Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / Sarah Jane Fishback / This study describes how combat experiences affected female Army officers who attended the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The female Army officers’ combat experiences were found to affect their academic learning, classroom experience, and coping mechanisms in a graduate-level professional military education. The themes identified included combat-related gender specific experiences and additional gender themes related to learning in a male-dominated military education environment. Nine female active duty Army officers who were attending CGSC participated in this research with each having a minimum of two combat tours. In addition, two active duty Army CGSC military instructors with multiple combat tours and two behavioral counselors specializing in military patients were also interviewed. The findings of this case study indicated that combat experiences affect t a degree the female students who served in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. The level of perceived academic stress was contingent upon the impact of the CGSC classroom environment, personal combat experiences, prior education, gender related combat stress, and other factors. Also, the learning experience of female students at CGSC was influenced due to marginalization in the classroom, instructor biases, and two-female limitations. This study contributes the continued research on effects of combat on adult learning, specifically adding to the limited works on being a female serving in the Army.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Sarah Jane Fishback / This qualitative case study explored how U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) students decided whether or not to attend graduate school. The focus was on how U.S. Army students made their decision. The purpose of the study was to illuminate the issues related to this decision in adult development, adult learning, career decision making, and participation in adult learning activities. These issues were explored using the students’ own words during their interviews in which they described how they made their respective decisions. This research analyzed interviews with 26 students, 12 who either decided to attend one of the graduate programs available to CGSC students or were already in a master’s degree program, and 14 who elected not to attend any of the graduate programs offered. The analysis explored how U.S. Army CGSC students made their decision about graduate school, the process used in making their respective decisions, and the factors that influenced their decisions. Analysis of the students’ interviews answered the primary research question and the four subordinate research questions. Not surprisingly, all the students indicated that military career requirements, post-military career aspirations and requirements, family considerations, and previous academic experience influenced their decision whether or not to attend graduate school. The extent to which their decision was influenced varied, but everyone interviewed expressed some degree of influence of those factors. Not expected were the common themes that emerged from analysis of the interview transcripts of CGSC students. Those themes centered around self-efficacy and confidence, goal setting and achievement, persistence, time management, life issues, guidance and mentorship, perceived quality of the degree or value, and the CGSC master’s program (Master of Military Art and Science).

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Sarah Jane Fishback / This study examined faculty self-efficacy beliefs at the United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Faculty members at this military graduate degree-producing institution engaged in collaborative, student- centric, discussion teaching. The study considered how the independent variables of gender, age, ethnicity, academic title, leadership position, education level, and years of teaching experience affected faculty self-efficacy beliefs. Social cognitive theory provided the primary theoretical lens for the study. Discussion teaching and a framework for culturally responsive teaching formed part of the theoretical foundation. The goal included extending teacher self-efficacy concepts to higher education, further developing operational definitions, and providing an instrument suitable for measuring self-efficacy in higher education contexts. The study used mixed methods sequential explanatory research design with two data collection and analysis components: quantitative and qualitative. Faculty members (N = 417) received a 30-question Likert-type survey in December 2010. After quantitative data analysis concluded, in-depth interviews took place with 12 faculty members. A semi-structured interview of nine open-ended questions supported the qualitative portion of the study. Parametric analysis procedures examined the dependent variable, faculty self-efficacy beliefs, with respect to the independent variables. The results showed no significant differences in self-efficacy beliefs. Qualitative analysis using a computer-assisted program identified five themes: establishing a positive classroom environment, facilitating discussion, faculty and student preparation for discussion, questioning, and classroom sharing of combat and deployment experiences. Results of the study provided insights about faculty self-efficacy beliefs regarding facilitation of discussion that informed CGSC leadership decisions for future faculty development initiatives as well as insight for faculty to reflect on classroom best practices. The study contributed to the field of adult education by providing greater understanding of the faculty self-efficacy construct. Further research could examine faculty self-efficacy beliefs in non-military higher education contexts, among various faculty demographics and groups, and across higher education academic disciplines. Future studies could address how interventions such as faculty development or observation and feedback affect faculty self-efficacy beliefs in the classroom.