the study indicated that their school did not have an adequate student veteran's organization. This study also attempted to determine how veterans with disabilities perceived their college or university understood and accommodated veterans' disabilities, specifically those related to combat related issues such as PTSD and TBI. Recent casualty statistics reported to congress indicate that, approximately 118,829 military members/veterans deployed between 2000 and 2014 were diagnosed MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 60 with PTSD. During the same period 307,283 were diagnosed with some form ofTBI (Fischer, 2014). In the study by Zoli, Maury, and Fay (2015), the researchers reported over 3.9 million veterans had been identified as disabled by the Veterans Administration (VA). Of those, 43% were from the Gulf War era and beyond. Additionally, of the more than 8,500 respondents 58% reported a service related disability. Of the veterans that reported a service-connected disability, 79% indicated that the disability created obstacles for them as they transitioned to civilian life. In regards to pursuing higher education, 12% indicated the disability hindered beginning higher education, and 28% said the disability created obstacles in completing higher education (Zoli, Maury, and Fay, 2015). It is critical that colleges and universities across the country find ways to accommodate these military veterans who may be attending to their institutions, but especially those with these unseen disabilities. The Disability Services (DS) offices on campus will need to take a leading role in this accommodation. The DS staff should be at the forefront when it comes to service-connected veterans with disabilities. In this study, of the veterans who identified as being disabled due to PTSD and/or TB!, over 82% agreed that DS staff at their campus were friendly and welcoming, and had an understanding of veteran-specific disabilities. It was by no means unanimous, with about 18% disagreeing, so there is room for improvement. The DS staff also seemed to have at least some understanding of the cognitive difficulties of those veterans experiencing PTSD/TBI issues, and these veterans felt the staff had adequate training to counsel them in relation to these issues. The DS staff was also widely viewed as being helpful to veterans struggling with the stigma that is felt by being called "disabled". MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 61 The results indicate that most of the veterans with disabilities were receiving accommodations in the classroom, and for test-taking, as well as these veterans feeling positive about how the DS staff educated other campus professionals about veterans with disabilities' needs. There were some veterans that disagreed, but the majority seemed to have had a positive experience with Disability Services. There were 14 7 combined responses to survey questions related to veteran disability, with 117 (79%) being positive in nature. The DS office and staff seem to be serving veterans adequately, with room to improve. Limitations Although the surveys were conducted in only one western state, the researcher believes that the results can be viewed in the broader context in that improvements are being made in higher education for this new influx of veterans. Others may argue that the results of the research are not adequately generalizable based on the sample size. The researcher agrees that the response rate for the survey was not ideal, but given that overall response rates for online surveys are traditionally low, the researcher felt that there were enough data to proceed. Veterans tend to focus on what directly effects their education, and therefore if the veteran does not see a relation to coursework and grades they tend to be less interested in extracurricular inquiries (Quaye & Harper, 2014). In reviewing the demographic data, it appears that there was a well-represented sample of our military, in years served, branch of anned service, deployment to combat zones, and gender. There appeared to be few if any over-represented veterans in the specific categories, other than females (see Table 1). MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 62 Future Research The study can be expanded by conducting future research to include more colleges and universities in different regions of the country. Including more veterans in varied geographical and demographically diverse areas of the country would build a broader picture of how higher education is doing in serving, managing, and educating veterans. Future research could also include the use of varied survey tools including online surveys, mailed surveys, convenience surveys, one-on-one interviews, and group discussions. The study sought to measure only the perspective of the veterans from the beginning of the research project, using a convenience sample of Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) participants. Future research could also measure the perspectives of institutional staff and faculty as well as a broader spectrum of veterans, in order to identify any possible disconnects and common ground between veteran and institutional perspectives. An institution of higher education may believe that it is doing all it can to adequately serve veterans, whereas the veterans feel that there is room to improve. This needs analysis was undertalcen to inform the institutions of higher education regarding the perspectives of military veterans. It will infonn universities, and the entities that support those veterans, ways to improve the veteran experience. Additionally, the results will provide a veteran perspective in hopes of better meeting the needs of college and university veterans. It is recommended that future research will review these data and aslc additional questions of the veterans and university faculty and staff to better support those who have served on the country's behalf. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 63 Summary The study began with historical background and context on the GI Bill® from the beginning in 1944, to the present configuration. With the newest iteration of the GI Bill® and the generous benefits to veterans, colleges and universities are seeing higher enrollment by military veterans than they have since the conclusion of the Vietnam Conflict (Cook & Kim, 2009; Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). The literature review showed that institutions of higher education were ill prepared to meet the needs of this new influx of veterans, and had been reacting to the challenge rather than being proactive and anticipating changes that needed to be made. In addition, due to higher rates of survivability in combat, many of the veteran students entering higher education now have returned from conflict with injuries and illnesses such as PTSD and TBI. Previous research showed that nearly 85% of those receiving combat injuries are surviving due to advances in protective body armor, use of coagulants, and advances in the military medical evacuation system (Madaus, Miller II, & Vance, 2009). In the current study, the researcher sought to measure the veteran perspective as to how the institutions of higher education are doing in relation to serving veterans in general, as well as veterans with disabilities. The study findings were more positive than expected, based on prior research, with 949 (72%) positive responses to survey questions and 363 (28%) negative responses (see appendix A). This could plainly be an indicator that the institutions of higher education in the western state involved are doing better than elsewhere, or a broader indicator that the veteran experience is improving generally. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 64 The current research showed that improvements were being made, based on the perspective of the veterans involved. The responses to the research survey were generally positive, with some exceptions. This indicates that the institutions where these veterans have attended, are making strides in a positive direction. Responses from the survey participants did show that there are many areas relating to veterans that have room for improvement though. It is the intent of the researcher to make these results available to higher education institutions, in order to facilitate the needed improvements. The results also indicated that most of the veterans with disabilities were mostly positive about the institutions meeting veterans with disabilities' needs. There were some veterans that disagreed, but the majority seemed to have had a positive experience with Disability Services on campus. As reported earlier in the study, there were 14 7 combined responses to survey questions related to veteran disability, with 117 (79%) being positive in nature. The DS office and staff seem to be serving veterans adequately, with room to improve. The researcher has concluded that there are still challenges ahead for veterans in higher education, but that the process in moving in a positive direction. Veterans are seeing these improvements and are becoming more optimistic in their outlook. The more optimistic that veterans become, the better the retention and graduation rates will become. Colleges and universities must work hand-in-hand with the veterans to improve the experience for faculty, staff, and student veterans in the future. The individtial veteran student, the higher education institutions, and the community at large will benefit from these improvements. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE REFERENCES 65 American Council on Education (2010). Accommodating student veterans with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder: Tips for campus faculty and staff. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Documents/Accommodating­Student- Veterans-with-Traumatic-Brain-Injury-and-Post-Traumatic-Stress­Disorder. pdf Boudah, D. J. (2011). Conducting educational research: Guide to completing a major project. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Brown, P.A., & Gross, C. (2011). Serving those who have served-Managing veteran and military best practices. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 59, 45- 49. doi:l0.1080/07377363.2011.544982 Burnett, S. E., Segoria, J. (2009). Collaboration for military transition students from combat to college: It takes a community. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22(1), 53-58. Church, T. E. (2009). Returning veterans on campus with war related injuries and the long road back home. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22(1 ), 43-52. Compansol, 2012. Bltunen® software. Retrieved from http://compansol.com/product.php Cook, B. J., & Kim, Y. (2009). From soldier to student: Easing the transition of service members on campus. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/news­room/ Documents/From-Soldier-to-Student-Easing-the-Transition-of-Service­Members- on-Campus. pdf MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE Department of Education (2014). Veterans Upward Bound. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/triovub/index.html Department of Veterans Affairs (2014a). Education: Benefits for veterans education. Retrieved from http://www.benefits.va.gov/REPORTS/abr/ABR-Education­FY13- 09262014.pdf Department of Veterans Affairs (2014b). Service-connected disabled veterans by disability rating group: FY 1986 to FY 2013. Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/vetdata/V eteran _Population.asp Department of Veterans Affairs (2013). Education and training: History and timeline. Retrieved from http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/history.asp DiRamio, D., & Spires, M. (2009). Partnering to assist disabled veterans in transition. New Directions for Student Services, 126, 25-34. doi:l0.1002/ss.319 66 Ellison, M. L., Mueller, L., Smelson, D., Corrigan, P. W., Torres Stone, R. A., Bokhour, B. G., Najavits, L. M., Vessela, J.M., & Drebing, C. (2012). Supporting the educational goals of post-9/11 veterans with self-reported PTSD symptoms: A needs assessment. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 35(3), 209-217. Fischer, H. (2014). A guide to U.S. Military casualty statistics: Operation new dawn, operation Iraqi freedom, and operation enduring freedom. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from http://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22452.pdf Grossman, P. D. (2009). Forward with a challenge: Leading our campuses away from the perfect storm. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22(1 ), 4-9. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE Madaus, J. W., Miller II, W. K., & Vance, M. L. (2009). Veterans with disabilities in postsecondary education. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22(1), 10-17. Mettler, S. (2005). Soldiers to citizens: The G.I. Bill and the making of the greatest generation. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc. Military.com (2006). GI Bill turns 62. Retrieved from http://www.military.com/N ewsContent/O, 13319,1023 83 ,00.html Nulty, D. D. (2008). The adequacy ofresponse rates to online and paper surveys: what can be done? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(3), 301-314. 67 Ostovary, F., & Dapprich, J. (2011). Challenges and opportunities of operation enduring freedom/operation Iraqi freedom veterans with disabilities transitioning into learning and workplace enviromnents. New Directions for Adult Continuing Education, 132, 63-73. doi:I0.1002/ace.432 Post-9/11 GI Bill overview (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.military.com/education/gi­bill/ new-post-911-gi-bill-overview.html Quaye, S. J., & Harper, S. R. (2014). Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations. New York, NY: Routledge. Radford, A. W. (2009). Military service members and veterans in higher education: What the new GI Bill may mean for postsecondary institutions. Retrieved from http://www. acenet. edu/news-room/Documents/Military-Servi ce-Members-and- V eterans-in-Higher-Education. pdf MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE Rumann, C. B., & Hamrick, F.A. (2010). Student veterans in transition: Re-enrolling after war zone deployments. The Journal of Higher Education, 81 ( 4), 431-458. 68 Rumann, C. B., & Hamrick, F.A. (2009). Supporting student veterans in transition. New Directions for Student Services, 126, 25-34. doi:l0.1002/ss.313 Steele, J. L., Salcedo, N., & Coley, J. (2010). Service members in school: Military veterans' experiences using the Post 9/11 GI Bill and pursuing postsecondary education. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/news­roorn/ Documents/Service-Mernbers-in-School-Executi ve-Surnmary-2010. pdf Tanielian, T., & Jaycox, L. H. (2008). Invisible wounds: Psychological and cognitive injuries, their consequences, and services to assist Recovery. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/content/darn/rand/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND MG720.pd f Vance, M. L., & Miller II, W. K. (2009). Serving wounded warriors: Current practices in postsecondary education. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22(1 ), 18-35. Zoli, C., Maury, R., & Fay, D. (2015). Missing perspectives: Servicemembers' transition from service to civilian life. Institute for Veterans & Military Family Members, Syracuse University. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE APPENDICES Appendix A: Veterans Survey Questions Appendix B: IRB Approval Letter Appendix C: Survey Results Spreadsheet 69 MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE APPENDIX A Veterans Survey Questions Veteran Experience Questions and Comments All survey questions (except open-ended comments) will have one of the following responses: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree, Not Applicable (N/A). a. Overall Experience in Higher Education 1. My overall experience on the campus has been positive. 2. My school seems to be working to accommodate military veterans. 3. Veteran programs/benefits have improved since I've been at my school. b. Website Navigation 4. The website for the college/university was easy to find online. 5. Once fmmd, the website was easy to navigate once found. 70 6. It was easy to find veteran specific web pages, they were one location and/or were easily linked. 7. Information on the veteran pages was clear and tmderstandable. 8. Contact information for Veteran Services was easy to find. c. Admissions 9. The online admissions application was easy to find, and was clear and understandable. 10. The application clearly asks individuals to identify as a military member or veteran. 11. When needed the admissions office was easy to locate. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 12. The admissions staff was helpful, able to answer veteran related questions, and understand veteran related procedures. 71 13. Procedures for military experience transfer credits were clear and understandable. 14. The college/university offered veteran specific orientations of information sessions. 15. Overall the admissions process was veteran friendly. d. Enrollment 16. The online course registration process was clear and understandable. 17. The registrar's office was easy to find on campus. 18. Veterans have access to an advisor to help plan, choose proper courses, and enroll in classes. 19. Staff from the registrar's office is familiar with veteran-specific needs. 20. Enrollment deadlines, add/drop periods, and semester schedule were made clear. e. Veteran Services Office 21. The Veterans Services Office was easy to find on campus. 22. The Veterans Services staff were friendly and welcoming, were knowledgeable with all aspects of the GI Bill®. 23. Campus procedures for GI Bill® certification were clear and understandable or were explained. 24. The Veteran Services staff were helpful in giving guidance for registration each semester. 25. Problems with my GI Bill® benefits were resolved in a timely manner. f. Faculty Awareness/Classroom Environment/Campus Life MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 72 26. The college/university offered a (re)integration program to help veterans transition into higher education. 27. Instructors/Professors are familiar with veteran resources on campus. 28. Instructors/Professors interact well with veteran students and honor veterans' confidentiality requests. 29. Instructors/Professors have been trained on what the military experience is like. 30. Military veteran students are treated fairly and respectfully on campus. 31. Instructors/Professors allow veterans to share military experiences when appropriate. 32. Allowances are made for specific veteran seating needs when necessary. 33. Class populations are manageable in size and encourage learning. 34. The college/university has a peer mentoring program providing veteran to veteran support. 35. The college/university has a relationship with Veteran Service Organizations (American Legion, DAV, VFW, etc.). 36. There is an established veteran student organization on campus. 37. The college/university allows the Veterans Administration (VA) to have a presence on campus. 38. The college/university has a "one stop shop" where veterans can go for services. Disabled Veteran Experience Questions and Comments g. Disability Services 1. The Disability Services staff was friendly and welcoming, and understands veteran specific disabilities. MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 2. Disability Services staff understands cognitive difficulties related to PTSD/TBI, and have been trained to counsel veterans with PTSD/TBI. 3. Disability Services helps veterans to deal with the stigma related to being "disabled". 4. Disability Services coordinate with the VA to properly acconnnodate disabled veterans. 5. Classroom acconnnodations are given to veterans with documented PTSD/TBI diagnoses. 6. Test taking and testing location accommodations are given to veterans with documented PTSD/TBI diagnoses. 7. Disability Services staff collaborates well with other campus professionals to educate them on disabled veteran needs. 73 MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE APPENDIXB WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Institutional Review Board April 29, 2015 Daniel Czech MC 4401 Weber State University Ogden, UT 84408 Daniel, Your project entitled "The Military Veteran Experience in Higher Education" has been reviewed and is approved as written. The project was reviewed as "exempt" because it involves using curriculum and assessments which would normally be used. Subjects are considered adults and may choose not to participate. Informed consent is required for participation. Notification of the study and how data will be reported are appropriate. No individual subject data will be revealed. All subject information will be confidential. Dr. Williams is the chair of the committee who will oversee this study. Anonymity and confidentiality are addressed appropriately, and the type of information gathered could not "reasonably place the subjects at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subjects' financial standing, employability, or reputation" (Code of Federal Regulations 45 CFR 46, Subpart D.) You may proceed with your study when district/site approval is given. Please remember that any anticipated changes to the project and approved procedures must be submitted to the !RB prior to implementation. Any unanticipated problems that arise during any stage of the project require a written report to the !RB and possible suspension of the project. A final copy of your application will remain on file with the !RB records. If you need further assistance or have any questions, call meat 626-7370 or e-mail me at lgowans@weber.edu. Sincerely, Linda Gowans, Ph.D. Chair, Institutional Review Board, Education Subcommittee 74 MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE Title of Project: Primary Investigator(s): Approval Number: Reviewer: Date: April 29, 2015 The Military Veteran Experience in Higher Education Daniel Czech 15-ED-088 Linda Gowans, Ph.D. Chair, Institutional Review Board Education Subcommittee COMMITTEE ACTION YOUR PROPOSAL (PROJECT) AND CONSENT DOCUMENTS HA VE BEEN RECEIVED AND CLASSIFIED BY THE HUMAN SUBJECTS IN RESEARCH COMMITTEE AS: _High Risk __ Moderate Risk _X _Low Risk BY THE FOLLOWING PROCESS: _Full board review_ Expedited review_X_Exemption THE PROJECT HAS BEEN: _x Approved __ Not Approved COMMENTS: See Attached Approval Letter Linda Gowans, Ph.D. --- IRB EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR INVESTIGATOR'S RESPONSIBILITY AFTER COMMITTEE ACTION 75 The federal regulations provide that after the committee has approved your study, you may not make any changes without prior committee approval except where necessary to eliminate apparent immediate hazards to the subjects. Further, you must report to the committee any changes that you make and any unanticipated problems involving risks to subjects or others that arise. 4/29/2015 REVIEW DATE MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 76 APPENDIXC Su rvey R esul tsS > prea ds heet Survey Section Question Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly N/A Total (excluding Number Agree Disagree N/A) a. Overall . . ·· .·.I ••••• . ·:· ' -' . ·. .·· .· . . . Experience . · . . ' . . . . .·· . . • 1 12 12 5 4 0 33 2 11 11 4 7 0 33 3 4 11 5 7 6 27 b. Website . . . . ·. ·.· . . . · . . •. Navigation . ··. . . . . . 4 10 22 0 0 1 32 5 5 19 8 0 1 32 6 5 13 9 3 3 30 7 6 16 4 4 3 30 8 10 18 1 2 2 31 College . ·. . · . c. . . . ' • . Admissions ·.·. . . · . . I . .· . 9 7 22 0 0 4 29 10 6 16 8 2 1 32 11 10 22 1 0 0 33 12 4 17 8 4 0 33 13 6 11 10 5 0 32 14 7 8 10 7 1 32 15 8 15 6 4 0 33 d. Enrollment . I . . ' ': < ·. I . I ' I . Services . .• . · . . .· . . . ·.· . ' . 16 5 19 2 2 4 28 17 9 21 2 0 0 32 18 7 16 7 1 0 31 19 1 12 11 5 3 29 20 7 18 4 3 0 32 e. Veteran Services Office 21 11 17 4 1 0 33 22 12 13 5 2 1 32 23 12 12 5 2 2 31 24 13 12 4 2 2 31 25 9 13 2 2 7 26 MILITARY VETERAN EXPERIENCE 77 f. Faculty Awareness/ Classroom Environment 26 1 11 9 7 5 28 27 3 8 13 6 3 30 28 8 13 4 5 2 30 29 2 5 14 6 6 27 30 6 21 5 1 0 33 31 8 19 3 1 2 31 32 7 13 4 1 8 25 33 11 16 4 2 0 33 34 7 11 8 2 4 28 35 5 14 8 2 3 29 36 5 10 10 7 1 32 37 9 18 2 2 1 31 38 10 8 8 5 1 31 g. Service-connected Disability 1 10 9 1 3 9 23 2 9 6 3 3 11 21 3 9 8 3 3 9 23 4 10 9 1 3 9 23 5 8 7 1 2 14 18 6 10 6 1 2 13 19 7 8 8 2 2 12 20

Digital learning has become an everyday experience for a significant part of the population during a pandemic, regardless of their technical and psychological readiness. Both the more and less technologically advanced countries have faced the inevitable need for large-scale deployment of digital learning. This paper presents an assessment of the development of digital learning in Lithuania and the EU countries in 2019, i.e., before the pandemic began. The evaluation is carried out using the Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning, developed by the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) using official indicators and expert evaluation.Despite the growing number of studies aimed at assessing the digital divide in modern society and in education in particular, there is still a lack of empirical material to shed light on the link between the extent of digitalization, its determinants (such as national governance in promoting digitalization), and changes in learning outcomes caused by digitalization. The findings from the CEPS study presented in the paper are the first attempt to move beyond the assessment of the prevalence of learning digitalization in different European countries, taking a holistic view of digitalisation-induced changes in learning outcomes and participation with a special focus on digital learning policy as an important component of digitalisation development.The aim of this article is to assess the digital learning situation in Lithuania using the Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning, which was developed before the pandemic in 2019. The progress of European Union countries in developing digital learning is reviewed in the paper, based on the results of CEPS (2019) research. The Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning and the results of Lithuania's assessment using the methodology developed by CEPS are presented here. The description of the situation in Lithuania is based on the second component of the Index titled "Institutions and policies for digital learning".In order to qualitatively assess the country's strategic provisions for digital learning, the method of analysis of the country's strategic documents was applied. Public expert opinions were included into the analysis of the situation in Lithuania. An interpretation of the comparative analysis of the obtained index values is presented.Standard indicators from the Eurostat, Eurobarometer, OECD, Bertelsmann Stiftung, World Bank, and expert surveys were used to create the combined Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning. The index is constructed as a weighted average of indicators divided into three categories: learning participation and outcomes, institutions and policies for digital learning, and availability of digital learning. The assessment of the situation in the EU countries, carried out according to the developed methodology, allowed to calculate the value of the Index for each country. Lithuania ranks 11th in the overall EU-27 ranking with an Index value of 0.623.A more detailed analysis allowed us to see that the countries' ratings can differ significantly according to the different categories of the Index. The Scandinavian countries lead in terms of learning participation and outcomes and, together with the Netherlands and Austria, in terms of availability of digital learning. Southern European countries received relatively high ratings in the Index category "institutions and policies for digital learning", which reflects their determination to strengthen their position in the digital world. Estonia and the Netherlands also found themselves among the leaders in this category. Lithuania's relatively high position in the list is also based on positive evaluations of the indicators of the second component of the Index (i.e., policies and institutions), while participation and learning outcomes were assessed modestly. Using the example of Lithuania, the article provides arguments in favor of why the second component of the Index should not be given. ; Skaitmeninis mokymas pandemijos metu tapo daugelio gyventojų kasdienybe neatsižvelgiant į jų techninį ir psichologinį pasirengimą. Su neišvengiama būtinybe plačiu mastu diegti skaitmeninį mokymą susidūrė tiek labiau, tiek mažiau technologiškai pažengusios šalys. Šiame straipsnyje pateikiamas Lietuvos ir ES šalių skaitmeninio mokymo plėtros 2019 metais vertinimas, t. y. prieš prasidedant pandemijai. Vertinimas atliekamas pasitelkiant pasirengimo skaitmeniniam mokymui indeksą (angl.Index of Readiness for Digital Learning), kurį sukūrė Europos politikos studijų centras (CEPS) pasitelkęs oficialiuosius rodiklius ir ekspertinius vertinimus.Nepaisant gausėjančio skaičiaus mokslinių tyrimų, skirtų skaitmeniniam atotrūkiui šiuolaikinėje visuomenėje ir atskirai švietimo srityje vertinti, dar trūksta empirinės medžiagos nušviesti skaitmenizacijos masto, ją lemiančių veiksnių (pavyzdžiui, nacionalinių vyriausybių vaidmens skatinant skaitmenizaciją) ryšį, taip pat skaitmenizacijos skatinamų mokymo rezultatų pokyčius. Straipsnyje pristatomo CEPS tyrimo rezultatai – pirmas bandymas ne tik įvertinti mokymo skaitmenizacijos paplitimą skirtingose Europos šalyse, bet ir kompleksiškai pažvelgti į skaitmenizacijos nulemtus mokymo pasiekimų ir dalyvavimo pokyčius, išskirtinį dėmesį teikiant skaitmeninio mokymo politikai kaip skaitmenizacijos plėtros veiksniui.Straipsnio tikslas – įvertinti Lietuvos situaciją skaitmeninio mokymo srityje prieš pandemiją, atspirties tašku pasirenkant 2019 m. suformuotą pasirengimo skaitmeniniam mokymui visą gyvenimą indeksą. Straipsnyje apžvelgiama Europos Sąjungos šalių pažanga plėtojant skaitmeninį mokymą, remiantis CEPS (2019) tyrimo rezultatais, pristatyti pasirengimo skaitmeniniam mokymui visą gyvenimą indeksą bei Lietuvos situacijos vertinimo rezultatus taikant CEPS sukurtą metodologiją. Lietuvos situacijos aprašymas remiasi antruoju indekso komponentu – skaitmeninio mokymo politika ir ją įgyvendinančiomis institucijomis.Siekiant kokybiškai įvertinti šalyje taikomas skaitmeninio mokymo strategines nuostatas, buvo naudojamas šalies strateginių dokumentų analizės metodas. Analizuojant Lietuvos situaciją taip pat buvo naudojami viešoje erdvėje prieinami ekspertiniai vertinimai. Pateikiama gautų indekso rezultatų lyginamosios analizės interpretacija.Kombinuotam pasirengimo skaitmeniniam mokymui indeksui sukurti buvo taikomi standartiniai "Eurostato", "Eurobarometro", EBPO, "Bertelsmann Stiftung", Pasaulio banko indikatoriai ir ekspertų apklausa. Indeksas konst­ruojamas kaip rodiklių, suskirstytų į tris kategorijas – mokymo rezultatai ir dalyvavimas, institucijos ir įgyvendinama politika bei galimybės naudotis skaitmeniniu mokymusi – svertinis vidurkis. Pagal parengtą metodologiją atliktas ES šalių situacijos vertinimas leido apskaičiuoti kiekvienos šalies pasirengimo skaitmeniniam mokymui visą gyvenimą indekso reikšmę. Lietuva bendroje ES 27 rikiuotėje užima 11-tą vietą su indekso reikšme 0,623.Detalesnė analizė leido pamatyti, kad šalių įvertinimas pagal skirtingas indekso kategorijas gali gerokai skirtis. Skandinavijos šalys pirmauja pagal dalyvavimą rengiantis skaitmeniniam mokymui ir mokymo rezultatus bei kartu su Olandija ir Austrija – pagal skaitmeninio mokymo prieinamumą ir naudojimą. Indekso kategorijoje "skaitmeninio mokymo politika ir ją įgyvendinančios institucijos" gana aukštų vertinimų sulaukė Pietų Europos šalys, tai rodo jų siekį stiprinti savo pozicijas skaitmeniniame pasaulyje. Tarp lyderių šioje kategorijoje taip pat atsidūrė Estija ir Olandija. Gana aukšta Lietuvos pozicija sudarytame sąraše taip pat grindžiama pozityviais antrojo indekso komponento (t. y. politika ir institucijos) rodiklių vertinimais, o dalyvavimas mokyme ir mokymo rezultatai buvo įvertinti kukliai. Remiantis Lietuvos pavyzdžiu straipsnyje pateikiama argumentų, kodėl antram indekso komponentui neturėtų būti teikiama didesnė reikšmė nei kitiems komponentams.

Abstract. This study centers on Okinawan haafus' identity processes at the core of the inquiry. It aims to understand and describe the haafus' intricate identity processes in Okinawa. In this study, the term haafu refers to biracial individuals who have American and Okinawan (Japanese) parentage. The geographical context of the study is Okinawa. It is a Japanese prefectural island where a large amount of the United State military bases have been located since the end of World War II. By combining the concepts of identity from sociological and psychological fields, the study builds the groundwork for investigation of the haafus' identities, the Okinawan context and their reciprocal relationship. Such relationship is evident in the haafus' border-crossing and reinforcing. While border-crossing fractures existing borders, border-reinforcing strengthens the boundaries between differences. Race, the fence of the US military base, the Japanese nationality law and the terms of haafu are discussed as the concepts that pertain to haafus' identities in relation to physical and non-physical borders in Okinawa. Narrative as research material, as a methodology and as an approach is applied to this study. Therefore, the data is stories of the four haafus who were born and have grown up in Okinawa. The data is collected through semi-structured interviews. Narrative analysis is used to examine the structures of the haafus' storytelling. The structures of their stories both converge and diverge on certain experiences. Also, stories are strategically constructed to produce some characters which foreground their identity claims and insights into the Okinawan context. In line with the data of the study, the findings are presented by writing the individual haafus' stories. These stories describe the haafus' cognitive processes in making sense of their past experiences, future purposes, and relationships with the people around them. Their stories illustrate their hybrid identities which is evident in their creative ways of becoming who they are. It often indicates the meeting points in different cultures, beliefs and values present in Okinawa. Their identity implies diversity in Okinawan haafus' experiences and identity processes. In addition, their experiences and identity processes address the simply divided image of the Okinawan political, cultural and racial narratives. As described in the haafus' stories, identity is an on-going process which relationally and situationally appears and is often accompanied by suturing and negotiating differences. The stories of haafus' identities are a significant reminder for us to live together in differences under the circumstances of globalization. The Okinawan haafus' sharing a sense of living in-between through storytelling cares for our relationships.Abstract . この研究は、ナラティブアプローチを用いて沖縄に住むハーフのアイデンティティについて理解し、それを表現することを目的とする。本研究におけるハーフとは、アメリカ人と沖縄(日本人)の両親を持つ者を指す。また、第二次世界大戦や米軍基地等の歴史的、そして政治的な背景を持つ沖縄が本研究のコンテクストである。理論的枠組みは、社会学および心理学におけるアイデンティティの概念を組み合わせ、ハーフ個人、そして沖縄社会レベルでのアイデンティティ構築、さらにこれらの相互作用性を考察できるように構成されている。 本研究で使われるデータは、会話(インタビュー)を通して得られた4人の沖縄に住むハーフの語りである。データの分析にはナラティブ構造分析が用いられている。「語り」を通して、ハーフがどのように自身の経験を組み立てるか、また、彼らのアイデンティティがどのように現れるかを読み解いていく。そして、分析から浮かび上がる社会的コンテクスト、さらに、研究者と研究参加者の間で構成される語りの相互作用性にも着目する。 研究結果は、ハーフのアイデンティティに関する心理的そして社会的プロセスを、物語の形を用いて表現している。これらの物語は、彼がどのようにして異なる文化や価値観の境界で、創造的に生きているかを示唆している。また、ハーフのに生きる感覚は、沖縄の政治的構図が、米軍基地賛成・反対と単純に二分化された状況を再考する必要があることを批判的さらに感情的に促している。 ハーフの語りは、アイデンティティが特定の状況や人間関係の間で、それぞれの差異と衝突、そして交渉しながら、異なる形を持って現れる、「アイデンティティの流動性」を明示している。彼らのアイデンティティーに関する語りは、グローバル化する世界で異文化をもった人々と共生していく重要性を伝える。

The article identifies the features of intercultural communication in the context of European regulations. Based on an analytical review of scientific research of European and domestic scientists, the authors have identified the essence of the concept of "intercultural communication" in the European educational space and European documents in particular; clarification of the difference between the concepts of intercultural and cultural communication. The set of theoretical methods made it possible to identify the leading trends in European policy in the field of intercultural communication, ways to implement the main tasks and provisions of such policy and outline its main priorities and difficulties in modern socio-political conditions characterized by instability and uncertainty.It is established that intercultural communication in the European scientific and educational dimension is understood as a way of cooperation and cultural exchange, which provides for the establishment of understanding between representatives of different countries, nationalities, religions, etc.The priority goals of intercultural communication according to the provisions of European documents in this direction are: to foster intercultural understanding, tolerance, mutual respect and ethics of global citizenship and shared responsibility; development of intercultural empathy and education, training of representatives of different nations, ethnic groups and peoples to consider, analyze and solve problems related to cultural differences; to cultivate in the representatives of different states intercultural attitudes, including the manifestation of tolerance, respect, curiosity and receptivity to other cultures; to ensure the acquisition by representatives of different cultures and states of cultural knowledge, both general and specific to a particular culture, paying special attention to contextual and subtextual cultural elements; to recognize the natural and cultural diversity of the world, to recognize that all cultures and civilizations can contribute to sustainable development and are its decisive factors.Analysis of the functioning of various structural organizations of the EU revealed that their professional and social activities are directed in two directions: conceptual (dissemination of information on new laws and regulations of the European Union in the field of intercultural communication), which ensures the implementation of the value component of intercultural communication; functional (organization of various cultural events, events aimed at cooperation between representatives of different nations, ethnic groups, social strata, etc.), which ensures the implementation of basic tasks by means of direct communication and various forms of intercultural communication (festivals, creative weeks, days of European culture in education and public cultural institutions, thematic exhibitions in museums, various choreographic and theatrical performances for children and adults, etc.).It is determined that the most relevant trends in the development of European educational policy in the field of intercultural communication are: the establishment of broad communication and partnership in various spheres of life, especially - education, culture, politics and economics; expansion of public interaction and partnership for peace with the countries of the Eastern region; search for permanent means of influencing public opinion on the rule of human rights and freedoms in relation to the will, cultural affiliation, recognition and acceptance of intercultural diversity; establishing cooperation between the Ministries of Culture, Education and Science, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs; development of the existing network of cultural, public and public organizations for the dissemination of knowledge and competencies in intercultural communication; further financial assistance and encouragement of exchange between scientific circles and practices in the field of international cultural relations.Among the barriers to the implementation of intercultural communication, the authors distinguish: creating and maintaining a comfortable psychological atmosphere for each representative of different cultures; ensuring tolerant interaction and cooperation; optimal organization of group cooperation and ensuring the implementation of the principle of diversity. ; У статті визначено особливості забезпечення міжкультурної комунікації в контексті європейських нормативно-правових документів. На основі аналітичного огляду наукових досліджень європейських та вітчизнянихвчених авторами визначено сутність поняття «міжкультурна комунікація» у європейському освітньому просторі та європейських документах зокрема; здійснено уточнення щодо різниці між поняттями міжкультурна такультурна комунікація. Комплекс теоретичних методів уможливив визначення провідних тенденції розвитку європейської політики у сфері міжкультурної комунікації, шляхи імплементації основних завдань таположень такої політики та окресли-ти її основні пріоритети і труднощі реалізації в сучасних суспільно-політичних умовах, що характеризуються нестабільністю та невизначеністю.Встановлено, що під міжкультурною комунікацією в європейському науково-освітньому вимірі прийнято розуміти такий спосіб спікування та культурного обміну, який забезпечує налагодження порозуміння міжпредстав-никами різних країн, національностей, релігій тощо. Пріоритетними цілями міжкультурної комунікації за положеннямиєвропейських документів у цьому напрямі є: виховувати міжкультурне взаємо-розуміння, толерантність, взаємоповагу та етику глобального громадянства та спільної відповідальності; розвиток міжкультурної емпатії та освіченості, навчання представників різних націй, етнічних груп та народів розглядати, аналізувати та вирішувати проблеми, пов'язаних з культурними відмінностя-ми; виховувати у представників різних держав міжкультурні установки, що включають прояв толерантності, поваги,допитливості та сприйнятливості до інших культур; забезпечувати набуття представниками різних культур та держав культурних знань, як загальних, так і специфічних для певної культури, приділяючи особливу увагу контекстуальним та підконтекстним культурним елементам; визнати природне та культурне різноманіття світу, визнати, що всі культури тацивілізації можуть сприяти сталому розвитку та є його вирішальними чинниками.Аналіз функціонування різних структурних організації ЄС дозволив, установити, що їхня професійна та суспільна діяльність спрямована два напрямки: концептуальний (розповсюдження інформації щодо нових законівта положень Європейського Союзу в сфері міжкультурної комунікації), що забезпе-чує реалізацію ціннісної складової міжкультурної комунікації; функціональний (організація різноманітних культурних заходів, заходівспрямованих на коопе-рацію між представниками різних націй, етнічних груп,соціальних прошарків тощо), що забезпечує імплементацію основних завдань засобами безпосередньої комунікації та різних форм організації міжкультурної комунікації (фестивалі, творчі тижні, дні європейськоїкультури в освітніх та громадських закладах культури, тематичні виставки в музеях, різні хореографічні та театральні постановки для дітей та дорослих тощо). Визначено, що найбільш актуальними є такі тенденції розвитку європейської освітньої політики у сфері міжкультурної комунікації як:налагодження широкої комунікації та партнерства у різних сферах життя,насамперед – освіта, культура, політика та економіка; розширення суспільної взаємодії та партнерства в цілях миру з країнами Східного регіону; пошук постійних засобів впливу на суспільну думку щодо верховенства прав тасвобод людини щодо її волевиявлення, культурної приналежності, визнаннята прийняття міжкультурної різноманітності; налагодження співпраці між міністерствами культури, освіти та науки, міністерствами закордонних справ; розвиток існуючої мережі культурних, громадських та публічнихорганізацій для розповсюдження знань та компетентностей у міжкультурнійкомунікації; подальше фінансове сприяння та заохочення обміну між науковими колами та практиками в галузі міжнародних культурних відносин. Серед бар'єрів імплементації міжкультурної комунікації авторивиокремлюють: створення та підтримка комфортної психологічної атмосфери для кожного представника різних культур; забезпечення толерантної взаємодії та кооперації; оптимальна організація групової співпраці та забезпечення реалізації принципу різноманітності.

: Este trabajo tiene como objetivo presentar y discutir indicadores de satisfacción con la vida en relación con el ingreso económico familiar en estudiantes universitarios de diferentes países y continentes. La satisfacción con la vida es un fenómeno psicológico estudiado por la psicología positiva que se inscribe dentro de las variables que influyen en el bienestar de las personas. Por otro lado, el éxito en la universidad impacta sobre la movilidad social reduciendo las desigualdades sociales. Para avanzar en el objetivo de la investigación se consideró una muestra de 881 personas que estudian en universidades de 9 países (Brasil, México, Mozambique, República Dominicana, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Portugal y España), con edades entre 18 y 70 años (M= 31,19; DT= 12,59), siendo 554 mujeres y 328 hombres. La participación fue voluntaria y anónima respondiendo a la "Escala de satisfacción con la vida" (Satisfaction with Life Scale; Diener et al., 1985) en línea. Los indicadores psicométricos obtenidos fueron: fiabilidad alpha de Chonbach 0,877, prueba de Kruskal-Wallis ítems: 1. "Mi vida se parece, en casi todo, a lo que yo desearía que ella fuera", x2= 43.040; gl=5; p= 0,000; 2. "Mis condiciones de vida son muy buenas" x2= 92.354; gl=5; p= 0,000; 3. "Estoy satisfecho/a con mi vida",x2= 27.673; gl=5; p= 0,000; 4." Hasta ahora, he conseguido las cosas importantes de la vida, que yo desearía", x2= 51.295; gl=5; p= 0,000 y ítem 5. "Si yo pudiera empezar mi vida de nuevo, no cambiaría nada", x2= 19.231; gl=5; p= 0,002, favorables a los participantes con mayores ingresos económicos, más de 5 salarios mininos mensuales, demostrando la importancia de los aspectos económicos sobre la percepción de satisfacción con la vida, pudiendo favorecer el logro de objeticos y metas académicas peculiares a la universidad. La conclusión es que los ingresos económicos altos ejercen impacto favorable sobre la satisfacción con la vida en la población universitaria indicando la necesidad de ampliación de las políticas de apoyo económico para estudiantes como factor de movilidad social. Palabras-clave: satisfacción con la vida, estudiantes, Universidad, ingreso económico, movilidad social. Renda, êxito acadêmico e satisfação com a vida em estudantes universitários – desafios para a mobilidade social Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar e discutir indicadores de satisfação com a vida em relação com o ingresso econômico familiar em estudantes universitários de diferentes países e continentes. A satisfação com a vida é um fenômeno psicológico estudado pela psicologia positiva que se inscreve dentro das variáveis que influem sobre o bem estar das pessoas. Por outro lado, o êxito na universidade impacta sobre a mobilidade social reduzindo as desigualdades sociais. Para avançar no objetivo da investigação se considerou uma amostra de n=881 pessoas que estudam em universidades de 10 países (Brasil, México, Moçambique, Republica Dominicana, Venezuela, Bolívia, Colômbia, Angola, Portugal e Espanha) com idades entre 18 e 70 anos (M=31,19; DP+12,59), sendo n=554 mulheres e n=328 homens. A participação foi voluntária e anônima respondendo a " Escala de Satisfação Som a Vida" (Satisfaction with Life Scale; Diener et al., 1985) via internet. Os indicadores psicométricos obtidos foram: fiabilidade alpha de Cronbach 0,877, prova Kruskal Wallis, itens: 1." Minha vida se parece, em quase tudo, a o que desejaria que ela fosse", x2= 43.040; gl=5; p= 0,000; 2. "Minhas condições de vida são muito boas", x2= 92.354; gl=5; p= 0,000; 3. "Estou satisfeito/a com minha via", x2= 27.673; gl=5; p= 0,000; 4.Até agora, tenho conseguido as coisas importantes que a vida que eu desejaria", x2= 51.295; gl=5; p= 0,000 e 5. "Se eu pudesse começar minha vida de novo não modificaria nada", x2= 19.231; gl=5; p= 0,002, favoráveis aos participantes com maiores ingressos econômicos, mais de 5 salários mínimos mensais, demonstrando a importância dos aspectos econômicos sobre a percepção de satisfação com a vida, podendo favorecer o logro de objetivos e metas acadêmicas peculiares ao contexto universitário. A comunicação é que os ingressos econômicos altos exercem impacto favorável sobre a satisfação com a vida na população universitária indicando a necessidade de ampliação das políticas de apoio econômico para estudantes como fator de mobilidade social. Palavras-chave: Satisfação com a vida, estudantes, Universidade, renda, mobilidade social. Income, academic success and life satisfaction in college students - challenges for social mobility This work aims to show and discuss satisfaction indicators with life related to family economic admission in college students from different countries and continents. To satisfied with life it's a psychological phenomenon studied by positive psychology that fall within the variables that influence over the personal wellness. On the other hand, the success in the University impacts over the social mobility that reduces the social inequality. To advance the research objective, it was considered a sample of n=881 people that study in universities from 10 countries (Brazil, Mexico, Mozambique, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Angola, Portugal, Spain), age between 18 to 70 years old (M=31,19;DP+12,59), with n=554 women and n=328 men. The participation was voluntary and anonymous answering the "Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985) via internet. The psychometric indicators obtained were: Alpha the Cronbach reliability 0,877, prova Kruskal Wallis, itens: 1. "My life is almost like what I wish it were", x2=43.040; gl=5; p=0,000; 2. "My life conditions are very good", x2=92.354; gl=5; p=0,000; 3. "I'm satisfied with my life", x2= 27.673; gl=5; p= 0,000; 4. "So far, I have achieved the important things that life I wish", x2= 51.295; gl=5; p= 0,000 e 5. "If I could get my life again I wouldn't change nothing" x2= 19.231; gl=5; p= 0,002, favorable to the participants with higher economic admission, more tham 5 minimum wage monthly, showing the importance of economic aspects about the perceptions over life satisfaction, being able the achievement of goals and academic marks peculiar to academic context. The communication is that the high economic admissions impact favorably over the satisfaction with life in academic population indicating the need to expand the economic support policies to students as a factor of social mobility. Keywords: Life Satisfaction, Student, University, Income, Social Mobility.

Purpose. The main purpose of this paper is to consider the methodological peculiarities in the formation and interpretation of war and peace, in the context of the spiritual (irrational) rethinking by humanity and the nature of social phenomena, among which a special place is occupied by the political and legal phenomena of the modern world. This involves solving the following tasks: firstly, to reveal the meaning of modern approaches in understanding the features of religious fundamentalism, and, secondly, to reconstruct the dynamics of transformations in representations of war and peace, in the context of the spiritual practices of the present. Theoretical basis. The author's analysis is based on the systematic reconstruction of modern theoretical models of understanding religious fundamentalism and its connection with the subject of modern anthropological research. The resulted fact that the taxonomy of different types of religious fundamentalism includes more political, legal and economic markers does not provide an answer to the question of what the qualitative influence of the fundamentalist ideas is on the spiritual component of a person's life. Appealing to the problem of religious fundamentalism, in the context of rethinking the phenomena of war and peace, is associated with the actualization of these phenomena in the communicational, media and ideological spheres. That is why, in the context of this analysis, we take into account the main modern approaches in the provisions of religious traditions. These articulate the problems of threat to the global world in the context of actualization and return of the religious factor into the everyday life of a person, including through politics. Originality. The author proves that when analyzing the religious aspect in the reinterpretation of ideas about war and peace, it is necessary to consider, as a doctrinal component, certain types of religious belief doctrines, as well as the individual psychological peculiarities of man. These peculiarities, which are manifested in different types of beliefs, can be verified by the clues in the analysis of religious practices, which represent the meaningful components of the religious doctrine. Conclusions. The reasons for forming ideas about war and peace in theistic religions are a number of provisions related to the nature of the world and of man. They are the result of the manifestation of the act of the Supernatural Essence. In the tradition of rethinking the vocation of man in the context of fundamentalist discourse, these ideas acquire the status of spiritually determined and politically achievable goals. These are conceived in connection with the establishment of the Divine Plan, and they overcome the gap between the material world and the ideal world order. ; Мета. Основна мета статті полягає у розгляді методологічних особливостей формування і інтерпретацій уявлень про війну і мир в контексті духовного (нераціонального) переосмислення людиною природи соціальних феноменів, серед яких особливе місце займають політико-правові явища сучасного світу. Це передбачає вирішення наступних завдань: по-перше, розкрити зміст сучасних підходів в розумінні особливостей ролі релігійних переконань та релігійного фундаменталізму в житті особистості і, по-друге, реконструювати динаміку трансформацій в уявленнях про війну і мир в контексті релігійних духовних практик. Теоретичний базис. Аналіз автора заснований на систематичній реконструкції теоретичних моделей осмислення релігійного фундаменталізму і його зв'язку з тематикою сучасних антропологічних досліджень. Зафіксоване в результаті дослідження положення про те, що таксономія різних видів релігійного фундаменталізму включає в себе в більшій мірі політичні, правові та економічні маркери, залишає не вирішення питання про те, яким є якісний вплив фудаменталістських ідей на духовну складову життя людини. Звернення до проблеми релігійного фундаменталізму в контексті переосмислення феноменів війни та миру позв'язується з актуалізацією цих явищ в комунікаційному, медійному, ідеологічному середовищах. Саме тому, в контексті проведеного аналізу та враховуючи цілі, сформульовані в роботі, були розглянуті основні сучасні підходи положеннях релігійних традицій, які артикулюють проблем загрози глобальному світу в контексті актуалізації і повернення релігійного фактора в повсякденне життя людини, в тому числі і через політику. Наукова новизна. Автором доведено, що при аналізі релігійного аспекту в реінтерпретації уявлень про війну і мир, необхідно враховувати як доктринальну складову певного типу віровчення, так і індивідуально-психологічні особливості людини. Ці особливості, які проявляються в різних типах вірувань, можуть бути верифіковані завдяки аналізу особливостей релігійних практик, які репрезентують змістовну складову релігійного віровчення. Висновки. Підставою для формування уявлень про війну і мир в теїстичних релігіях лежить ряд положень пов'язаних з природою світу і людини, які є результатом прояву вольового акту надприродною сутністю. У традиції переосмислення покликання людини в контексті фундаменталістського дискурсу ці ідеї набувають статус духовно визначених і політично досяжних цілей, які мислиться у зв'язку з встановлення божественного задуму і подолання розриву між матеріальним світом і ідеальним світопорядком. ; Цель. Основная цель статьи состоит в том, чтобы рассмотреть методологические особенности формирования и интерпретаций представлений о войне и мире в контексте духовного (внерационального) переосмысления человеком природы социальных феноменов, среди которых особое место занимают политико-правовые явления современного мира. Это предусматривает решение следующих задач: во-первых, раскрыть содержание современных подходов в понимании особенностей религиозного фундаментализма и, во-вторых, реконструировать динамику трансформаций в представлениях о войне и мире в контексте духовных практик современности. Теоретический базис. Анализ автора основан на систематической реконструкции современных теоретических моделей осмысления религиозного фундаментализм и его связи с тематикой современных антропологических исследований. Зафиксированное в результате исследования положение о том, что таксономия разных видов религиозного фундаментализма включает в себя в большей степени политические, правовые и экономические маркеры, оставляет не разрешенным вопрос о том, каково качественное влияние фудаменталистских идей на духовную составляющую жизни человека. Обращение к проблеме религиозного фундаментализма в контексте переосмысления феноменов войны и мира связывается большинством исследователей с актуализацией этих явлений в коммуникационной, медийной, идеологической средах. Именно поэтому в контексте проведенного анализа и учитывая цели, сформулированные в работе, были рассмотрены основные подходы в современных положениях религиозных традиций, которые артикулируются в контексте актуализации проблем угрозы глобальному миру и возвращения религиозного фактора в повседневную жизнь человека, в том числе и через политику. Научная новизна. Автором доказано, что при анализе религиозного аспекта в реинтерпретации представлений о войне и мире, необходимо учитывать как доктринальную составляющую определенного типа вероучения, так и индивидуально-психологические особенности. Эти особенности, проявляющиеся в разных типах верований, могут быть верифицирована посредствам анализа религиозных практик, которые репрезентирую содержательную составляющую религиозного вероучения. Выводы. Основанием для формирования представлений о войне и мире в теистических религиях лежит ряд положений связанных с природой мира и человека, которые являются результатом проявления волевого акта сверхъестественной сущности. В традиции переосмысления призвания человека в контексте фундаменталистского дискурса эти идее приобретают статус духовно определенных и политически досягаемых целей, которые мыслится в связи с установление божественного замысла и преодоления разрыва между материальным миром и идеальным миропорядком.

В статті проведений аналіз актуальності виховання моральної культури у майбутніх інженерів-лідерів. Особлива увага приділена поглядам вітчизняних науковців щодо ролі моральності та її вихованню в умовах технічного університету. В статті відзначено, що важливою характеристикою професійної культури майбутнього інженера-лідера є взаємозв'язок та взаємообумовленість з особистою ціннісною орієнтацією та морально-етичною парадигмою людини, з професійною етикою, характерною для кола його спілкування. Відзначено, що вказані норми та принципи сприяють утвердженню авторитету та пріоритету особистості не тільки як лідера, але і як осередку гуманності міжособистісних відношень. Авторка підкреслює, що моральне виховання майбутніх інженерів -лідерів в технічних вузах відіграє визначальну роль у їх підготовці, тому що воно пов'язане з розвитком особистісних якостей людини та формуванням її відношення до інших людей (команди лідера), в першу чергу до своїх потенційних колег і підлеглих. В статті підкреслено, що у сфері морального виховання майбутніх інженерів -лідерів основними завданнями є: формування свідомості, нагромадження досвіду навичок морального поводження; моральна освіта як обізнаність в питаннях моралі, етики, політики; виховання почуття особистої відповідальності за свої вчинки, своє поводження та можливі результати своєї професійної діяльності; розвиток і закріплення дієвих механізмів морального самовиховання та саморегуляції поводження. Висвітлений зв'язок педагогічних ідей В.Сухомлинського з розвитком лідерського потенціалу у студентів та викладачів вищого технічного навчального закладу. В статті підкреслено особистісні якості викладача-лідера такі, як: його прагнення мати потребу у спілкуванні зі студентами, виявляти товариськість, високі комунікабельні якості; бути глибоко порядною людиною, мати чіткі морально-етичні погляди і переконання і твердо дотримуватись їх; уміти розуміти тих, кого він навчає і виховує; бути людиною творчою і самостійною, вести активну дослідницьку і консультативну діяльність; бути терпимим і стриманим, твердим і наполегливим, уміти управляти собою, своїми емоціями і психічним станом взагалі; уміти прогнозувати можливі педагогічні ситуації, системно оцінювати наслідки своїх дій і вчинків, свого вплив у на студентів, що сприяють формуванню духовності у студентів – майбутніх інженерів-лідерів. Розглянуто основні методи та технології розвитку лідерського потенціалу у студентів та викладачів в Центрі лідерства кафедри педагогіки і психології управління соціальними системами ім. академіка І. А. Зязюна НТУ «ХПІ» такі, як проведення інформаційних і проблемних лекцій, семінарів-диспутів, семінарів-прес-конференцій, організацію тематичних наукових конференцій,проведення тренінгів, позааудиторне проведення індивідуальних консультацій студентів. В статті доведено, що в сучасних умовах недостатня увага приділяється формуванню особистості майбутніх інженерів-лідерів в технічних університетах, тоді як вона має бути обов'язковою умовою їх професійного зростання; в процесі професійної підготовки студентів необхідно впроваджувати педагогічні ідеї В. Сухомлинського, а саме, доцільним є застосування активних методів навчання з чіткою виховною спрямованістю, посиленням індивідуальної роботи зі студентами, активізацією їх діяльності в політичному, громадському та культурному житті . Авторка вважає необхідним відновлення навчальних курсів вивчення психології для всіх студентів технічного університету, а також впровадження в навчальний процес сучасних методів та технологій, розроблених викладачами Центру Лідерства та Центру сучасних педагогічних, психологічних та управлінських технологій кафедри педагогіки і психології управління соціальними системами ім. академіка І. А. Зязюна НТУ «ХПІ» на основі педагогіки В. Сухомлинського. ; The article contains the analysis conducted by the author on topicality of upbringing moral culture in future engineering lea ders. Special attention is paid to national scientists' views on the role of morality and that of its upbringing at a technical university. It is noted in the article that an important characteristic of a future engineering leader's professional culture is the mutual connection and mutual determination between a person's value orientation with their moral-and-ethical paradigm and professional ethics typical for their circle of communication. It is noted that the mentioned norms and principles facilitate a person's authority and priorities consolidation not only as those of a leader, but also as a site of humaneness of interpersonal relations. The authoress stresses that moral upbringing of future engineering leaders at technical universities plays a significant role in their training because it is connected with development of an individual's personality traits and forming a person's attitude to others (the team, its leader), and first of all to his/her potential colleagues and subordinates. It is highlighted in the article that within the sphere of moral education of future engineering leaders, the main priorities are the following: consciousness formation, accumulation of moral experience in moral behavior skills; moral education as knowledge in the matters of moral, ethics, policy; upbringing of the feeling of personal responsibility for one's actions, behavior, and possible outcomes of one's professional activity; development and fixation of moral self-improvement mechanisms and of behavior's self-regulation. There is highlighted the connection of V. Sukhomlynskiy's ideas with leadership potential development in students and lecturers at a technical higher education establishment. The authoress highlights the following traits of a lecturer-leader: their aspiration and need in communicating with students, displaying friendliness, high communicative traits; being a decent person, having clear moral-and-ethical views and principles and following them adamantly; being able to understand those whom they train and educate; being a creative and independent person; conducting an active research and consulting activity; being tolerant and restrained, firm and persistent, being able to control themselves, their emotions and psychic state in general; being able to forecast possible pedagogic situations, to evaluate outcomes of their deeds and actions in a systematic way, of their influencing students – these teachers' traits facilitate spirituality formation in students, future engineering leaders. There have been viewed such main methods and technologies of leadership potential development in students and lecturers at Leadership Center at the Department of pedagogy and social systems management after Academician I. A. Zaziun at NTU "KhPI" as delivering information and problemsolving lectures, discussion seminars, press-conference seminars, organizing thematic science conferences, training sessions, delivering extracurricular consultations for students. It is proved in the article that in modern conditions not enough attention is paid to personality formation in engineering leaders-to-be at technical universities, while this should be an obligatory condition of their professional growth; in the process of students' vocational training, it is necessary to introduce V. Sukhomlynskiy's ideas; particularly expedient is the application of active teaching methods with a distinct moral educating directedness, intensifying individual work with students, enhancing their activity in political, community, and cultural life. The authoress thinks it necessary to restore training courses in psychology studies for all students of a technical university alongside the introduction to the training process the methods and technologies developed by lecturers of the Leadership Center and the Center of Modern Pedagogic, Psychological, and Management Technologies at the Department of pedagogy and social systems management after Academician I .A. Zaziun at NTU "KhPI" on the basis of V. Sukhomlynskiy's pedagogy.

Purpose. The main purpose of this paper is to consider the methodological peculiarities in the formation and interpretation of war and peace, in the context of the spiritual (irrational) rethinking by humanity and the nature of social phenomena, among which a special place is occupied by the political and legal phenomena of the modern world. This involves solving the following tasks: firstly, to reveal the meaning of modern approaches in understanding the features of religious fundamentalism, and, secondly, to reconstruct the dynamics of transformations in representations of war and peace, in the context of the spiritual practices of the present. Theoretical basis. The author's analysis is based on the systematic reconstruction of modern theoretical models of understanding religious fundamentalism and its connection with the subject of modern anthropological research. The resulted fact that the taxonomy of different types of religious fundamentalism includes more political, legal and economic markers does not provide an answer to the question of what the qualitative influence of the fundamentalist ideas is on the spiritual component of a person's life. Appealing to the problem of religious fundamentalism, in the context of rethinking the phenomena of war and peace, is associated with the actualization of these phenomena in the communicational, media and ideological spheres. That is why, in the context of this analysis, we take into account the main modern approaches in the provisions of religious traditions. These articulate the problems of threat to the global world in the context of actualization and return of the religious factor into the everyday life of a person, including through politics. Originality. The author proves that when analyzing the religious aspect in the reinterpretation of ideas about war and peace, it is necessary to consider, as a doctrinal component, certain types of religious belief doctrines, as well as the individual psychological peculiarities of man. These peculiarities, which are manifested in different types of beliefs, can be verified by the clues in the analysis of religious practices, which represent the meaningful components of the religious doctrine. Conclusions. The reasons for forming ideas about war and peace in theistic religions are a number of provisions related to the nature of the world and of man. They are the result of the manifestation of the act of the Supernatural Essence. In the tradition of rethinking the vocation of man in the context of fundamentalist discourse, these ideas acquire the status of spiritually determined and politically achievable goals. These are conceived in connection with the establishment of the Divine Plan, and they overcome the gap between the material world and the ideal world order. ; Мета. Основна мета статті полягає у розгляді методологічних особливостей формування і інтерпретацій уявлень про війну і мир в контексті духовного (нераціонального) переосмислення людиною природи соціальних феноменів, серед яких особливе місце займають політико-правові явища сучасного світу. Це передбачає вирішення наступних завдань: по-перше, розкрити зміст сучасних підходів в розумінні особливостей ролі релігійних переконань та релігійного фундаменталізму в житті особистості і, по-друге, реконструювати динаміку трансформацій в уявленнях про війну і мир в контексті релігійних духовних практик. Теоретичний базис. Аналіз автора заснований на систематичній реконструкції теоретичних моделей осмислення релігійного фундаменталізму і його зв'язку з тематикою сучасних антропологічних досліджень. Зафіксоване в результаті дослідження положення про те, що таксономія різних видів релігійного фундаменталізму включає в себе в більшій мірі політичні, правові та економічні маркери, залишає не вирішення питання про те, яким є якісний вплив фудаменталістських ідей на духовну складову життя людини. Звернення до проблеми релігійного фундаменталізму в контексті переосмислення феноменів війни та миру позв'язується з актуалізацією цих явищ в комунікаційному, медійному, ідеологічному середовищах. Саме тому, в контексті проведеного аналізу та враховуючи цілі, сформульовані в роботі, були розглянуті основні сучасні підходи положеннях релігійних традицій, які артикулюють проблем загрози глобальному світу в контексті актуалізації і повернення релігійного фактора в повсякденне життя людини, в тому числі і через політику. Наукова новизна. Автором доведено, що при аналізі релігійного аспекту в реінтерпретації уявлень про війну і мир, необхідно враховувати як доктринальну складову певного типу віровчення, так і індивідуально-психологічні особливості людини. Ці особливості, які проявляються в різних типах вірувань, можуть бути верифіковані завдяки аналізу особливостей релігійних практик, які репрезентують змістовну складову релігійного віровчення. Висновки. Підставою для формування уявлень про війну і мир в теїстичних релігіях лежить ряд положень пов'язаних з природою світу і людини, які є результатом прояву вольового акту надприродною сутністю. У традиції переосмислення покликання людини в контексті фундаменталістського дискурсу ці ідеї набувають статус духовно визначених і політично досяжних цілей, які мислиться у зв'язку з встановлення божественного задуму і подолання розриву між матеріальним світом і ідеальним світопорядком. ; Цель. Основная цель статьи состоит в том, чтобы рассмотреть методологические особенности формирования и интерпретаций представлений о войне и мире в контексте духовного (внерационального) переосмысления человеком природы социальных феноменов, среди которых особое место занимают политико-правовые явления современного мира. Это предусматривает решение следующих задач: во-первых, раскрыть содержание современных подходов в понимании особенностей религиозного фундаментализма и, во-вторых, реконструировать динамику трансформаций в представлениях о войне и мире в контексте духовных практик современности. Теоретический базис. Анализ автора основан на систематической реконструкции современных теоретических моделей осмысления религиозного фундаментализм и его связи с тематикой современных антропологических исследований. Зафиксированное в результате исследования положение о том, что таксономия разных видов религиозного фундаментализма включает в себя в большей степени политические, правовые и экономические маркеры, оставляет не разрешенным вопрос о том, каково качественное влияние фудаменталистских идей на духовную составляющую жизни человека. Обращение к проблеме религиозного фундаментализма в контексте переосмысления феноменов войны и мира связывается большинством исследователей с актуализацией этих явлений в коммуникационной, медийной, идеологической средах. Именно поэтому в контексте проведенного анализа и учитывая цели, сформулированные в работе, были рассмотрены основные подходы в современных положениях религиозных традиций, которые артикулируются в контексте актуализации проблем угрозы глобальному миру и возвращения религиозного фактора в повседневную жизнь человека, в том числе и через политику. Научная новизна. Автором доказано, что при анализе религиозного аспекта в реинтерпретации представлений о войне и мире, необходимо учитывать как доктринальную составляющую определенного типа вероучения, так и индивидуально-психологические особенности. Эти особенности, проявляющиеся в разных типах верований, могут быть верифицирована посредствам анализа религиозных практик, которые репрезентирую содержательную составляющую религиозного вероучения. Выводы. Основанием для формирования представлений о войне и мире в теистических религиях лежит ряд положений связанных с природой мира и человека, которые являются результатом проявления волевого акта сверхъестественной сущности. В традиции переосмысления призвания человека в контексте фундаменталистского дискурса эти идее приобретают статус духовно определенных и политически досягаемых целей, которые мыслится в связи с установление божественного замысла и преодоления разрыва между материальным миром и идеальным миропорядком.