| Veteran college enrollment has increased substantially after the upgrade to Veterans benefits. However, the veteran college graduation rate has not grown at the same proportion. Additionally, nontraditional students have a higher college success rate compared to veterans. Research shows 51% of veterans to 59% of nontraditional student's obtain college degrees. There are 22 million veterans in the United States and only 20% of them actually retire. The others are pushed back into society forced to assimilate. Furthermore, the bureau of Labor Statistics reported that veterans experience higher rates of unemployment. A college degree can aid in this assimilation and positively affect the veterans' transition from service member to civilian. This study aims to answer the research question of what are the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that inspire veteran students to enroll and complete college degree requirements. Academic motivations as a key determinant of academic performance has been a major topic of interest. Previous research has examined the connection between the two factors. The research question is answered with the use of in-depth interviews. The research method is a qualitative phenomenological design. The sample included U.S. veteran students and alumni who are currently enrolled or have graduated from the Wayland Baptist University, a recognized military friendly college. The findings revealed 4 themes. Theme 1: Economic reasons, education benefits, and need all served as the external motivating factors behind U.S. Veteran College students' reasons for enrolling and completing the requirements for graduation. Theme 2: Intrinsic motivation factors which included personal accomplishment, modeling, helping others, and bettering oneself. Theme 3: Changes in motivation occur during the course of college degree attainment. Theme 4: Challenges affect degree attainment such as lack of support, confidence and time. Ultimately, the insights gathered from the results of this study indicated that the government had great foresight in providing education benefits for veterans to enroll into college. Additionally, the government and educators must create and enhance other programs to assist the veteran in transitioning into college and tailor programs that target veterans' motivations towards completion of their college degree. |
