More than 5,000,000 post-9/11 service members are expected to transition out of the military by 2020 due to a reduction in the size of the U.S. military and presence in Iraq and Afghanistan (American Council on Education, 2014). As these service members separate from the military many will choose to enter some form of postsecondary education. The literature across the past decade has not changed in its recommendations on how to serve student veterans. If campus administrators expect to support veteran students in their transitions, they need empirical research about the transition experiences of veteran students and not rely on best practices that are not supported by empirical evidence. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the transition experiences of Post-9/11 student veterans from a military setting to a college setting. The study used grounded theory methods to systematically review the literature about the transition of student veterans from the military to a college or university and create a conceptual framework for this study, or the Student Veteran College Transition Model (SVCTM). The SVCTM showed what strategies used by college and university administrators during a veteran's transition to college promote positive transition outcomes for student veterans within a number of conditions and contextual factors. This qualitative study used a modified version of Seidman's (2013) phenomenological interviewing and collective-case study. Semi-structured interviews provided data for the study. Findings of this study confirmed previous research that student veterans experience a challenging transition from the military to college and that military and veteran student offices and veteran student organizations play an important role in the transition for student veterans. The findings also included that the conflict between military, civilian, and academic cultures disrupted student veterans' ability to adapt to their new role as civilian and student. To combat this conflict, student veterans turn to family and other veterans internal and external to the college provide support during the transition from the military as they integrate their military, civilian, and academic identities. / Ph. D. / More than 5,000,000 post-9/11 service members are expected to transition out of the military by 2020 due to a reduction in the size of the U.S. military and presence in Iraq and Afghanistan (American Council on Education, 2014). As these service members separate from the military many will choose to enter college. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the transition experiences of Post-9/11 student veterans from a military setting to a college setting. The researcher in this study reviewed the literature about student veterans’ transition from the military to a college. This review led to the creation of the Student Veteran College Transition Model (SVCTM). The SVCTM was used to examine data collected from semi-structured interviews. Findings of this study confirmed previous research that student veterans experience a challenging transition from the military to college and that military and veteran student offices and veteran student organizations play an important role in the transition for student veterans. The findings also included that the conflict between military, civilian, and academic cultures disrupted student veterans’ ability to adapt to their new role as civilian and student. To combat this conflict, student veterans turn to family and other veterans internal and external to the college provide support during the transition from the military as they integrate their military, civilian, and academic identities.

This thesis explores the experiences of young people who are survivors of childhood cancer, their parents, health care professionals (HCPs), and case note documentation, of the process of transition from paediatric to adult cancer services. A qualitative, collective case study approach (Stake, 1995), informed by a constructivist-interpretive position, allowed exploration of the multiple realities prioritised in this study. Whilst there is a significant body of literature relating to transition for conditions such as rheumatology and cystic fibrosis, there is little research undertaken into transition in a cancer context, specifically so from an experiences perspective. This study aimed to re-address this issue. The experiences of twelve young people were explored in this study. This resulted in the participation of twelve cases, meaning a total of 35 individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with young people, parents and HCPs. Young people’s case notes (22 sets) were also reviewed. Data were analysed using matrix-based approaches advocated by Miles and Huberman (1994), at both the within- and between-case level. This generated a multi-dimensional and multiple perspective understanding of the experience of the process of transition. The results of this study clearly identified a central orienting theme: The experience of readiness in the context of transition. Three main themes and six sub-themes were also identified within the data, supporting the explanatory power of the orienting theme. The main themes identified were: The experience of childhood cancer; Planning and preparation: Transition or transfer?; and A process of change. The findings demonstrate that understanding the multi-faceted components of readiness is crucial in understanding people’s experiences of readiness. Readiness should embody people’s illness experiences, the numerous and associated losses intertwined with a move from paediatric to adult care and the simultaneous developmental changes occurring in people’s lives. Only by doing so shall a meaningful understanding of the experience of the process of transition for survivors of childhood cancer, their parents and health care professionals be developed. The thesis concludes by making recommendations for future research and clinical practice.

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