Phenomenon of Deployment While Parenting Multiple Chapters

MILITARY DEPLOYED PARENT PERCEPTIONS OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDYbyLiberty UniversityA Dissertation Presented in Partial FulfillmentOf the Requirements for the DegreeDoctor of EducationLiberty University2021MILITARY DEPLOYED PARENT PERCEPTIONS OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDYby Eder G. BennettA Dissertation Presented in Partial FulfillmentOf the Requirements for the DegreeDoctor of EducationAPPROVED BY:ABSTRACTThe purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their childs education. For this purpose, this study developed an informed answer to the following research question: What are the perceptions of deployed militaryparents regarding active involvement in their childs education? The study used the theory of Epstein regarding the triangle relationship between parents, teachers, and the community to help explore and make sense of the stories and experiences of parents who have or are currently experiencing challenges associated with military deployment. The study made use of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, artifact analysis, and focus groups. The researcher conducted data analysis using open coding, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation, and comparison. The setting for this study was Fort Rapture. The sample consisted of 10-12 personnel currently deployed or previously deployed within the past two years, who have pre-K-12 school-aged children that are currently in school.Keywords: parental involvement, military deployment, deployed parents, soldiers as parents, phenomenologyCopyright PageNo original material may be used without permission of the authorAll rights reservedDedicationThough there are many to whom this work may be dedicated, the below list (to be added later) highlights some of those most responsible for me continuing to work through this project.AcknowledgmentsThe below-listed people provided advice and support to aid in my learning process. Without them, this work would never have come to completion.Table of ContentsABSTRACT 3Copyright Page 4Dedication 5Acknowledgments 6Table of Contents 7List of Tables 11List of Figures 12List of Abbreviations 13CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 14Overview 14Background 14Historical 16Theoretical 17Social 18Situation to Self 19Problem Statement 20Purpose Statement 21Significance of Study 21Theoretical Significance 22Practical Significance 23Empirical Significance 23Research Questions 23Central Research Question 24Sub Research Question One 24Sub Research Question Two 25Sub Research Question Three 25Definitions 26Summary 27CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 29Overview 29Theoretical Framework 30Related Literature 31Impact of Military Deployment 31The Supportive Role of Community 37Resiliency 41How Technology Plays a Part 47The Role of the Teacher 50Summary 56CHAPTER THREE: METHODS 60Overview 60Design 60Research Questions 63Setting 63Participants 64Procedures 65The Researchers Role 66Data Collection 67Questionnaire 67Interviews 69Artifact Analysis 72Focus Group 73Data Analysis 74Horizonalizing 76Imagination Variation 77Essence 77Trustworthiness 77Credibility 78Dependability and Confirmability 78Transferability 78Ethical Considerations 79Summary 79CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS 81Overview 81Participants 81Results 82Summary 82CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 83Overview 83Summary of Findings 83Discussion 83Implications 84Delimitations and Limitations 84Recommendations for Future Research 84Summary 85REFERENCES 86APPENDIX A: LIBERTY UNIVERSITY IRB APPROVAL 99APPENDIX B: RECRUITMENT FLYER 100APPENDIX C: INFORMED CONSENT 101APPENDIX D: RECRUITMENT LETTER 104APPENDIX E: QUESTIONNAIRE 105APPENDIX F: INTERVIEW GUIDE 106APPENDIX G: FOCUS GROUP QUESTION GUIDE 108List of TablesNote: Anticipated TablesTable 1.Questionnaire........65Table 2.Participants Item Selection. ......65Table 3. Standardized Open-Ended Interview Questions....68Tab 4. Standardized Open-Ended Focus Group Questions......68List of FiguresFigure 1. Theoretical Frameworks, Methods, and Procedures.70Figure 2. XXXXXXX..XXFigure 3. XXXXXXX..XXList of AbbreviationsPositive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment (PERMA)REsilience and Activity for every DaY (READY)Master Resiliency Training (MRT)Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART)CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTIONOverviewThe purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experinces of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their childs education. The study aimed to provide a foundation of understanding for educational stakeholders and the military community in order to fill the void in a childs educative experience created by a deployed parent. This chapter provides a framework for the research; discusses why…

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…MILITARYDEPLOYEDPARENTPERCEPTIONSOFINVOLVEMENTINTHEEDUCATIONOFTHEIRCHILDREN:APHENOMENOLOGICALSTUDYbyLibertyUniversityADissertationPresentedinPartialFulfillmentOftheRequirementsfortheDegreeDoctorofEducationLibertyUniversity2021MILITARYDEPLOYEDPARENTPERCEPTIONSOFINVOLVEMENTINTHEEDUCATIONOFTHEIRCHILDREN:APHENOMENOLOGICALSTUDYbyEderG.BennettADissertationPresentedinPartialFulfillmentOftheRequirementsfortheDegreeDoctorofEducationAPPROVEDBY:ABSTRACTThepurposeofthisqualitativetranscendentalphenomenologicalstudywastoexploretheperceptionsandlivedexperiencesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.Forthispurpose,thisstudydevelopedaninformedanswertothefollowingresearchquestion:Whataretheperceptionsofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation?ThestudyusedthetheoryofEpsteinregardingthetrianglerelationshipbetweenparents,teachers,andthecommunitytohelpexploreandmakesenseofthestoriesandexperiencesofparentswhohaveorarecurrentlyexperiencingchallengesassociatedwithmilitarydeployment.Thestudymadeuseofquestionnaires,semi-structuredinterviews,artifactanalysis,andfocusgroups.Theresearcherconducteddataanalysisusingopencoding,phenomenologicalreduction,imaginativevariation,andcomparison.ThesettingforthisstudywasFortRapture.Thesampleconsistedof10-12personnelcurrentlydeployedorpreviouslydeployedwithinthepasttwoyears,whohavepre-K-12school-agedchildrenthatarecurrentlyinschool.Keywords:parentalinvolvement,militarydeployment,deployedparents,soldiersasparents,phenomenologyCopyrightPageNooriginalmaterialmaybeusedwithoutpermissionoftheauthorAllrightsreservedDedicationThoughtherearemanytowhomthisworkmaybededicated,thebelowlist(tobeaddedlater)highlightssomeofthosemostresponsibleformecontinuingtoworkthroughthisproject.AcknowledgmentsThebelow-listedpeopleprovidedadviceandsupporttoaidinmylearningprocess.Withoutthem,thisworkwouldneverhavecometocompletion.TableofContentsABSTRACT3CopyrightPage4Dedication5Acknowledgments6TableofContents7ListofTables11ListofFigures12ListofAbbreviations13CHAPTERONE:INTRODUCTION14Overview14Background14Historical16Theoretical17Social18SituationtoSelf19ProblemStatement20PurposeStatement21SignificanceofStudy21TheoreticalSignificance22PracticalSignificance23EmpiricalSignificance23ResearchQuestions23CentralResearchQuestion24SubResearchQuestionOne24SubResearchQuestionTwo25SubResearchQuestionThree25Definitions26Summary27CHAPTERTWO:LITERATUREREVIEW29Overview29TheoreticalFramework30RelatedLiterature31ImpactofMilitaryDeployment31TheSupportiveRoleofCommunity37Resiliency41HowTechnologyPlaysaPart47TheRoleoftheTeacher50Summary56CHAPTERTHREE:METHODS60Overview60Design60ResearchQuestions63Setting63Participants64Procedures65TheResearchersRole66DataCollection67Questionnaire67Interviews69ArtifactAnalysis72FocusGroup73DataAnalysis74Horizonalizing76ImaginationVariation77Essence77Trustworthiness77Credibility78DependabilityandConfirmability78Transferability78EthicalConsiderations79Summary79CHAPTERFOUR:FINDINGS81Overview81Participants81Results82ummary82CHAPTERFIVE:CONCLUSION83Overview83SummaryofFindings83Discussion83Implications84DelimitationsandLimitations84RecommendationsforFutureResearch84Summary85REFERENCES86APPENDIXA:LIBERTYUNIVERSITYIRBAPPROVAL99APPENDIXB:RECRUITMENTFLYER100APPENDIXC:INFORMEDCONSENT101APPENDIXD:RECRUITMENTLETTER104APPENDIXE:QUESTIONNAIRE105APPENDIXF:INTERVIEWGUIDE106APPENDIXG:FOCUSGROUPQUESTIONGUIDE108ListofTablesNote:AnticipatedTablesTable1.Questionnaire........65Table2.ParticipantsItemSelection.......65Table3.StandardizedOpen-EndedInterviewQuestions....68Tab4.StandardizedOpen-EndedFocusGroupQuestions......68ListofFiguresFigure1.TheoreticalFrameworks,Methods,andProcedures.70Figure2.XXXXXXX..XXFigure3.XXXXXXX..XXListofAbbreviationsPositiveemotion,Engagement,Relationships,MeaningandAccomplishment(PERMA)REsilienceandActivityforeveryDaY(READY)MasterResiliencyTraining(MRT)StressManagementandResilienceTraining(SMART)CHAPTERONE:INTRODUCTIONOverviewThepurposeofthisqualitativetranscendentalphenomenologicalstudywastoexploretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.Thestudyaimedtoprovideafoundationofunderstandingforeducationalstakeholdersandthemilitarycommunityinordertofillthevoidinachildseducativeexperiencecreatedbyadeployedparent.Thischapterprovidesaframeworkfortheresearch;discusseswhytheproblemnecessitatedresearch;providesanoverviewofpreviousresearch;identifiestheimportanceofthisresearchforstakeholdersineducation,includingmilitarypersonnel,families,teachers,andcommunitymembers;andintroducestheresearchquestions.BackgroundDeploymentinvolvestemporaryrelocationofamilitaryunitwithintheUnitedStatesorinoverseaslocations(Alfano,Lau,Balderas,Bunnell,&Beidel,2016).Deploymenthasthreephases;pre-deployment,deployment,andpost-deployment.Thoughallthreephasesarechallengingformilitarypersonnelandtheirfamilies,thedeploymentandpost-deploymentphaseisbelievedtobethemostsevere(Alfanoetal.,2016).Asthemilitaryparentpreparestoleave,thechildrenareemotionallyaffected(Alfanoetal.,2016).Itisimportanttonotethatthespecificresponsestodeploymentdependonvariousfactorssuchasage,gender,maturity,pre-existingparent-childrelationship,andthecopingstrategiesandskillsprovidedthroughinterventions.Childrenofmilitaryparentsundergotremendouschallenges,especiallyduringtheirparentsdeployment.Thesechallengesaremainlypsychologicalstrain,whichoftenmanifestsinpooracademicperformance(Nicosia,Wong,Shier,Massachi,&Datar,A.,2017).DuetoactionstakenbytheUnitedStatesmilitaryinIraq,Afghanistan,andelsewhere,extendeddeploymenthasbecomearealityforchildrenofmilitaryparents.ThestandarddeploymenttimefortheArmyis12months,butthiscouldextendto18months.Duringthistime,researchfindingshaveshownthattheacademicperformanceofmilitarychildrendecreasesinanoticeableway(Bello?Utu&DeSocio,2015;Nicosiaetal.,2017).Theacademicperformanceofchildrenofmilitaryparentsonlong-termdeployment,whichcanbeasmuchas18monthsorevenmore,arelowerthanchildrenwithoutdeployedparents(Moeller,Culler,Hamilton,Aronson,&Perkins,2015).Deploymentandtheperiodafterdeploymenthavebeenshowntoaffectthelearningandacademicperformanceofchildrenbecauseitcreatesinstabilityinthelivesofastudentandtheirenvironment(Conforte,Bakalar,Shank,Quinlan&Stephens,2017).Childrenofdeployedmilitaryparentsbecomestressedstudentsduetotheabsenceoftheirparentsandtheshockandpressureofadjustingtothenewnormal.Thestressassociatedwithanabsentparenthasbeenshowntocauseproblemsinconcentrating,learningnewacademicconcepts,andincontrollingtheiremotionsandexpressions(Conforteetal.,2017).Theexactmannerinwhichsuchstressmanifestsdependsontheindividualchild.Still,somecommonresponsesincludebecomingquietandwithdrawnor,conversely,hyperactive,disruptivetoclassroometiquette,andlackofabilitytoconcentrateonasingleactivity.Thereisagrowingbodyofresearchonpossibleinterventionsthatcanbeprovidedthroughpolicy,community,andinstitutionssuchasschools(Epstein,2011;Epsteinetal.,2018).However,ithasbeennotedthatthereisnotmuchresearchontheviewsofmilitaryparentsinthiscontext,especiallytheirrequirementtoleavetheirchildrentoservethecountry.Likeanyreasonableandnon-militaryparent,theywanttobeinvolvedintheeducationoftheirchildren.Thisstudy,therefore,seekstoresearchandhighlighttheperceptionsofmilitaryparentsinvolvementintheirchildrenseducation.Tothisend,thehistorical,social,andtheoreticalcontextsinwhichthisproblemexistsarediscussedfurtherbelow.HistoricalTheproblemoftheeffectsofdeploymentonchildren\'seducationisonethatresearchershaveonlyrecentlybeguntoexamine.Alfano,Lau,Balderas,Bunnell,andBeidel(2016)showedthattheimpactofaparentsdeploymentcouldharmchildrenseducation.AccordingtoDePedro,Astor,Gilreath,Benbenishty,andBerkowitz(2018),thereissufficientevidencetoindicateaneedforschoolstoacceptandaddressthechallengesfacedbychildrenofadeployedparentinordertoreducethelikelihoodofthemveeringofftheacademicpath.Overtime,theproblemofdeployedparentsandtheramificationsoftheirdeploymentontheirchildren\'seducationhasbecomemoretransparent,whichiswhythisrecentresearchhasemerged.TheUnitedStatesgovernmenthasgonesofarastoputtogetherabooklettoassistparentsfacingdeploymentandtoexplaintothemsomeofthechallengesthattheirfamiliesandchildrenmightface.PertheEducator\'sGuidetotheMilitaryChildDuringDeployment(U.S.DepartmentofDefense,2008.),thestressfuleffectsofdeploymentimpactsnotonlythefamilymembersbutalsotheservicemember.Onceamilitaryparentdeploys,regardlessoftheperiodofthedeployment,thefamilymembersthatremainbehindhavetoreadjustandredistributetheirrolestocompensatefortheabsenceofthedeployedfamilymember.Theresearchtodateindicatesthatforyoungfamilies,thereisanincreasedtendencytoreturntothelocationoftheirorigintoreducecostsandasameasuretoaddtopsychologicalsupportsourcesneededforthefamilytokeepgoing(U.S.DepartmentofDefense,n.d.).Moreover,researchersattheRANDCorporationhaveshownthatchildrenofdeployedparentsfaceacademicchallengesbecauseofthedisruptionoftheirhomelifestructure(RANDCorporation,2012).SomeofthecriticalpointsidentifiedbytheRANDCorporationarethatchildrenwhoseparentsaredeployedformorethanayeartendtoachievestatisticallydifferentacademicresultswhencomparedtothescoresofstudentswhohaveneverexperiencedaparentaldeployment(RANDCorporation,2012).TheoreticalThetheoreticalunderpinningsofthisresearchprobleminvolvetherelationshipbetweenparentalinvolvementandacademicachievement,whichhasbeenwelldocumented(Trautman&Ho,2018).Epsteinsparent-teacher-communitytheoryemphasizestheparent-childrole.Hirschissocialbondtheory,aswellasSampsonandLaubslifecoursetheory,bothsupporttheideathatstrongfamiliesandsupportsystemsleadtooutcomesthataremorepositiveaschildrenprogressintoadulthood.Therefore,itisreasonabletopositthattheextendedabsenceofaparentcombinedwiththestressthatisassociatedwithmilitarydeploymentsonchildrenhasaprofoundlyadverseeffectonyounglearnersacademicachievement.Moreover,concernoverthisadverseeffectcanhaveacorrespondingnegativeimpactondeployedparentsmoraleandwell-being,perhapseventotheextentthattheirjobperformanceisaffected.Althoughmilitaryserviceisinherentlyadangerousenterprise,causingservicememberstobeconcernedfortheirsafety,parentsservingincombatmayalsoexperiencestressoverconcernsfortheirfamiliesbackathome.Theextenttowhichservicemembersarenegativelyaffectedbytheseconcernsmayimpacttheirabilitytoachievetheirmission.SocialOneofthemoresignificantfindingsoftheRANDCorporation\'s(2012)studyintothenegativeramificationsofdeploymentonchildren\'sacademicprogressisthatparentstendtosuffermostfromthedeployment,whichaddsaburdentothechild\'smindandcandistractfromschooloraddtothechild\'sworriesandanxieties.Thus,aholisticapproachtothisproblemneedstobedevelopedtoprovidedeployedparents,theirspousesorintimatepartners,theirchildren,andothermembersandfriendstheknowledgeandresourcesrequiredtoaddresseveryfacetoftheissue.Onewaytodevelopthisholisticapproachistoobtainabetterunderstandingfromparentsaboutwhattheygothroughandwhattheirexperiencesare.Becausesomuchoftheirexperiencetranslatestothechild\'sexperience,itismosthelpfultogainthisunderstandingfirt.AsCastroetal.(2015)pointedout,aparentplaysapivotalroleinthechildsacademicdevelopment.Iftheparentisnotactivelyinvolvedduetobeingdeployedorbecausetheirspouseisdeployed,thechildmayreceivelesssupportandengagementfromtheparentthanundernormalcircumstances.Thesocialaspectofthisproblemextendsbeyondthefamily.Teachershavetofindwaystocopewiththechild\'shomechallengesandthecommunity,asthechild\'spotentialtodevelopcouldimpairthecommunity\'sfuture(Benner,Boyle,&Sadler,2016).AsnotedbyO\'Neal,Mallette,andMancini(2018),communityconnectionsareessentialformilitaryparentswhoarelookingoutforthewell-beingoftheirchildren.Childrenarepartoffamilies,whoare,inturn,partofwidercommunities,andthosecommunitiesprovidesupportforfamilies,andinturn,thatsupportextendstothechild.Aclearanddefinitesocialrelationshiphastobeexploredinthisissuetoseewhetherdeployedparentsareutilizingthesupportoftheircommunitiestohelptheirchildrendevelopadequately.SituationtoSelfIamaUnitedStatesArmyofficerandanInstructorwiththeUnitedStatesArmyRecruitingandRetentionCollege.Ihavemorethanthirteenyearsofmilitaryservice,whichspansacrossarangeofpositionsandassignments.IconsidermyselfamemberofthepopulationthatIamstudyingbecauseIamfamiliarwiththeirissuesandexperiences,andthatistheprecisereasonIhavechosentoconductthisresearch.Ibelievethatbybetterallowingthedeployedparent\'sperspectivetobeunderstood,bettersolutionscanbedevise.Myassumptionisthatthenatureofthelivedexperiencesofdeployedparentsischaracterizedbyanoverarchingperceptionthattheirdeployment,militaryoccupation,andgeographicdistancefromtheirfamilymembersrepresentthemainobstaclesinassistingintheirchild\'seducativeprocess.Thisassumptionisbasedonanontologicalview.AccordingtoCreswell(2013),researchersembracingontologicalviewsbelievethatphenomenaholdmultiplerealities.Theserealitiesrequiremultipleformsofevidenceandcanbediscoveredthroughinvestigation.Ialsobelievethattheknowledgeonelearnscanbecommunicatedeffectivelytoothersandthatthisreality,asunderstoodbytheindividual,canbereportedtoothersregardlessofthesubjectivevaluesandbiasesthattheresearchermightpossess.TheresearchparadigmbywhichIviewthisstudyisconstructivism;thisparadigmsuggeststhatlearningisanactive,constructiveprocesswhereinthelearnerconstructstheinformationorcreateshissubjectiverepresentationsofobjectivereality(Amineh&Asl,2015).Iexpectthatparticipantsinthisstudyhavebeenashonestaspossibleandthatthemeaningtheyconstructedforthemselvescanbeusefulincreatingbetterapproachestohelpingtheirchildrenacademically.Thisresearchparadigmcomeswithlimits.Thememoryofindividualsmaydifferfromthefacts,whichcouldleadtoaparticipant\'srecollectionsandmeaningconstructionseemingtobeunreliable(Gardner,2001).However,evenifthememoriesshift,thecreationofmeaningthattheparticipantsprovideisessentialbecausethisfeelingandsenseofthingsarewhathasstayedwiththem.ProblemStatementItisimportanttonotethatthedeploymentofmilitaryparentscandisrupttheeducationalandacademicprogressoftheirchildren.AspointedoutbyDePedroetal.(2018),childrenwhogoaconsiderableperiod(ayearormore)withoutaparentintheirlivesbecauseofdeploymentareathigherriskofsufferingacademically.Currently,therearenoclearguidelinesavailableforparentsorteacherstohelpinthedevelopmentprocessofchildrenofdeployedmilitaryparents.TheUnitedStatesgovernmenthasprovidedtheEducatorsGuidetotheMilitaryChildDuringDeployment(U.S.DepartmentofDefense,n.d.).Still,itisbriefandmainlydesignedtoalertparentsaboutwhattoexpectanddoesnotgiveagreatdealofin-depthinformationaboutpossibleinterventions.Theproblemistherearenoclearlydefinedprotocolsorpersuasivestrategiesthatdeployedparentscouldemploytoassistintheireffortstobeinvolvedintheeducationoftheirchildren(DePedroetal.,2018).Thisgap,however,representsanopportunityfornewresearch.Todate,therehasbeensomeresearchconcerningtheeffectsofdeploymentandthepossiblecorrectivemeasures.Still,thisresearchhasfocusedonlyonchildren,school,andsocietywithoutregardtoparentalperspectives(Bello?Utu&DeSocio,2015;DePedroetal.,2018).Withtheunderstandingthatdeploymentaffectsmilitaryservicemembersaswellastheirchildrenandfamilymembers,itisthereforeessentialtofocusonparentalperspectives.ThatiswhythetheoreticalapproachprovidedbyEpsteinetal.(2018)canhelptouseprimarystakeholdersparents,teachers,andcommunitytocometotheaidofchildrenwhohaveadeployedparent.Whatisnecessaryatpresentisthedevelopmentofefficaciousinterventionsthatdirectlyaddressthisproblem(DePedroetal.,2018).Todevelopsuchinterventions,onemustfirstunderstandtheperspectiveoftheparentsbecausetheyaretheoneswhoexperienceanimmediateimpact(RANDCorporation,2012).IbelievethatthisphenomenologicalresearchdesignhashelpeduncoverthisperspectiveandpresentedtheinformationinameaningfulwaythatassistsinthedevelopmentofappropriateinterventionsusingEpsteinsparent-teacher-communitytheory.PurposeStatementThepurposeofthisqualitativetranscendentalphenomenologicalstudywastoexploretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildrenseducation.Thisstudyprovidesafoundationofunderstandingthatcanassisteducationalstakeholdersandthemilitarycommunityinfillingthevoidcreatedbyadeployedparentwiththegoalofhelpingthestudentofthedeployedparent.Attheoutsetoftheresearch,theperceptionsofmilitaryparentsweredefinedastheexperiences,attitudes,feelings,andbeliefsaboutbeingabsentfromhome,whiletheirchildattemptstogothroughtheeducativeprocessandwhattheycoulddotohelp.ThetheorythatguidedthisresearchwasEpsteins(2018)parent-teacher-communitytheory,whichhighlightstheimportanceoftherelationshipbetweenthesethreestakeholdersinshapingtheacademicprogressofthechild.SignificanceofStudyThoughmanyAmericansprofesstosupportthetroops,itisclearthattheneedsofmanydeployedmilitaryparentsarebeingoverlooked.Therefore,thesignificanceofthisstudyrelatestofillingthisgapbyidentifyingoptimalstrategiesthatwouldhelpdeployedparentsactivelyparticipateintheirchildrenseducationwithoutcreatingdetractionsfromtheiroccupationalperformance.AsnotedbyCozzaetal.(2018),moreresearchintotherelationshipbetweenmilitaryparentsandtheirchildrenisneeded.Likewise,Alfano,Lau,Balderas,Bunnell,andBeidel(2016)havefoundthatmilitarydeploymentputstheacademicprogressofchildrenofdeployedparentsatrisk.Thisstudyprovidedafoundationofunderstandingthatcanassisteducationalstakeholdersandthemilitarycommunityinfillingthevoidcreatedbyadeployedparentwiththegoalofhelpingthestudentofthedeployedparent.Alfanoetal.(2016)notedthatthereisstillaneedforresearcherstoexamine,indetail,therelationshipbetweenandamongtheacademicdevelopmentofthechild,theroleofthedeployedparent,andothercontextualfactorssuchascommunity,teacherrole,andsoforth.However,sincetheRANDCorporations(2012)examinationoftheeffectofdeploymentonmilitarychildren,therehasnotbeenasignificantreviewofthedataregardingparents\'perceptionofthischallengingissueorcontextualfactors.TheoreticalSignificanceThisstudyhelpedtoexploreEpsteinsparent-teacher-communitytheoryonacademicsuccessfromthestandpointofmilitarydeploymentandparent-absence.Byshowinghowparentabsencemightimpactthestudentsacademicachievement,thisstudycouldprovideadditionalinsightintotheapplicationsorlimitationsofEpsteinstheory.ItmayalsohelptoreinforceHirschissocialbondtheoryandSampsonandLaubslifecoursetheory.Althoughtheselattertwodealprimarilywithdeviance,thefindingsofthisstudycouldfacilitatetheirapplicationtoacademicchallengesforstudentsaswell.PracticalSignificanceThisstudyaimedtobuildonthestudybytheRANDCorporation(2012)andincorporatetheinsightsormorerecentstudiessuchasthatconductedbyDePedroetal.(2018)tofocusthephenomenologicalstudyandguidetheinterviewsandfocusgroupsthatwereusedforobtainingthedataonparentsperceptions.Itisbelievedthatthisstudycanhelptoimprovetheacademicprogressofchildrenofdeployedparentsbygivingstakeholdersabettersenseofchallenges,optionsforovercomingthesechallenges,andreal-lifestoriesaboutwhatworks,whatdoesnotwork,andwhatmightwork.Hearingtheexperiencesfromthepeopleinvolvedcanhelptogiveabettersenseoftherealityofthesituation.Therefore,thisstudyprovidedanexplorationandexaminationoftheseparents\'perceptionsandthecontextualfactorsthatimpacttheirlivesandcontributedtothedevelopmentofafullerunderstandingofhowthemilitarycommunitycanbetterasistparents,teachers,andtheoverallcommunityitself.EmpiricalSignificanceThisstudyaimstoprovideafoundationofunderstandingforeducationalstakeholdersandthemilitarycommunityinordertofillthevoidinachildseducativeexperiencecreatedbyadeployedparent.Bylisteningtomilitaryparents\'livedexperiences,challenges,andsuccessstoriesincopingwithlengthydeployments,freshandvitalinsightsmaybeobtainedthatwouldotherwisegounidentified.TheseempiricalobservationsandexperiencescanhelpinformeffortstodeveloptheindividualizedinterventionsthatarenecessarytosupportdeployedparentsandtheirfamiliesinwaysthatdrawondemonstratedsuccessesandopportunitiesResearchQuestionsThisstudyusedatranscendentalphenomenologicalresearchdesigntoexploretheperceptionsthatmilitarydeployedparentshaveregardingtheirinvolvementintheirchildrenseducation.ThetheoreticalframeworkthatguidedthisstudywasthetheoryofparentalinvolvementsuppliedbyEpstein(2011)regardingtherelationshipbetweenparents,school,andcommunity.Toaddressthecentralresearchquestionandsub-questions,thisresearchercollectedandanalyzeddatafrommilitaryparentswhowere(atthetime)currentlydeployedorweredeployedinthepasttwoyears(Creswell,2013).CentralResearchQuestionWhataretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation?Thisquestionprovidedinsightintotheexperiencesofparentsastheyattemptedtonegotiatetheirdeploymentwiththeirdutiesandresponsibilitiestotheirchildren.AsAlfanoetal.(2018)previouslydemonstrated,itwascrucialtounderstandthebroadercontextualfactorsofthisissueinordertoarriveataneffectivesolutiontotheproblem.Therefore,thisquestionservedastheprimaryfocus.SubResearchQuestionOneHowdomilitaryparentsdescribetheirinvolvementintheirchildrenseducationwhiledeployed?Thisquestionwasusedtogaininsightintotheparents\'senseofwhethertheyplayafactorintheirchild\'sacademicperformance.Ifparentsdidnotseethemselvesasacontributingfactorinthechild\'sacademicprogress,thiscouldimpactthewayaninterventionorsolutionwouldbeaffected.Parentsplayavitalroleandareoneoftheleadingplayersasidefromteachersandthecommunityintheestablishmentofthechild\'swell-beingandlevelofacademicoutcomes.Thus,itwasessentialtoknowwhatperceptionoftheirroleaparenthas.SubResearchQuestionTwoHowdomilitaryparentsperceivetheimpactoftheirdeploymentonthefamilyandparticularlyontheirchildsacademicperformance?Thisquestionwasimportantbecauseitaddressedtheissueofwhetherparentabsenceisindeedafactorinachildsacademicperformance.Italsoaddressedtheissueofwhetherdeployment(absencebyorderratherthanbypersonalchoice)wasviewedasproblematicbythedeployedparent.Someresearchhasshownthatabsenceengagementinthechildsacademicperformancedependsupontheparentssenseofwhatthechildisgoingthrough(Castroetal.,2015).Thus,thisresearchquestionhelpedtoshedlightonwhetherdeployedparentsseetheirabsenceingood,neutralornegativeterms.Iftheparentwasnotintouchwithwhatwasgoingoninthechildslife,therewaslikelytobesomegreaterneedtofocusoneducatingtheparentabouttheneedtobemoreengaged.SubResearchQuestionThreeWhatchallengesdomilitaryparentswhoaredeployedfacefromtheircommunitieswhiletryingtostayinvolvedintheirchildrenseducation?Thisquestionwascrucialbecauseevenifdeployedparentsandtheirspousespossessedadesiretobeinvolvedintheirchildsacademicdevelopment,theymayhaveencounteredchallengeswithinthecommunityorschoolenvironment(Benneretal.,2016).Understandingwhatthesechallengesandconditionswerecanhelpintheformulationofrecommendedapproachesthatparentsandstakeholderscanutilizeinthefuture.Iftheobstaclesarenotrecognized,noadequateinterventioncanbeimplemented.DefinitionsForthisstudy,theperceptionsofmilitaryparentsweredefinedastheexperiences,attitudes,feelings,andbeliefsaboutbeingabsentfromhomewhiletheirchildattemptstogothroughtheeducativeprocessandwhattheycoulddotohelp.1.Attitude:AccordingtoProjectImplicit(2018),anattitudeisyourevaluationofsomeconcept(e.g.,person,place,thing,oridea).Anexplicitattitudeisthekindofattitudethatyoudeliberatelythinkaboutandreport.Attitudeforthisstudyreferstotheevaluationsmadebymilitaryparentsaswellastheirfeelingsandbeliefs.2.Deployment:Themostpreciseuseofthistermisthemovementofmilitarypersonnelfromhomestationtoanotherlocation(usuallyoutsidecontinentalU.S.anditsterritories)insupportofaspecifictrainingexerciseorcombatoperation.+(VA,2020).3.Educativeprocess:Thisreferstoanylearningenvironmentinwhichonecanengageinalearningprocess(Glassman&Kang,2016).4.Environment:Thisreferstothethreeagenciesbywhichapersonsbehaviorisshaped:onespeers(family,friends,andcommunity),organizations,andmedia(Bandura,2018).ThisdefinitionhelpsunderstandhowthethreestakeholdersofEpstein\'stheorycontributetomakinguptheenvironmentofthelearner.5.Lifecoursetheory:Thistheorypositsthatoneslifecourseisdeterminedbyeventsinonesearlylife,andifoneisderailedthroughsometraumaticeventfromanormal,supportiveupbringingitcansetoneonacourseforcrime(Siegel,2018).6.Parentalinvolvement:Whenparentsparticipateandsharecommunicationwiththeschool,parentsgainactiveinvolvementintheeducationalprocess.Parentalinvolvementmayincludeparentsvolunteeringinclassroomactivitiesandschoolevents(Epstein,2018).7.Parent-teacher-communitytheory:Thistheorypositsthatatriumvirateofassistanceamongparents,teachersandcommunitymemberstoassistintheeducationofachild(Epstein,2018).8.Perception:Thisisthecombinationofexperiences,attitudes,feelings,andbeliefsofparentsaboutbeingabsentfromhomewhiletheirchildattemptstogothroughtheeducativeprocessandwhattheycoulddotohelp(Amineh&Asl,2015;Benneretal.,2016).9.Socialbondtheory:Thistheorypositspeoplerefrainfromcommittingderelictactsordeviantbehaviorbecausetheyhavestrongsocialtiesorbondswithothers.Whenthosebondsdonotexist,peoplehavenoreasontorefrainfromnegative,deviantorself-destructivebehavior(Siegel,2018).SummaryThistranscendentalphenomenologicalstudyfocusedonexploringtheperceptionsofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.Currently,thereareminimalguidelinesavailableforparentsorteacherstohelpinthedevelopmentprocessofchildrenofmilitarydeployedparents.Thiscreatedaneedtounderstandwhatparentsgothroughduringdeploymentinordertoarriveatabetterunderstandingofhowstakeholderscanmorecomprehensivelyaddresstheissueofhelpingthechildrenofdeployedparentstoachieveacademicsuccessduringthestressfulperiodofdeployment.Thus,thepurposeofthisqualitativetranscendentalphenomenologicalstudywastoexploretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheeducationoftheirchildren.ThisstudyusedthetheoryofEpstein(2018)regardingthetrianglerelationshipbetweenparents,teachers,andthecommunitytohelpexploreandmakesenseofthestoriesandexperiencesofparentswhohavedealtwiththischallengeinthepast.Byusinginterviewsandfocusgroupdiscussions,thisstudyaimedtoprovidemoreinsightintotheissueofhowtohelpthechildrenofdeployedparents.CHAPTERTWO:LITERATUREREVIEWOverviewThisliteraturereviewprovidesanexaminationofthetheoreticalframeworkusedinthisresearchstudyaswellasareviewoftheliteraturerelevanttotheoveralltopic.ThetheoryofparentalinvolvementdevelopedbyEpstein(2011)isusedastheframeworktocontextualizethisliteraturereview.Thetheoryfocusesonthesupport-relationshipthatisordinarilyandinherentbetweenparentsandtheirchildren,andthesupportsystemavailablefromschoolsandtheentirecommunityasitrelatestotheacademicprogressionofstudents.Itisespeciallyimportanttoconsiderthisframeworkinthelightofparentswhoaredeployedtoforeignwarsorserviceandwhoarelargelyabsentintheirchild\'seducation.TheparentmakesupasignificantpartoftheEpsteinframework,soconsideringwhathappenswhentheparentisabsentisnecessary.Parents\'perceptionsofmissingtheirchildren\'slivesandnotbeingthereastheirchildrenmakeeducationaldecisionsarealsohardonparents,astheliteraturehasshown.Thefocusoftheliteraturereviewisontheexperienceofparentsinsupportingschoolchildren,thedifficultiestheyfacewhendeployed,andthewaysthatsupportcanbeprovidedfromcommunitiesandschoolswhileparentsareabsent.Veryfewresearchersconsidertheperspectiveofparents,whichcreatestheneedtotakeacloserlookatthephenomenon.Thischapterdiscussestheimpactthatdeploymenthasonchildren,typesofcommunitysupportavailable,theimportanceofresiliencytraining,theroleoftechnology,ndtherolethatteachersplay,bothinandoutsideoftheclassroom.Theparentperceptionofthesetopicsisprovidedwhenavailable,andtheliteraturethatisusedprovidesinsightintohowtheseissuesplayaroleintheacademiclivesofchildrenofdeployedparents.Inthefinalanalysis,themilitaryfamilysuffersfromthedeploymentofparents.Thisismoresothecaseasfarastheacademiclifeofchildrenisconcerned.TheoreticalFrameworkThetheoreticalframeworkforthisstudyisthetheoryofparentalinvolvementsuppliedbyEpstein(2011)regardingtherelationshipbetweenparents,school,andcommunity.Inaccordancewiththetheory,parentsplayapivotalroleinprovidingtheguidanceandsupportchildrenneedtoachievetheiracademicgoals.ThesixtypesofinvolvementidentifiedbyEpstein(2011)areparenting,communicating,volunteering,learningathome,decision-making,andcollaboratingwiththecommunity.Inallsixtypesofinvolvement,theparentplaysapivotalrole.Thestrongertheparentsinvolvementincludingsettinghighexpectationsforschoolachievementthemorelikelythechildistopursueidentifiedgoals(Castroetal.,2015).Thisrelationshipbetweenparentalsupportandstudentacademicachievementhasbeenvalidatedbynumerousresearchstudiesandisrecognizedasauniversalphenomenoninavarietyofcultures(Benner,Boyle&Sadler,2016;Mahuro&Hungi,2016;Nunezetal.,2015).Theapplicationofthetheoreticalframeworktothisstudyprovidedthecontoursforanalysis.Todeterminethechallenges,obstacles,benefits,andsolutionstothequestionofhowamilitaryparentcansupporttheirchild\'seducationwhiledeployed,thistheoreticalframeworkshowswheretolookandwhatsupportsshouldbeinplace.Epsteinetal.(2018)compiledthisinformationintoahelpfultheorythatdelineatesthepartnershipsthatschools,families,andcommunitiescanhavetoimproveacademicoutcomesforyounglearners.Epsteinetal.(2018)providedsubstantiveevidenceofthepositiveimpactofparentalandcommunityinvolvementonacademicachievementandperformanceinschools(Slavin,2019).Theyconcludedthatthiscollaborativeapproachcouldalsocontributetoimprovededucatormoraleandenhancedreputationsofschoolsinthecommunity.Byexploringhowdeployedparentsperceivetheeffectsoftheirabsenceontheirchildsacademicperformanceandwhetherthoseparentsseeanyassistancecomingfromthecommunityorschool,asenseofwhatchallengesremainforthispopulationmaybeobtained.RelatedLiteratureVariousstudies(e.g.,Alfanoetal.,2016;MacDermidWadsworthetal.,2017;Pexton,Farrants&Yule,2018;Trautmann,Alhusen&Gross,2015)havedemonstratedthattheeducationofchildrenisaffectedbythemilitarydeploymentoftheirparents.Furtherreviewoftheliteratureindicatestherelevanceofconsistencycannotbeoverstatedwhenitcomestothepropermanagementofthevariousadversitiestheyencounter,particularlyduringtheearlystagesoftheirdevelopment(DeVoe,2017).Towardsthisend,itwouldbeprudenttohighlightnotonlythecommunity\'ssupportiveroleinthisendeavorbutalsotherolethatotherfactorsplaysuchastechnologyandparentalresiliencyinaddressingthediverseneedsoflearnersfromhouseholdswhereparentshavebeendeployed.ImpactofMilitaryDeploymentAstudybyAlfano,Lau,Balderas,Bunnell,andBeidel(2016)showedthenegativeimpactofmilitarydeploymentonchildren,particularlyasitrelatestotheireducation.Thiscouldpotentiallycreateaneedforthesechildrentorequirementalhealthtreatmentbecausetheylacktheconsistencyandstabilitythatmostchildrenhaveinatypicalnuclearfamily.Furthermore,DePedro,Astor,Gilreath,Benbenishty,andBerkowitz(2018)pointout;schoolscanplayasignificantroleinalleviatingsomeofthenegativesymptomschildrenexperiencewhenparentsaredeployedinthemilitary.Schoolclimateisanessentialfactorinlesseningtheseverityofmentalhealthissuesstudentsfacewhileoneormoreparentsaredeployed(DePedroetal.,2018).AsPexton,Farrants,andYule(2018)observed,withoutsupportfromschools,thefamilyunitcannotcometogethercohesively,asoneparentisawayforawhile,andthechildmaynotreceiveenoughsupportorconsistencyfromtheotherparent.Inthisregard,Nicosia,Wong,Shier,Massachi,andDatar(2017)indicatedthatchildrenneedconsistencyintheirlivessothattheycanmanagetheproblemsandadversitythatcometheirwayduringthegrowthanddevelopmentphasesoftheiradolescence.Withoutthisconsistency,theyareatriskoflackingadequateacademicskillsandfollow-through(Nicosia,Wong,Shier,Massachi&Datar,2017).Aseriesofdeploymentsandtheprocessofreintegrationthatfollowsdeploymentmayinterruptthisdevelopmentalprocess(Knobloch-Fedders,Yorgason,Ebata&McGlaughlin,2017).Consistencyisofgreatrelevanceinseekingtoensurethatachildslearningprocessisnothamperedinanyshapeorform.Insomeinstances,transfersfromoneschooltoanothercouldbeacomplexundertaking.Thisexampleisparticularlythecasewherecreditsarenottransferrablebetweeninstitutionseffectivelymeaningthelearnerrisksstartingalloveragain.Thiscanhaveanunfortunateeffectonthestudent,andbothparentsandteachersshouldbeawareofthetrialsstudentsexperienceduetomilitarydeployment(DePedroetal.,2018).Lesteretal.(2016)discoveredthattheimpactonchildrenresultingfromwar-relateddeploymentofparentswassignificantlynegative.TheyshowedthatparentswhoexperiencedepressionorPTSDduringorafterdeploymentalsonegativelyimpactthelivesoftheirchildrenandaffectthechildsabilitytosociallyandemotionallyadjusttotheirenvironments.Thus,deploymenthasimpactsbeyondamereabsence;whenparentsreturn,theydonotalwaysreturninthesamementalandemotionalstatetheywereinwhentheyleft.Theymaybebringingbackpsychologicalbaggageortraumathat,inturn,impactsthechildevenafterthedeploymenthasended.Thereareresidualeffectsofdeploymentthatmustbeconsideredwhenitcomestoassessinghowchildrenofmilitaryparentsareaffectedbywar.Theyindicatethatthemilitarycommunitymustbemoremindfulandsupportiveofmilitaryfamilieswherechildrenareinvolved,astheyarevulnerableandatrisk.Turner,Finkelhor,Hamby,andHenly(2017)supportedthefindingsofLesteretal.(2016)withtheirstudy,whichcomparedtwogroupschildrenofdeployedparentsandchildrenofnon-deployedparentstoseewhetheronegroupshowedsignsofadversity,trauma,delinquency,orvictimization.Theircross-sectionalsurveysconductedoversixyearsfromatotalsampleofmorethan13,000participants,showedthechildrenofdeployedparentsdemonstratedmorevulnerabilitytoadversity,delinquency,trauma,andvictimizationcomparedtochildrenofnon-deployedparents.Turneretal.(2017)revealedthatadeployedparentwhoisinvolvedinamissionabroadwouldlikelybeabsentinthehome.Uponreturning,theparentmaybebackandabletoprovideaphysicalpresence,butthemissionoverseascantakeitstollonthementalhealthoftheparent.Thusmakingthesituationathomeallthemoretenseandstressfulforthechild,whoseestheparentasthesamebutdoesnotunderstandthepsychologicalchangethathastakenplaceontheparent.Inmanycases,theparentisevenunawareofthetrauma;eventhoughsignsmaybetherethat,somethinghaschanged(Turneretal.,2017).Earlierstudies,liketheonebyBrownfieldandThompson(1991),providedevidencethatsuggestednorelationshipamongyouths,families,anddelinquency,positingthatsociallearningandsocialcontroltheorieswereinadequatetheoreticalframeworksforexplainingadversityamongchildrenandadolescents.However,otherresearchers,suchasKoon-Magnin,Bowers,Langhinrichsen-Rohling,andArata(2016),whousedself-controltheoryandsociallearningtheorytoexplainwhyadolescentgirlsandboysdeviateintodelinquency,latercounteredtheirstudy.Bothstudiesindicate,nonetheless,thatthereisarelationshipbetweenfamilyandchildbehavior,withparentsactingasamoderatingforce.Trier,Pappas,Bovitz,andAugustyn(2018)conductedanimportantcasestudyofasix-year-oldchildwhohadbeendiagnosedwithglobaldevelopmentaldelayandattentiondeficithyperactivitydisorderfollowingthedeploymentofhisfatherandthedeathofhismother.Thefatherreportedfeelingunpreparedandoverwhelmedbythetaskofraisingthechildalonewhencalledbackhomebythemilitary(Trieretal.,2018).Hefeltcognitivelyandemotionallyunreadyfortheresponsibility;moreover,hewassufferingfromemotionalissuesstemmingfromboththeeffectsofwar-relateddeploymentandthelossofhiswife.Thecombinedeffectofthesestressorsalsospilledovertoimpacthissix-year-oldchild.Thefatherreportedfeelingisolatedfromhiscommunityandcut-offfromothers,asthoughthereweresomethingwrongwithhim.Trieretal.s(2018)casestudyshowedthattheimpactsofdeploymentonthechildcanbedeeplyfeltandcanbeoneofseveralfactorsthatpreventdevelopmentfromprogressingappropriately.Thestudyalsoillustratesthechallengesdeployedparentsfaceafterreturninghome,whichareentirelydifferentfromthechallengesoneencountersonthebatlefieldandrequireacompletelydifferentsetofskills,especiallywhenthechildisatayoungage.ThecasestudybyTrieretal.(2018)supportedthemodelofdevelopmentputforwardbyErikson.Eriksonseightstagesofdevelopmenttheoryhelpedtoexplainevenwhatchildrengothroughastheyage.Althoughtheeightstagescoveralloflifeuptodeath,thefirstfivestagescoverchildhood,frominfancytoyoungadulthood(Shriner&Shriner,2014).Eachstageisdefinedbythepsychosocialconflictthatcharacterizesthatspecificdevelopmentstage.Inotherwords,ateachstageofdevelopment,thechild(andlatertheadult)experiencesconflict,andinordertomovesuccessfullyontothenextstageofdevelopment,theconflictneedstoberesolved.ThefirststageofEriksonsmodeliscalledtheTrustvs.Mistruststage,anditistypicallyexperiencedbetweentheagesofzeroandtwo(Trieretal.,2018).ThesecondstageofEriksonsmodelistheAutonomyvs.Shamestage,whichisusuallyexperiencedfromagestwotothree.ThethirdstageistheInitiativevs.Guiltstage,andthechildpassesthroughitbetweenagesthreetofive.ThefourthstageistheIndustryvs.Inferioritystage,whichoccursfromagesfivetotwelve.ThefifthstageistheIdentityvs.RoleConfusion,whichlastsfromagestwelvetoeighteen(Shriner&Shriner,2014).Ascanbeseen,theveryfirststageofdevelopmentistheTrustvs.Mistruststage,andthechildneedsanurturingcaregivertodevelopatrustingrelationship.EachstageofEriksonsmodelisaspanoflearning,interactingwithsurroundings,andgainingexperienceandknowledgethatcanshapethechildsoutlookforyearstocome(Trieretal.,2018).Thatiswhyitissoimportanttomakesurethechildsenvironmentishappyandhealthy.Ifaparentisdeployedduringthistime,thelong-termadverseeffectscanbesignificant;asshowedinthecasestudybyTrieretal.(2018).Insuchcases,thechildmustbetakenbacktotheearlierstages,psychologicallyspeaking,sothattheconflictofthatstagecanbefacedandovercome(Perry,2006).Thisshowstheseriousnessofmakingsureallofthechild\'sneedsaremetatthesecrucialdevelopmentallevels.Intermsofresearchthatsuggeststhatchildrenwhofaceadversityarenotnecessarilyputatadisadvantage,Tough(2013)showsthatchildrenneedtobechallengedinordertodeveloptheirresiliencyandgrit.Tough(2013)arguesthatgritandresiliencearewhatwillinevitablyassistthechildinovercomingthechallengestheywillfaceastheygrowallofwhichwillbecomeharderandharderiftheyarenotpushedtobecomeresilientaschildren.Tough(2013)explicitlystatesthatwhenkindergartenteachersaresurveyedabouttheirstudents,theysaythatthebiggestproblemtheyfaceisnotchildrenwhoareunawareoftheirlettersandnumbers;itischildrenwhodonotknowhowtomanagetheirtempersorcalmthemselvesdownafteraprovocation(p.17).Heclaimsthatchildrenhavetobetrainedtocontrolthemselves,whichiswhereself-controltheoryoftencomesintoplayfortheproponentsofallowingchildrentodevelopgrit.Bychallengingchildrenorallowingthemtobechallenged,theycanlearnforthemselveswhatitmeanstopickoneselfupandputintheefforttoovercometheobstacle.ThestudybyVonCulin,Tsukayama,andDuckworth(2014)alsosuggestsadversityishelpfulforchildren,asitteachesthemthevalueofcultivatinggritandresiliencyandteachesthemtolearnself-determination,self-efficacy,confidence,andperseverance.Academicsuccess,thebuildingupofsocialcapital,andthesuccessfulattainmentofgoalshavealsobeenattributedtothecultivationofgritandresilience.Robertson-KraftandDuckworth(2014),andPerkins-Gough(2013)states,gritpredictssuccessoverandbeyondtalent.Whenyouconsiderindividualsofequaltalent,thegrittieronesdobetter(p.16).Accordingtotheseauthors,successismediatedbyoneslevelofdeterminationandabilitytoovercomeadversity.Additionally,accordingtoEskreis-Winkler,Duckworth,Shulman,andBeal(2014),thetendencytosustainpassionandperseveranceforlong-termgoals,isadomain-generaltraitthatpromotesshowingupacrossdiverselifecontexts(p.37)andisdeterminedbythedevelopmentofonesgritandcapacityforresilience.Inshort,grittierstudents[are]morelikelytograduatefromhighschoolandsucceedinreachingtheirgoalsinlife(Eskreis-Winkleretal.,2014,p.36).Eachofthesestudiessuggeststhattoworrytoomuchaboutchildrenfacingdiversityasaresultofadeployedparentmaybetodenythemthebitofadversitytheyneedtogothroughinordertodevelopresiliencyinlife.Theseargumentscouldpotentiallyservetoreducesomeofthestressandguiltthatdeployedparentsmayfaceastheystrugglewithknowingthattheyarenotthereathomefortheirchildren.Acceptingtheseargumentswouldallowthedeployedparenttoacceptdeploymentmorereadilyandexpectthefamilyathometobeabletoacceptitaswell:alittleadversity,afterall,couldbeconsideredsuitableforoneinthelongterm.Thus,theresearchsuggeststhatthereisaneedtofindabalancebetweenover-analyzingtheharmfuleffectsofdeploymentonachildandemphasizingthepositiveimpactofachildwhoreceivestheopportunitytoexperienceadversityandgainresiliencethroughit.Thechildwhonevergetspushed,challenged,ortaskedwithfacingthedifficultiesofademandingsituationcouldenduplackingresilienceandgritandthusfaceincreasedadversitylateroninlife.Thechildwhodoesfaceadversityandisachallengetodigdeepwithinhimselftoovercomeobstaclesismorelikelytoachievesuccess.TheSupportiveRoleofCommunityResearchperformedbyO\'Neal,Mallette,andMancini(2018)emphasizedtheneedforcommunitysupportformilitaryfamilies.Itisalsoessentialforfamiliestobeopentocommunitysupport,astheirunfavorableopinionofthecommunityinwhichtheylivecanharmthechildorstudentsdevelopment(ONealetal.,2018).Communitiesplayanextra-familialroleinassistingchildrendevelopmentandinhelpingstudentstocopewithmoving,transferringfromoneschooltoanother,andfindingaplaceoutsidethehomewheretheycanmakefriendsanddevelophisorhersupportnetwork.Parentssometimesstruggletorecognizethevalueoftheircommunities.Whenparentsaredisengagedfromthecommunityorhaveanunfavorableopinionofacommunity,itcanharmtheirchildsprogress(Castroetal.,2015;Epsteinetal.,2018).Parentperspectivesrevealthattheycanfeelhelplessinprovidingsupportfortheirchildrenacademicallyandsociallybutthattheydonotalwaystrustexternalenvironmentstobegoodforthemeither,becauseofthepossibilityofbadinfluences,suchasdrugsorpre-maritalsex(Kelleyetal.,2016).Inordertounderstandhowcommunitiesandenvironmentscanbeimpactfulinpeople\'slives,itishelpfultoconsiderBandura\'s(2018)assessmentofhowtheenvironmentimpactspeople\'sbehavior.Bandura(2018)explainedthatthecognitivedevelopmentandbehaviorofpeopleareaffectedbythreemainfactorsoragenciesmedia,peers(family,parents,andfriends),andgroups(suchasschoolsandchurches).Parentsthusplayasignificantroleinadvocatingforandsupportingtheirchildren,butpeers,groups,andmediaallplayapartinthataswell(Cheng&Huang,2018).Whendealingwithdeployment,parentsmaystruggleastheymakeadjustmentsinnewcommunitiesorseektofindwaystofillgapsintheirlivesthatwerefilledbyaparentwhoisnowgone.Toaddressthisissue,communicationbecomesavitaltool,andthewayithelpsinthedigitalagecanbedonethroughtheuseofsocialmedia.Sincepeoplearehighlyinfluencedbymedia(Bandura,2018),usingthistoolcanhelptoaddresssomeofthestressinfamilieswheredeploymenthasoccurred.Schoolscanuseit,andteacherscaneffectivelycommunicatewithparentsusingsocialmediaplatformslikeFacebook(Ellison&Evans,2016).Communicatingwithparentsandfamiliesisessentialinmaintainingastableandcorerelationshipwithstudentsandfamilies.Theresearchshowsthatparentsprefersocialmediaasacommunicationmethodandthattheywouldliketoseemoreteachersuseit,asitisthemostconvenientandmostoftencheckedmessagesystemutilizethroughouttheday(Thompson,Mazer&FloodGrady,2015).Thus,teachersshouldgooutoftheirwaytoprovideparentswithemailupdatesandtextmessagingtokeepthemabreastofdevelopmentsintheschool.However,noteveryfamilywillhaveaccesstocellphonesorcomputers,sotheremustbeanalternatemeansofcommunicatingavailable(Graham-Clay,2009).Socialmediahasbecomethedominantmodeofcommunicationinthe21stcentury,andparentsandteacherscanuseittocoordinate,collaborate,communicateandassistoneanotherintheeducativeprocess(Thompsonetal.,2015).Acrucialpointforparent-teacherrelationshipsthatworktofacilitatethesuccessofthestudentistoimplementaplanthatconnectsparentsandfamiliesbycommunicatingthroughsocialmediaandwrittenletterswhensocialmediaisnotusefulforfamilies.Anotherkeyistoobtainfeedbackfromparentsonculture;thismeansteachersshoulddevelopculturalcompetencyinlinewithLeininger\'s(2008)theoryoftransculturalcare.Anotherwayinwhichcommunitiescanbecomemoreassertiveisthroughcommunityworks,whethertheyaretheaerprojectssuchasplaysandmusicalsorpublictaskslikecleaningupparks.Thepointistheyshouldbesocialinnatureandorientation.AsBandura(2018)pointsout,childrenlearnfrompeersandgroupsthosearethetwoprimarylearningsourcesforchildrenasidefrommedia.Sowhenchildrenseepeersandgroupsdevotingthemselvestosomethingpositiveinthecommunity,theynaturallyrespondbyjoiningin.Theeffortbythecommunityshowsthechildthatthemembersofthecommunityarecommitted,whichhelpstoreinforcebehavioralexpectationsforthechild,asexplainedbyBandura(2018).Effortsbythecommunityalsoshowthechildthattheirparentsandotheradultsinthecommunitycareabouthisorherdevelopment,andeventhoughaparentmaybedeployed,thechildisnotalone.Additionally,thefamilyisencouragedwheneverthereisoutreachmadebymembersofthecommunity,whetheritbeateacheroraprincipaloracoach.Wheneverindividualsofthisrolevisitthehome,ithelpstobridgeagapbetweenthatsocialworldandthehomeworldandthusstrengthentheoverallsupportsystemofthechild(Stetsonetal.,2012).Anotheroptionisforthecommunitytoofferinterventionprogramslikethoseusedforearlystarters,i.e.,childrenatriskoffuturedelinquency.Theseinterventionprogramswouldbeapreventivemeasuretoreducetheriskoffutureproblemsstemmingfromparentdeployment.Onespecifictreatmentoptionistrauma-informedcare,asrecommendedbyEspinosa,Sorensen,andLopez(2013).Espinosaetal.(2013)showthatmanyyoungpeoplewhoventureintodelinquencydosobecausetheysufferfromsomeformoftraumathatpreventsthemfromadjustingsociallytotheirenvironment.Thewaytheyarguetoaddressthesituationisthroughtrauma-informedsystems,inwhichallprogramsandagenciesinfuseandsustaintraumaawareness,knowledge,andskillsintotheirorganizationalcultures,practices,andpolicies(p.1833).Themilitarycommunitythatadoptsatrauma-informedsystemwithchildrenofdeployedparentswouldmakesensefromtheperspectiveofthefindingsofEspinosaetal.(2013).Oneofthebenefitsofacommunity-basedtrauma-informedapproachtohelpingchildrenisthatattentionisfocusedonthechildsmentalhealthissuesratherthanonwhateverproblemsthechildmaybehavingathome,inschool,orthecommunity(Lesteretal.,2016).Theaimistoprovidesupportforthechildtocopewiththetraumalikelylyingattheheartofhisactionsandlikelystemming,inthecaseofchildrenofdeployedparents,fromthedeploymentanditseffectsontheparents(Lesteretal.,2016).Thepurposeistoprovideunderstanding,nurturing,andhelpingaidstochildrensothattheycandevelopandreachtheirpotential,whichotherwisemightbestymiedbytheeffectsofparentaldeployment(Espinosaetal.,2013;Lesteretal.,2016).Sincetheapproachpromotesandfostersthechildsmentalhealth,andmanychildrenusuallydonothavethiskindofsupportwhenleftontheirown,therearefewpotentialdrawbacks(Espinosaetal.,2016).Therearealsoafterschoolprograms,whichareaprimarylevelpreventionprogramastheyfocusontheconditionsthatcouldleadtodelinquentbehaviorsuchastruancy,poorparenting,andprenatalexposuretotoxins(Listwan,2013,p.5).Secondary-levelprogramsmightbemoreproductive,suchasBigBrotherandBigSisterprograms.Theseprogramsaregearedtowardsyouthswholackadultrolemodelsandwouldfitwellsuitedforchildrenwhoseparentsaredeployed.Suchchildrentendtoneedguidancemorethanothersdo,andthesesecondaryprogramscouldaidinthedevelopmentofthechild.Youthdotendtoreceivepositivesupportandcanbuildtheirconfidencefromtheseprograms,though,asHerrera,Grossman,Kauh,andMcMaken(2011)pointout,thesuccessrateisnotalwayssustainable.ResiliencyResiliencyisfurtherconsideredasahelpfulstrategyandtoolofmilitaryparentswhoaredeployedandwhomustcarefortheirchildrendespitetheirdeployment(ONealetal.,2018).ThemilitaryalreadyprovidesfocusonresiliencythroughtheArmysMasterResiliencyTrainingprogram,whichfocusesonhelpingmilitarypersonneltomaintainpositiveattitudesinthefaceofobstacles.Resiliencyissomethingthatmilitaryparentscanutilizetohelpbringpositivitytotheirownchildrenslives,especiallyduringthechaotictimesofstresswhendeploymentandrelocationoccurs.SpitzerandAronson(2015)notedthreeareasofpositivepsychology.Thefirstkeyareaisawarenessofself.Awarenessisnecessaryforthesecondstrategicsource,whichisself-regulation;thisinvolvesbothmonitoringandregulatingemotionsandthoughtsbutalsobeingwillingtoexpressoneselfinahealthyway.Third,onemustbeabletoseethegoodinthingswhilebeingrealisticaboutwhatonecancontrol,andthisiswhatismeantbyoptimism.Mentalagilityisalsorequired,anditreferstotheabilitytobeflexibleandfollowsfromone\'sabilitytobeoptimistic.Oneneedsstrengthtoovercomeobstaclesaswellastheabilitytobuildrelationshipsandmakeconnectionswithpeoplebyputtinghimselfinanother\'sshoes.Militaryparentscanfindpositivepsychologytobeusefulinstrengtheningtheirrelationshipswiththeirchildren.Helpingmilitaryparentsdevelopthepositivepsychologythatisneededtocopewiththewiderangeofchallengesandobstaclesthatareleftbehindbydeployedparents.Suchchallengesandobstaclesincludehelpingyoungpeoplewiththeiracademicpursuitsaswellasassistingadolescentsduringthistransitionalanduncertainperiodintheirlives(Sandoz&Moyer,2015).Besideshelpingmilitaryparents,SpitzerandAronson(2015)alsonotedthatteachersmightusethesesamestrategiestohelppromotepositivityamongstudentswhoarestrugglingasaresultofmilitarydeploymentorsomeotherdestabilizinginfluenceinthehomeorcommunity.Oncetheaforementionedareasofpositivepsychologyareunderstood,parentscanalsofocusonidentifyingtriggerseventsorthoughtsthattriggeraparticularlyadversereaction.Whenpatternsappear,individualscanbegintoseethetrendinonesthoughtsorfeelingsthatpushoneintonegativemoodsorthedesiretoseekescapeinanunhealthymanner(Spitzer&Aronson,2015).Otherareasmilitaryparentscouldfocusonaresimplebreathingexercises,whichcanhelponetoregaincomposureinastressfulperiod,problem-solving,anddevelopingtheabilitytoshowgratitude(Bennett,2018).Themilitaryteachesinitspositivepsychologytrainingonresiliencythatmembersshouldlearnhowtorecognizecounterproductivethoughtsbyowningthemandtakingresponsibilityforthem.Theerrorsthatpeoplemakeintryingtostopnegativethoughtsisthattheytrytoreducethenoisetheymakebyignoringthemortheymighttrytojustifywhytheyhavethemortheymaysimplytrytodenythethoughtsexistatall(Spitzer&Aronson,2015).Amilitaryparentknowsthatrealitymustbedealtwithhead-on,so,intheeventofnegativethoughts,thekeytoovercomingthemistoacknowledgethem,ownthem,andassumeresponsibilityforthembyaddressingthemdirectly.Thisisanimportantconsiderationtokeepinmindasparentstrytocopewithwhattheirchildrenareexperiencingathome.AsAlfanoetal.(2016)pointout,militaryparentsareinachallengingsituationregardingtheirchildren.Whilemanyofthemareawareofthedifficulties,theydonotoftentakeintoconsiderationhowtheirmilitarytrainingcanbeusedtohelptheirfamilymemberscopewiththedeploymentbackhome.Resiliencydoesnotonlyplayapartinthelivesofthedeployedparents,butitalsoplaysaroleinthelivesoftheirchildren.Therefore,LiebenbergandUngar(2015)showthatsocialsupportsaresignificantfactorsindevelopingresilience,self-esteem,confidence,andasenseofself-worthamongyoungchildren.Ifchildrenhavenostrongsocialsupports,theyarelesslikelytodevelopthesecharacteristics.Ensuringthechildofadeployedparenthasothersupportoptionsoutsidethehomecanbeanexcellentwaytohelpdeveloptheirresiliency.Itisnotalwaysgoingtobeamatterofobligingthechildtomakeitaloneortoovercomeobstacleswithoutassistance.Tough(2013)arguesthatobstaclesandchallengesarenecessaryforchildrentolearngritandresiliency.Still,Theronetal.(2015)showthatarobustsocialsupportsystemcanfacilitatethedevelopmentofgritandresiliency.ThisisalsotheperspectiveofWebsterandRivers(2018).Theyfindthattheconventionalnotionofachildovercomingadversitybyhimself,whichiswhatisoftenassociatedwiththedevelopmentofgritandresiliency,issimplyunrealistic.Theypositedthatchildrenneedasupportiveenvironment,whichcorrelateswithEriksonstheoryofdevelopment,particularlyintheearlierstagesofdevelopmentwhereinmostchildrenneedatleastloveandsomeformofnurturingfromaparentinordertofacetheconflictsofeachoftheearlydevelopmentstages.Tempskietal.(2015)pointoutthatresiliencehasbeenconsideredasaprocess,whereanindividual,tobeconsideredresilient,musthavethosepersonalcharacteristicstestedinanobjectiveorsubjectiveadversity(p.1).ResiliencyisdefinedbyTempskietal.(2015)astheresultoftheinteractionamongtheindividual,his/hersocialsupportenvironment,andtheadversity,includinghis/hersubjectvalues,cultural,social,andethcalinfluences(p.1).LikeTheronetal.(2015),Tempskietal.(2015)notethatresilienceisnotsomethingonedevelopsononesownbutinsteadthroughthenegotiationofmovingparts.Thechildisatthecenterwhiletheadversityseeminglysurroundshimbutpiercingthroughadversityaretheencouragementandpositivemotivationofthechildssupportenvironment.Positivepsychologyplaysasignificantroleindevelopingresiliencyaswell,forbothparentsandchildrenandevenfordevelopingrelationships.BuildingonAdlersprinciplesofpsychology,themselvesrootedinthehumanistictradition,positivepsychologyemphasizestheabilityofthepersontobecomehealthierbyfocusingonwhatittakestobehappy.Ithasbeenusedtohelppromotetheideaofresilienceandgrit(Bondy,Ross,Gallingane,&Hambacher,2007),andoneparticularmodelisSeligmans(2018)ideaofPERMA,ahappinessmodeldevelopedbyoneoftheleadingadvocatesofpositivepsychologyinthefield.PERMA(PositiveEmotion,Engagement,Relationships,Meaning,andAccomplishment)isSeligmans(2018)theoreticalmodelofhappiness,whichisnamedafterthequalitiesthatdefineorpromotehappiness.Positiveemotionisusedtoconnectapersontohappiness.Engagementisusedtofocusthepersononsomethingenjoyable,ahobby,aworkactivity,oranactivitytostayactiveandinagoodplace.Relationshipsarerecommendedbecausetheyhelptomaintainsocialinteractionsandhealthysupportsystems.Meaningisoneofthemostimportantaspectsofpositivepsychologyasitservesasthefoundation,thepurposeoflife.Withoutmeaning,manyarelostanddirectionless.Accomplishmenthelpstodevelopasenseofachievementthroughenhancingoverallwell-beingandmotivationinapositivedirection.(Seligman,2018).OnepopularmethodofachievingPERMAisusingprospection(Roepke&Seligman,2016;Vaillant,2000).Prospectionisatoolofpositivepsychologythatcanhelpsummonpositiveenergytoconfrontchallenges.Itreferstotheartofseeingoneselfinthefutureandimagininghowonesfutureself-attainedtheplacewhereitisinonesmind.Bymerelyhavingapositivementalpicture,onecanbegintoimaginewaystoachievesuccessbydisablingnegativethoughts.ProspectionisatechniquethatisrecommendedbypositivepsychologistslikeRoepkeandSeligman(2016)tocounterstressandanxiety.Itcouldbeespeciallyusefulinhelpingdeployedparentstocopewithstressorsandissuesastheystruggletofindabalancebetweendeploymentsandbeingaparentfromadistance.Deployedparentsshouldnotwaitforproblemstofindthem;instead,theycanengageinpreventivemaintenanceinordertomaintainapositivemindsetfromapositionofresiliencethroughprogramslikeREADY.READY(REsilienceandActivityforeveryDaY)isaresilienceprogramusedinmanydifferentorganizationsandsettingsthataimstopromoteeverydaypsychosocialwell-beingforindividuals(Burton,Pakenham&Brown,2010)byfocusingonnurturingapositiveviewofoneself.Thisconceptcanhelpindividualscreatebetterenvironmentsforthefuture.Ratherthanwaitingforproblemstohappenandthenaddressingthemthroughpsychiatry,positivepsychologythroughREADYfocusesinsteadonpreventingproblemsinthefuturebycreatinggreat,positiveworkingenvironmentsinplaceswherestressandanxietytypicallytakeover.READYalsousesprospectiontohelpindividualsseetheirpositivefutureselvesandtakestepstoachievethoseselves.Itisthusanotheroptionthatdeployedparentsandteenscouldbothusetoengagewiththeadversityofdeploymentinapositivemannerandtostayfocusedonachievingsuccess.ThemilitarypromotespositivepsychologythroughitsMasterResiliencyTraining(MRT).TheArmythususesapositivepsychologyprogramtohelpleaderssupportsoldiersdealingwithanxietyanddepression(Reivich,Seligman&McBride,2011).TheMRTprogramaimstocreateamoreresilientsoldier.Itindicatesthatfuturemilitaryleaderswillfocusonpositivityandmindfulnesstoassistinpersonalchallengesandpromotingtheattainmentofgoals.ThereisalsotheSMART(StressManagementandResilienceTraining)program,whichfocusesonreducingapersonsanxietylevelsandbeingmorefocusedonstayingpositive(Loprinzi,Prasad,Schroeder&Sood,2011).Itenablespeopletoidentifytheiranxietytriggersanddevelopavarietyofdifferentmethodsthatcanhelpthemtoavoidtheiranxietytriggersoreventocounterthetriggerswithpositivethoughts.ThewaystoachieveapositivestateintheSMARTprogramaretofocusonSelf-awareness,Self-regulation,Optimism,Mentalagility,Characterstrengths,andformingconnections.Byfocusingontheseareas,onecanthenpursuethe6-stepplantohelpimplementpositivepsychologyatthesocietallevel.EachofthesestepsreflectsprospectionandPERMA:seeingonesfutureself,keepingapositiveattitude,pursuinghappiness,buildingrelationships,havingmeaning,achievinggoals,andsharingwithothers(Seligman,2018).Thegoaloftheseprogramsisalwaystonurtureapositiveviewofonesselfandtonurturepositivethoughts.Nurturingpositivethoughtshasbeenshowntoplayavitalroleinnegotiatingadversity.Thisisusefulinunderstandinghowdeployedparentsdealwiththechallengesofparenting,particularlyasitrelatestotheireffortsinassistingtheirchildrentomaintainadegreeofacademicsuccess.Thesix-stepplanrecommendedbySeligman(2018)isto,first,adoptapositiveperspectivebyseeingyourbestfutureself;second,findthethingsthatmakeonehappy;third,focusonbuildingpositiverelationships;fourth,searchformeaning;fifth,savoraccomplishments;and,sixth,sharewithothers.AccordingtoSeligmans(2018),positiveemotionismaintainedthroughasenseofappreciation,peace,andhopewhileengagementismaintainedbyfullyimmersingoneselfinoneswork.Additionally,relationshipsaremaintainedbydevelopingauthenticrelationshipsinbothworkandplay.Meaningismaintainedbybeingmindfulofhelpingothersbyvolunteeringatleastonehoureachweek,andasenseofaccomplishmentismaintainedbyachievingdailypersonalgoals.Thismodelcouldbeappliedbetweenparentsandtheirchildren,withbothcoordinatingonimplementingthemodeldespitethedistancetheyexperienceduringdeployment.Thismodelwouldbehardertoimplementwithadeployedparentofayoungerchild.Still,theparentathomecouldlikelyfacilitatetheimplementationbymaintainingtherightlevelofmindfulnessthroughoutthedeploymentandprovidingassistanceandguidanceforthechild.HowTechnologyPlaysaPartTechnologyisanotheroptionthatcanbeconsideredhelpfulinaddressingtheneedsoflearnerswhoareinamilitaryfamilywithoneormoredeployedparents.Technologycanhelpinseveralways.Today,thetechnologyexiststoputstudentsincontactwithpeopleontheothersideoftheworldinaninstant.ParentswhoaredeployedcanmaintainacloserconnectionwithchildrenwhiletheyaredeployedthankstostreamingservicesthatallowforfacetimethroughtheInternet.However,technologycanalsoplayapartinconnectingolderstudentswithadditionalopportunitiesintermsofschoolingsuchasonlineschooling(Thompsonetal.,2015).Technologyhaslongbeenviewedasanefficienttoolintheuniversityclassroombecauseitprovidesgreatereaseofaccesstolearningforstudentswhoaredigitalnatives(Henderson,Selwyn&Aston,2017).Thishelpsinnothavingtoworryabouttransfersorrelocatingtoanewcampus,asalleducationistakenonline.StudentscantapintotheenormouslibraryofinformationthatistheInternet.Theycanpullupmanuscriptsandprimarysourcesthathavebeenuploadedtoserverssomewhereontheplanet,whichallowseveryonetosee.Whatwasoncecontainedinalibrarythatonewouldphysicallyhavetogotoobserveisnowreadilyavailablewiththeclickofafewbuttons,whichcanbekeyedwhileinaclassroom.Becausetechnologyissoattractivetodigitalnativesandsointeractive,itisinherentlyanactivelearningtoolthateducatorscanusetoengagestudentsmorefullyandcreateopportunitiesfortheminclass.ThetechnologyexistsforstreamingfilmssharedonYouTube,uploadingfeedbackforstudentsandtheirparentsviawebportalslikeBlackboard,distancelearning,andmore.Thefactthatstudentscannowtakeclassesonlinewithouteverhavingtosetfootoncampusisasignificantinnovationthatisastartlingreminderofjusthowfartechnologyhascomeandtheextenttowhichithasadvancedtheeducationalsystem.Parentsarenotoftencognizantoftheopportunitiesthatexisttohelpthemwithchildren,butawarenessofdigitaltechnologyisonethatmustbedevelopedmorethoroughly(Epsteinetal.,2018).Byopeningtheeyestowhatnewtechnologycando,parents,communities,andstudentscanachieveahighersynthesisofsupport.Technologycanevenbeusedtohelpstudentsindestabilizedfamilieslikethosewheremilitaryparentsaredeployed,asChang(2017)hasshown.Chang(2017)identifiedthesecrettohersuccessatrejuvenatingherschooldistrictviatheincorporationofmoretechnologyintotheclassroom:Studentswhostruggleareoftenmoredependentontechnologytolearn.Moreaffluentkidsareusedtolotsoftechnologybecausetheycouldaffordit.Wecouldaffordthesametechnology.Fordisadvantgedstudents,theiraccesstotechnologyneedstoincreaseinordertoclosetheopportunitygap.(Chang,2017,p.12)Inshort,bybringingdigitaltechnologyintotheclassroom,educatorscanhelpstrugglingstudentsachievetheirpotential.Parentstoooftenareunawareofthepositiverolethattechnologycanplayintheirchildrenslives,andoneofthewaysthattheycanhelptheirchildrenistogivethempositiveself-imagesandtoprovidethemwithwaystoenhancetheirself-image(Spitzer&Aronson,2015).Teachersespeciallycanplayaroleinenhancingstudentsself-imagetoempowerthemtotakeownershipoftheiracademiccareers(Yeager&Walton,2011).Theseexercisesarenotoftenonesthatparentsareawareof,andtheyareassimpleasaskingchildrentoimaginewhattheywouldliketobeorwhattheywouldliketodoforacareer.Thepointoftheseexercisesistogetstudentstothinkmoreimaginativelyabouttheirlives,sotheyarenotoverburdenedbythepresent,whichmaybedifficultconsideringthedisadvantageousnatureoftheirhomelife(Spitzer&Aronson,2015).However,ifstudents,parents,andteacherscancollaborateinbringingpositivepsychologyintothelivesofstudents,militaryparentscouldseebenefitsinthelivesoftheirchildren\'sacademiccareers.Technologyshouldnotbeignored(Prensky,2001),asitcanbeausefultoolforbringingparentsandchildrentogetheroverlongdistancessothattheycanstayincontactanddeployedparentscanbepartofchildrenslives.Alternatively,thismaybedifficultforsomemilitaryparentstodo,giventheircircumstances(Chang,2017).Someevaluationofthecircumstancesisneededinordertogainperspectivesonwhethertheuseoftechnologyisaconvenientsolutiontokeepparentsandchildrenconnected.Inadditiontobeingusefulinaschoolenvironment,technologycanhelpopenupnewworldsforthestudent(Prensky,2001).Therearedangerstoexposingchildrentotoomuchtechnology,particularlywiththeriseofsocialmediaanditsinfluenceonandpopularityamongadolescentstoday.Teenscanbeexposedtopersonalizedadvertisementsthatcanplayontheirimpulses(Chester&Montgomery,2008).Theycanalsobeexposedtonegativeimpressionsthatarisefromjealousyorenvyatanotherssocialmediaaccount(Appel,Gerlach&Crusius,2016;Freberg,Graham,McGaughey&Freberg,2011).Themoreexposedtosocialcomparisonviasocialmedia,themorelikelythechildoradolescentistoexperienceenvy,anxiety,anddepression.Thus,toomuchmediacancausetheindividualchildorteentoregressandlosewhateverpositivemomentumwasgainedfromearlierpositiveusageoftechnologyinacontrolledormonitoredenvironmenti.e.,withaparentorteacher.TheRoleoftheTeacherCommunicationthroughtechnologysuchasemail,textmessaging,andsocialmediausagearemethodsthatteacherscanusetocoordinateandcollaboratewithparentsmoreeffectively.Infact,parentspreferthesemethods:anincreaseinparentspreferenceforfrequente-mailcommunicationaswellasforemergingmodesofparent-teachercommunicationsuchastextmessagingandsocialmediaaretheprimarymodesofcommunicationthatparentswishteacherswouldusemoreof(Thompson,Mazer,&Flood-Grady,2015,p.187).Facebookcanbeusedtoscheduleface-to-facemeetingsortoshareinformation.Itisoftenunderutilizedasatoolinparent-teachercommunication(Thompsonetal.,2015).Anothersolutionistoenhancetheroleoftheteacher.Parentsareoftenunawareofthefactthatteacherscanmakehomevisitstoprovideadditionalsupporttolearners(Stetson,Stetson,Sinclair&Nix,2012).One-waytogetteachersandparentsworkingtogethertoprovidecommunitysupportforchildrenofdeployedparentsisforteacherstomakehomevisitstothehousesofthesestudentsthroughouttheyear.Nothingshowsfamilieswhoaregoingthroughadifficulttime,suchasdeployment,thatteacherscaremorethanwhentheteachermakesahomevisit(Wright&Shields,2018).Ateacherisgenerallythoughtofasthepersonwhoprovideslessonsonwhateversubjectthestudentisexpectedtolearnbutiftheteacherappearstothestudentasareallivehumanbeingwhoexistsoutsideoftheclassroom,itgivesthestudentmorecontextandagreaterappreciationforwhotheteacheris(Stetsonetal.,2012).Itshowsthestudentthattheteachercaresforhimandwantshimtosucceed.Seligman(2018)identifiesthistypeofsupportaspartofthePERMAmodelforhappiness,asitincludesahealthyamountofengagement,andtheteachercanassistthestudentinprospection,helpingthestudenttoformavisionofafutureself.Thus,whilethedeployedparentisaway,theteacherhelpstofillagap,whichisinlinewiththeEpstein(2018)theoreticalframework.Additionally,whenfamiliesseeteachersshowingavestedinterestinthelivesoftheirstudentsbeyondtheclassroom,itcanmotivatebothparentsandstudentstobecomemoreinvestedintheireducation(Whyte&Karabon,2016).Forthatreason,WhyteandKarabon(2016)recommendhomevisitsforteacherswhoarelookingtopromotethevalueofeducation,especiallyincommunitiessufferingfromdestabilizedfamiliesandlackofleadership.Theteacherisinapositiontofillagapintheleadershipinthecommunity,andthehomevisitisanexcellentwayforthattohappen.However,theparentsmustbeonboardwithteachersmakinghomevisits(Stetsonetal.,2012).Theroleofparentsintheeducationofchildrencannotbeunderestimated.Ifteachersaretheeducatorssettingtheexampleintheschool,parentsaretheeducatorssettingtheexampleinthehome.Teachersandparentsmustworktogetherandbeonthesamepageinordertoprovidestudentswiththeconsistencyofexampleandcontinuityintheireducativeexperience(Wright&Shields,2018).Theschoolalwaysstrivestoreflectthevaluesofthecommunityandworkwithparentstodefinethosevalues.AsBollesandPatrizio(2016)show,militaryparentsalreadyhavethemilitarysenseofdisciplineandhierarchyingrainedintotheirmindsets,soitmakessensethattheyshouldseektodevelopaninterdisciplinaryapproachtoprovidingsupportfortheirchildrenbyworkinglong-distancewithteacherstomakehomevisitsortoprovidesomeformofextra-curricularsupportfortheirchildren.Theteacheralsomustbemindfulofculture.Cultureholdsaparticularsignificanceineducationbecauseitprovidesthefoundationandbackgroundofastudent\'sexperience;itgivesthefoundationofthestudent\'sideasandbeliefs,anditshapesthelensthatoffersaviewonthestudent\'soutlook(Doge&Keller,2014).Byconsideringculture,ateachercanbetterconnectwithstudentsandprovideanatmosphereintheclassroomthatisconducivetosharing,responding,andlearning(Saifer,2011).Educationalattainmentrequiresthatstudentsengagewiththeinformationthatispresentedtothemintheirlessons,andoneofthebestwaystogetstudentstowanttoengageistoconnectthelessontotheirbackgroundsandculturalexperience(Kea,Campbell-Whatley,&Richards,2006).Theroleofculturallyresponsiveteachingineducationalattainmentistobethepathwaytowardsculturaldiversity.Theteacherhelpsstudentstodefinethelearninggoals,questiontraditionalconcepts,understandstudentdiversity,engagewiththematerial,andeffectivelyworktowardsknowledgeacquisitionthroughparticipation(Keaetal.,2006).Numerousfactorscanaffecttheeducationalattainmentofstudents.Theculturallyresponsiveteachermustaddressthesefactorssothatalltheissuesthatmightaffectastudentscapacitytolearnareremoved.Itisimportanttonotethatdevelopingcross-culturalcompetencyandsensitivityisacontinuousratherthanastaticenterprisethatdemandsongoingcommitmentonthepartofteachers(Dahlman,2014).Threefactorsthatcanaffectthechildofthedeployedparentseducationalattainmentare(1)socio-economicbackground,(2)parentalinvolvement,and(3)schoolstructure(Thompson,Corsello,McReynolds,&Conklin-Powers,2013).Thesefactorscaninfluencestudentsinvariousways.Aseachstudentisdifferent,teacherswillneedtogettoknowtheirstudentsanddevelopanunderstandingoftheirownunique,personalneeds.Onewaytodothisistomakehomevisits,whichcanfacilitateandfosterstrongrelationshipsbetweenandamongstudents,theirfamilies,andtheteacher(Stetsonetal.,2012).Bymakingsuchvisits,theteachercanalsodevelopabettersenseofthestudentssocio-economicbackgroundandthelevelofparentalinvolvement.Thethirdfactor(schoolstructure)isonethatmaybeoutsidethecontroloftheteacherbutwillhaveanimpact,nonetheless.Socio-economicstatuscanaffecteducationalattainmentbycausingstressforstudentsifthesocio-economiclifeofthestudentissubpar(Thompsonetal.,2013).Thisfactorcanbedeterminedbytheneighborhoodinwhichthestudentlives,thefamilystatusofthestudent,thefamily\'sincome,thefamily\'splaceinthecommunity,andsoon.Iftheseelementscontributepositivelytothestudent\'slifebyprovidingstabilityandsupport,theycanbebeneficialtoeducationalattainment.Conversely,iftheyarelacking,thesesamefactorsmayserveasobstacles.Parentalinvolvementisanotherfactorthatcanaffecteducationalattainment.Theleveltowhichparentsinvolvethemselvesintheirchild\'slifwillaffectthatchild\'ssuccessinschool(Perna&Finney,2014).Involvementcanrangefromlisteningtothechild,offeringadviceorguidance,helpingwithdevelopmentissues,teachingthechildtohaveanethicalbaseormoralsense,andbeingemotionallysupportive.ParentalinvolvementcouldalsobeassessedviaparentalattendanceofPTAmeetings,classorschoolevents,responsestoteacheremailsornotes,andsoforth.Further,asVijaya,Vijaya,andRajeshkumar(2016)observe,parentalinvolvementineducationcouldtaketheformof\"providingencouragement,arrangingforappropriatestudytimeandspace,modelingdesiredbehavior(suchasreadingforpleasure),monitoringhomework,andactivelytutoringtheirchildrenathome(p.11).Itisimportanttonotethatwhenaparentisactivelyinvolvedintheschoolandclass-workundertakingsoftheirchildren,studentachievementisfurtherpromotedduetotheimpactthatthesaidinvolvementhasnotonlyontheclassroombehaviorofastudentbutalsoontheirself-conceptandattitude.Educationalattainmentaffectsstudentsinthelongtermbecauseeducationsetsthestageforthefuturelifeofthestudent.Astudentwhofailstoachieveacademicsuccesswillfindithardertoobtainagood-payingcareerinthefuturebecausenothavinganeducationlimitsonesopportunitiesandchoiceswhenitcomestofindingajob(Perna&Finney,2014).Astudentshumanandsocialcapitalmightsufferasaresult,andthestudentcouldendupbeingcaughtinapoorsocio-economicstatewherethereisnowayoutbecauseeducationwasneverachieved.Thissuboptimaloutcomecanhavecorrespondingsocial,economic,andpsychologicaleffectsonthestudentoverthelong-term.Theteachershouldbeviewedasapillar,notjustintheclassroombutalsointhecommunity.Forthatreason,theteachershouldbewillingtomakehomevisitstoestablishbettertiesthatareneededtofostergoodandhealthyrelationships.Theserelationshipsarerequiredinordertoensurethateducationalattainmentispossible(Perna&Finney,2014).Itisaboutinvestinginoneanother,givingtimetooneanothersothatstudentscanrealizetheirpotentialandseethattheyhaveastrongsupportsysteminplacethatwillhelpthemtoovercomewhateverobstaclestheymaybefacing(Perna&Finney,2014).Theteachercanmakethishappenbybeingvisiblesupportforstudentsandbyconnectingtotheirfamiliessothatabondisestablished.Therelationshipoftrustisveryimportantineducationbecauseitsetsthetoneforstudentsandgivesthemawaytoopenandengagewiththematerialthattheymightotherwiseneverfullyengagewithinthefirstplace.Inotherwords,establishingameaningfulrapportwithparentscanhelpteachersprovidethemwiththeguidanceandfeedbacktheyneedtoparticipateintheirchildrenseducationactively.Theteacheroftodayshouldusescaffoldingtobuildonwhatthelearnershavelearnedinthepast,asthisisthemostnaturalandeffectivewaytocontinueandpromotethelearningprocess.Yetstudentsneedtoknowthatwhattheyhavealreadyinsidethemintermsofknowledgeisasupportformovingforwardandobtainingnewknowledge.Thechallengethatonemightencounterwithimplementingthisapproachisthatnotallstudentsinaclassroomaregoingtobeatthesamelevelinternally.Somewillrequiremoreimaginativeplaythanothers,andsomewillbereadytoprocessmoreinformationmorequicklythanothers.Eachstudentmayrequireadegreeofindividualattentionorspecialinstructionbuthavingastudio-styleclassroom,forinstance,canhelptoovercomethischallenge.For,asRosaandMonteroshow,itwasVygotskysclaimthatdevelopmentoccursthroughequilibriumwiththeenvironment(Moll,1990,p.71).ItwasalsothisclaimthatgothimintotroublewiththeSoviets,whobelievedthattheindividualcapacityforautonomousaction[was]independentofenvironmentalinfluence(Moll,1990,p.71).Vygotskycertainlymadethecasethatpsychologicalprocesseshaveaculturalorigin(Moll,1990,p.79).Inotherwords,thereisnowaytodivorceorseparatethecognitivedevelopmentoftheindividualfromtheenvironment.Toarguethatsuchwaspossiblewastoignorethesocialcharacterofhumannatureandtoimaginethathumanbeingscouldsimplybeprogrammedlikecomputersandnotrelyuponinteractionwiththeenvironmentinanyway.Teachersshouldpermitstudentstointeractwithoneanotherinordertohelpeachothertolearnandprocessinformation.Inthismanner,theyshareideasandgetoneanotheronthesamepagemorequickly,morenaturally,andmoreeffectively.Again,itispartofthenormalprocessofsocialization,which,asVygotskypointsoutinthezoneofproximaldevelopment,iswhatallowschildrentolearnanddevelop.ThissupportsEpsteinetal.s(2018)theoryoftheparent-teacher-communityrelationshipinhelpingstudentstoreachtheiracademicgoals:studentsneedcommunitylifeinordertogrowanddevelop.Learnerscandoagreatdealofdevelopingontheirownandratherrapidly,aslongastheyareprovidedthetimeandspacetoengagewithoneanotherandwiththematerialsontheirown.Theteachershouldalwaysbetheretoguideandsupportwhennecessary.Culturalmediationcancomeintoplayhere,asColepointsout;culturalmediationaltersthestructureofhumanpsychologicalfunctions(Moll,1990).Thus,informalschooling,thechallengeisthatittakesindividualsoutoftheirnaturalhabitatandplacestheminanartificialsetting,whichessentiallyrequiresthemtonavigatetwoworldssimultaneously.SummaryInsummation,themilitaryfamilyislikelytosufferfromaparentsdeployment,especiallyaschildrenareconcerned.Childrensacademiclifewillfacedisturbances,andasEpstein(2011)indicates,thebestwaytoexaminethistypeofsituationisthroughthethree-foldrelationshipofparents,school,andcommunity.Thisliteraturereviewhasexaminedthosethreefieldsindetailtoshowhoweachoneplaysaroleintheadvancementofthestudent\'sconcernswhenhomelifeisdisruptedbyadeployment.Theresearchoffersavarietyofoptionsandopinionsonthematter.Someresearchersbelievethatalittleadversityisgoodforthechildandthatitcanteachthechildtodevelopgritandresilience(Tough,2013).Othersbelieveadversityitselfisnoteducativebyitselfandthatforresiliencytobedeveloped,thechildneedsastrongsupportsystem,whetherthatbefrompeers,groups,orothersinhislife(Webster&Rivers,2018).Theimplicationisthatthereshouldbeabalancebetweenallowingthechildtofacethechallengeofparentaldeploymentandleavingthechildtofaceitonhisown(Theronetal.,2015).Shieldingthechildshouldnotbetheaim,butratherinvitingthecommunitytoprovidesupportforthechildwillhaveapositiveimpactintermsofhelpingthechildtorealizehehasasupportsystem.Someofthepossiblescenariosresearchershaveidentifiedincludestheroleoftheteacherinthestudent\'slifebeingenhancedthroughconnectivityoutsidetheclassroom(Epsteinetal.,2018).Anotheristheroleofthecommunitybeingenhancedbyfillinggapsinthelearner\'slifethatwouldbeotherwisefilledbyaparentwhoisdeployed(Alfano,Lau,Balderas,&Beidel,2016).Additionally,thereistheroleoftheparentusingsomeofthetraininginpositivepsychologypickedupinthemilitaryandapplyingitinthechild\'slifetokeepthechild-focusedandupbeataboutoptionsforthechild\'sfuture(Alfanoetal.,2016).Mostoftheresearchtodatehasfocusedprimarilyonthechild,thenon-deployedparent,andthecommunitytoidentifysupportstrategiesforthechildrenwithadeployedmilitaryparent(Alfanoetal.,2016).Researchonmilitarydeploymenthasnoteffectivelyoradequatelyaddressedtheaspectoftheparent,eventhoughtheeffectsofdeploymentinthemilitaryaffectsnotjustthechildrenandthefamilymembersleftbehind,butalsotheservicememberonduty.Itisthedesireofeachparent,includingthemilitaryparentindeployment,toundertaketheirparentalroles,includingbeinginvolvedintheeducationoftheirchildren(Turneretal.,2017).Therearevariousways,especiallyintheageoftechnology,forparentsfromregardlessoftheirlocationintheworld,togetintouchwiththeirchildren.Enhancingthechild\'spositiveself-imageissomethingthatteacherscanalsodoastheyworkwithparentstocoordinateapossiblestrategytohelpthechildthinkaboutlong-termideasforthefuture.Usingtechnologytohelpgivestudentsaccesstomorelearningoptions,suchasonlineschoolingorconnectivitywithdeployedparents,isanotherpossibility.Theparentswhoaredeployedarenotalwaysawareoftheseoptionsandneedtobebettereducatedaboutthem.Inthefinalanalysis,therefore,thedeploymentofparentseffectivelycreatesavoidinthefamilialsetting.Thisstudyexploredtheperceptionsofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.Educationhappenstowithstandtheworstoftheresultingdisruptions.Inadditiontosheddingmorelightontheperceptionsofdeployedparentsconcerningtheirinfluenceontheacademicachievementoftheirchildren,thepresentstudyprovidesausefulassessmentoftheeffectsofmilitarydeploymentonparentalinvolvement.Thisisimportantgiventhattheabsenceofaparentalsenseoftheacademicperformanceofachildilikelytoharmparentalparticipationinthelearningprocess.Indeed,asithasbeenpointedoutelsewhereinthistext,therelevanceofparentalinvolvementinachild\'sacademiclifecannotbeoverstated.Theoverallapproachofpositivepsychologyrunsthroughmuchoftheliteratureonthissubject,forkeepingapositiveattitudetowardsthechallengeofdiversityandusingamodellikePERMAcanhelptokeepallstakeholdersfocusedonwheretheyneedtobementallyandemotionallytoprovidethebestlevelofsupportforthechild.Themorepositiveparents,whetherdeployedornot,teachers,coaches,ministers,communitymembers,peers,andgroupscanbe,themorelikelythechildistodevelopasenseofgritanddeterminationandfaceacademicchallengesandovercomethem(Seligman,2018).Thenextchapterdiscussesthemethodologyusedforthisstudybydescribingthedesign,researchquestions,thesetting,andtheparticipants;theproceduresforcollectingdata;roleoftheresearcher;whatdatacollectioninstrumentsweredevelopedorutilized;howthedatawasanalyzedandhowtrustworthythestudywas.ThefollowingchapteralsoprovidesethicalconsiderationsCHAPTERTHREE:METHODSOverviewThepurposeofthisqualitativetranscendentalphenomenologicalstudywastoexploretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.Thischapterpresentstheprocedures,researchdesign,anddataanalysisoftheresearchstudy.Thischapteralsodiscussestheresearchdesign,researchquestions,setting,participants,procedures,theroleoftheresearcher,datacollectionmethodsandinstruments,dataanalysis,thetrustworthinessofthestudy,andethicalconsiderations.DesignThisstudyutilizedaqualitativeresearchmethodology.Qualitativeresearchdesignisidealwhentheresearchseekstoanswerhowandwhyresearchquestions(McMillan,2012).Qualitativeresearchfacilitatestheexplorationofaproblemandallowstheresearchertoworktowardsahypothesis.Asthisstudywasconcernedwithexploringperceptions,thequalitativemethodwasmostappropriate.Additionally,atranscendentalphenomenologicaldesign/approachisidealwhentheresearcherseekstoobtainanin-depthunderstandingofasubjectwhohasexperiencedaphenomenon,whichallowstheresearchertoarriveatasociallyconstructedmeaning(McMillan,2012;Yazan,2015).Thejustificationforthisdesigncanbefoundinthepositivistdoctrine,whichpositsthatresearchcannotbeobjectivelyconductedfromtheoutside,butratheronlyfromtheinside(Husserl,1999).Theobjectiveistosee,understand,explain,andmakecleartherealityfacedbymilitaryparentswhoaredeployedandtheirexperiencesastheyattempttostayinvolvedintheirchildseducation.Inordertoseewhattheparticipantseesandtounderstandwhatthesubjectunderstands,onehastostandwherethesubjectstandsandexperiencewhattheparticipantexperiences;theresearcher,inasense,mustbecomethesubjectnotliterallybutratherfiguratively(Husserl,1999).Astheresearcherplacesthemselvesintheshoesofthesubject,theresearcherisabletoseetheparticipantsownexperiencemoreclearlyandobjectively(Husserl,1999).Thus,thetranscendentalapproachisthemostvalidwayofconductingqualitativeresearch,accordingtothephenomenologicaldiscourse.Phenomenologyisanaturalfitwithqualitativeresearchwhenthefocusisonindividualperceptionsthattheresearchercanexperiencedirectly.Creswell(2007)statedthatthebasicpurposeofphenomenologyistoreduceindividualexperienceswithaphenomenontoadescriptionoftheuniversalessence(p.58).Fromthisperspective,themainfocusofthephenomenologicalapproachistohaveanappropriatemethodforseeingmoreclearlyhowtheparticularrelatestothegeneral;itisaboutcomingtoanunderstandingoftheuniversalsbywayofthepersonalandtheparticular.Theuniversalessencethatdescribesthegeneralcommonexperienceofhumanbeingscanbedistilledthroughanin-depthexaminationofthelivedexperienceofonessubject,whichinturncanbestbedonebywayofthephenomenologicalresearchdesign(Creswell,2007).Forthisstudy,themoretheresearcherimmersedhimselfintotheworldofthemilitarydeployedparent,themoreabilityhehadtogatheralltherelevantdatathatdeterminestheparametersoftheparticipantsexperience.Todiscerntheseparametersfromabroad,theresearchermustseecloselyandbeclose-by,aswellasbeexposedtothesameexperiencesthatarebeingresearched.Thus,theresearchercangainasenseofwhattheparticipantsfeelbecausetheresearcherhasfeltthesamethings.Moustakas(1990)notedthatinordertoresearchtheessenceofthingsfairly,theresearchdesignmustcenteronasimpleinquiryorquestion.Thephenomenologicaldesignfacilitatesthisinquirybyplantingasenseofinquiryintheexperienceoftheparticipants.Atthesametime,anunderstandingoftheinquiryhastobemaintainedbyadheringtotheresearchquestion.Throughphenomenology,thequestionservesastheguidinghand,whiletheresearcherimmerseshimselfintotheworldoftheparticipants(Moustakas,1990).Tokeepfrombecominglostincountlesssensationsandintheworldofthesubject,theresearchermaintainstetheredtotheactofresearchbywayoftheresearchquestion;everythingbecomesorientedtowardsansweringthatquestionintheend.Silverman(2016)hasshownthepurposeofsuchresearchistoprovidepreciseinformationonaspecificsituationtohelpothersunderstandwhatistakingplace,withoutrelyingonstatisticaldata.Thephenomenologicalapproachallowstheresearchertouncoveruniversalthemesthatcanfacilitatefutureresearchandtounderstandtheexperienceoftheparticipantsbetterasitisseen,felt,andexpressedthroughtheirowneyesandwords(Silverman,2016).Thesethemescanalsobeusedtohelppromotegreaterunderstandingamongstakeholders.Asthesituationunderquestionisspecificandfocused,thetranscendentalphenomenologicalapproachfitsbestasitprovidesafocusedexampleofthephenomenon.Thus,thisstudyprovidedmilitaryparentswhoareorhavebeendeployedtheopportunitytoexpressanddescribetheirexperiencesintheirchildrenseducation(Lesteretal.,2012).Thisqualitativedesignwasintendedtoprovidetheframeworkinwhichseveraldatacollectionmethodscouldbeapplied,includingtheuseofsemi-structuredinterviews.Inaddition,questionnaires,focusgroups,andartifactanalysiswereusedtodevelopinformedanswerstothestudyscentralandsubresearchquestions.ResearchQuestionsThefocusofthisstudycenteredaroundoneresearchquestion.Thecentralresearchquestionwas:Whataretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation?Tointerpretfuturetheperceptionofthemilitarydeployedparents,theresearcherusedthefollowingthreesub-questions:1.Howdomilitaryparentsdescribetheirinvolvementintheirchildrenseducationwhiledeployed?2.Howdomilitaryparentsperceivetheimpactoftheirdeploymentonthefamilyandparticularlyontheirchildsacademicperformance?3.Whatchallengesdomilitaryparentswhoaredeployedfacefromtheircommunitieswhiletryingtostayinvolvedintheirchildrenseducation?SettingThesettingforthisstudywasU.S.Armyinstallation,FortRapture(pseudonym),whichislocatedinthenortheasternpartoftheUnitedStates.Theinstallationatthetimeofthestudyhadanestimatedpopulationof71,000,ofwhichalmost42,000wereactive-dutysoldiers.Therestwerefamilymembers,employeesoftheArmy,andAirForceExchangeService,volunteers,andotheremployees(Powers,2018).Thepercentageofthe42,000activedutyservicemembersatFortRapturethatweredeployableatanygivenpointintimewasclassified,buttheyallhadaccesstothefamilysupportservicesthatwereprovidedbytheU.S.militaryfordeployedparents.Therewere27elementaryschools,eightmiddleschools,fourhighschools,andfourspecialcampusesonFortRapture.Thisselectionsitewassuitablebecauseitwastheparticipantspermanentdutystationwhennotdeployed.Theorganizationherewasofhierarchicalstructureandprovidedsafetyandorderfortheparticipants.Aselectlocationandtimewerechosenforconductinginterviewsandfocusgroupsaftersecuringpermissionfromparticipants.ParticipantsThepopulationofthisresearchstudywasU.S.militaryparentsofschooled-aged(Pre-K-12)childrenwhoresidedintheUnitedStatesandwereinschool.AccordingtoCreswell(2003),longinterviewswithupto10people(p.65)isappropriateforaphenomenologicalstudy.Assuch,asamplesizebetween12to15respondentswasutilizedforthisresearch.Acombinationofcriterion-based,snowballsamplingmethods,andpurposefulsamplingwasusedtorecruitstudyparticipants.Criterion-basedsamplingwasusedtoidentifyprospectiveparticipantsbasedonspecificcriteria.Snowballsamplingwasusedtorecruitadditionalparticipantsbasedonreferralsbyindividualswhoenrolledinthestudy.Inordertobecomeastudyparticipant,theprospecthadtobedeployedorpreviouslydeployedwithinthepasttwoyears;anytimelonger,andtheirmemoriesmayhavebeuntofade(Gardner,2001).Additionally,theywererequiredtohavepre-K-12school-agedchildrenthatwereatthetimeinaschooloutsideofthehome.Othercriteriaincludedawillingnesstoparticipateinaninterviewandonlinefocusgroup,consenttotheuseofanaudiorecordingoftheinterviewandfocusgroup,andwillingnesstosharejournals,letters,andemailcorrespondencewithteacherspertainingtotheirchildrenwhiledeployed.AccordingtoKuper,Lingard,andLevinson(2008),purposefulsamplingmethodsareusefulinresearch,asonlyspecificindividualswiththephenomenonunderstudyareappropriateparticipantsforthisresearch.RecruitmentbeganbycontactingtheFortRapturepublicaffairsofficesregardingthepoliciesandproceduresfortheplacementofrecruitmentflyersonbulletinboardsacrosstheinstallation(AppendixB).ThesameflyerwaspostedonFacebookandotheronlinenetworkssuchasLinkedInandInstagram.ProspectiveparticipantswereprovidedanInformedConsentletterthatexplainedthepurposeofthestudyandparticipationrequirements(AppendixC).Additionally,participantswereaskedtoreferotherpotentialparticipantsjustincasethedesiredsamplesizewasnotreached.Arecruitmentletterwasemailedormaileddirectlytoeachreferral(AppendixD).ProceduresThefirststepintheprocedureforconductingthisresearchwastoobtainIRBapprovalfromLibertyUniversity(seeAppendixA).OnceIRBapprovalwasgranted,thenextstepwastoactivelyrecruitparticipants,usingthemethodspreviouslydiscussed.Priortoparticipatingininterviews,participantswererequiredtoreviewandsignaninformedconsentform(AppendixC)thatdetailsthenatureofthestudy,purpose,risks,andwithdrawalrights.Thenextstepwastocollectdata.Fourmethodswereusedtocollectdata:Questionnaires,interviews,focusgroups,andartifactanalysis.OnceIreceivedparticipantsconsenttoparticipateinthestudy,aquestionnairewassenttogatherpreliminarydemographicdata,suchasage,race,militaryaffiliation,andyearsofservice(seeAppendixE).Additionally,thequestionnaireconsistedofthreeopen-endedquestionsthatallowedparticipantstoprepareandreflectontheirthoughtsandfeelingsabouttheresearchquestion.Oncequestionnaireswerereturned,Ithencontactedeachparticipanttoscheduleaninterview(seeAppendixF),whichwasconductedinapredesignatedlocationchosenbytheinterviewee.Eachinterviewlastedforapproximately45-60minutes.Eachinterviewwasconductedusingsemi-structuredinterviewquestions.Incaseofanyarisingissues,followupquestionswereusedforclarification.Duringtheinterview,Itooknotesinordertodocumentappearance,gestures,andunspokencommunicationthatcouldhelpinunderstandingthemeaningoftheparticipantsresponses(Creswell&Poth,2018).Eachinterviewsessionwasaudio-recorded,professionallytranscribed,andsenttoparticipantsformember-checkingpurposestovalidateorclarifyresponsesifneeded(Creswell&Poth,2018).Additionally,priortoattendingtheinterviewsession,intervieweeswereaskedtocarrywiththemanyartifactsthatrepresentedorsignifiedtheirexperiencesasadeployedmilitaryparent.Requestedartifactsincludedparticipantsjournals,letters,andemailcorrespondencewithteacherspertainingtotheirchildrenwhiledeployed.Duringtheinterview,participantshadanopportunitytoexplaintheirartifact.Thisprocesshelpedtoprovideinsightintotheinteractionsbetweenparents,teachersandwasusedtosupportorchallengewhattheparticipantrememberedorrecalledduringthefocusgroup.Thelastdatacollectionmethodusedfocusgroups(seeAppendixG).Selectedparticipantsweregatheredinanonlineforumfor45-60minutesusingvideoconferencingsoftware(Zoom).Theresearcherrecorded,downloaded,andprofessionallytranscribedtheonlinesession.Aftertranscription,participantswereallowedtoparticipateinmembercheckingtoverifytheaccuracyoftheirresponses(Marshall&Rossman,2014).Inallfourmethodsusedfordatacollection,noidentifyingelementswerecollected,andonlypseudonymswereusedtoprotecttheidentityofparticipants.Beforeconductingeachinterviewandthefocusgroup,Iintroducedmyself,greeted,andwelcomedtheinterviewee(s)andstatedthepurposeofthestudy.TheResearchersRoleAsthehumaninstrumentinthisstudy,theresearchersroleisvitaltowardsensuringthatthequalityofdatacollectedandthecollectionprocedureisethical(Creswell&Poth,2018).Myrelationshiptotheparticipants,therefore,wasexplainedtothemsoastobecompletelytransparentandtobracketoutbias(Allen,2015).Onewaytoreducetheriskofbiasistousethebracketingtechniquebystatingupfronttheresearcher\'sexpectationsandthenacceptingthedatathatisproducedbytheresearch(Smith&McSweeney,2017,p.292).Therefore,itwasstatedtoparticipantsthatIamaUnitedStatesArmyofficerandaninstructorwiththeUnitedStatesArmyRecruitingandRetentionCollege.ItoldthemthatIhadover13yearsofmilitaryserviceinvariouspositionsandassignments.AlthoughIdidnothavedirectauthorityovertheparticpants,IdidpointoutthatIcouldbeconsideredamemberofthepopulationthatIwasstudyingbasedonmyexperiencesandknowledgeoftheissues.Inotedthatbybetterallowingthedeployedparent\'sperspectivetobeunderstood,improvedsolutionscouldbedevised.Myassumptionwasthatdeployedparentsperceivethemselvesashavingaminimalimpactinthelifeoftheirchildandthattheyviewtheirdeployment,job,anddistanceasthemainobstaclesinassistingintheirchild\'seducativeprocess.Itwasexpectedthatparticipantswouldbeashonestaspossibleintheirresponsestothequestionnaire,interview,andfocusgroupquestions;however,thisassumptiondidcomewithlimits.Thememoryoftheeventsmayhavedifferedfromtheactualevent,makingaparticipant\'sresponsesunreliable.Thestudyreviewedonesideofthestoryandoneperspective.However,eachindividual\'sencounterwasunique.DataCollectionThedatacollectionmethodsusedforthisstudywerequestionnaires,semi-structuredinterviews,focusgroups,andartifactanalysis.Thissectiondescribestheproceduresforthesefourmethodsindetail.QuestionnaireThequestionnairewasthefirstdatacollectionmethodandwasdesignedtoobtaindemographicinformationaswellastocapturetheperceptionsandexperiencesofparticipantsusingopen-endedquestions(Dalati&Gomez,2018).Questionnairesarehelpfulasadatacollectioninstrument,especiallywhenusedalongsideotherinstruments,suchasartifactanalysis,whichwascasewiththisstudy(Giordano,Piras,Boschini&Falasconi,2018).Thisquestionnairefocusedonwhatitislikefortheparticipanttobeaparentwhilebeingdeployedoverseasinthemilitary.Table1:ParticipantQuestionnaireQuestionsDemographicInformation1.Name:2.Age:3.Ethnicity:4.BranchofService5.Rank:6.Ageofspouse:7.Spousecurrentprofession:8.Highestdegreeearned:9.Howmanyschoolagechildrencurrentlyinyourhousehold?10.Howmanytimeshaveyoubeendeployed:?11.Ifcurrentlydeployed,whatisthedurationofyourdeployment?12.Ifnotcurrentlydeployed:Whenwasyourlastdeploymentandhowlong?WrittenRefectionofexperiences13.Reflectonyourexperiencesofbeingaparentwhiledeployedinthemilitary.Pleaseprovideabriefwrittenresponsetoeachquestion:a.Whatwordbestdescribesyourinitialthoughtaboutdeploymentasitrelatestoyourabilitytobeinvolvedinyourchildseducation.Pleaseexplain?b.Whatsupport(familial,financial,experience)hasaidedinmaintainingasenseofinvolvementinyourchildseducation?c.Whatisthenumberonechallenge(asidefromadistance)thathindersyourabilitytoparticipateinachildseducation?ThisquestionnairewasemployedthroughSurveyMonkeyafterparticipantssignedaconsentform.Questions1-12wereusedtogathernecessarydemographicinformationandmilitaryaffiliation.Question13consistedofthreesubquestions.Participantswereaskedtoprovidewrittenreflectionsontheirexperiences,thoughts,andfamilysituationswithregardtobeingadeployedparentinthemilitary.InterviewsTheinterviewmethodisparticularlywellsuitedforqualitativeresearchbecauseitallowsthesubjecttoprovideanswersorganically(Turner,2010).Theinterviewprotocoliscomprisedofasetofquestionsthattheresearchercouldaskparticipantsinastructuredorsemi-structuredmanner;ithelpstoprobetheexperiencesoftheparticipantstofindanswerstotheresearchquestions,whichhavetobedevelopedaheadoftime.Onewaytodevelopaneffectiveinterviewprotocolistopilottheinterviewquestionsfirst(Neuman,2008).Thisway,onecanensurethequestionsaskedhelptoobtaintherequireddata.Pilotingaprotocolinvolvestestingtheinterviewquestionsonanindividualbeforeemployingtheminthestudy.Theinterviewprotocolwaspilotedwithtwoindividualswhohadexperiencewiththephenomenon,butwerenotincludedinthestudy.Basedoninformationgatheredfromthepilot,theresearcherrevisedinterviewquestionstodevelopmorein-depth,richresponsesbytheparticipants.Table2StandardizedOpen-EndedInterviewQuestionQuestionsOpeningQuestions1.Pleaseintroduceyourself,describeyourselfandyourfamily2.Howlonghaveyoubeenservinginthemilitary?3.Inthepasttwoyears,howmanytimesandforhowlongwereyoudeployed?4.Whatistheageandgenderofyourschool-agechildorchildren?5.PleaseexplainyourexperienceinthemilitarythusfarQuestionsrelatingtoparticipantsperceptions6.Whatisyourdefinitionofparentalinvolvement,particularlyasitrelatestoeducation?7.Inwhatway(ifany)doesyourdefinitionofparentalinvolvementchangewhiledeployed?8.Howwouldyoucompareandcontrastyourroleinyourchildseducationwhennotdeployedandwhiledeployed?9.Whatchangeshaveyouexperiencedinyourchildsbehavior,focus,andattitudetowardslearningwhiledeployed?10.Whataresomewaysormethodsusedtoparticipateinyourchildseducationwhiledeployed,andhowdotheydifferfromthetechniqueusedwhennotdeployed?11.Howhasyourdeploymentimpactedyourspouse,particularlyasitrelatestohis/herabilitytobeinvolvedinyourchildseducation?12.Reflectonthefirsttimeyouspokewithyourchildabouttheireducationwhenyouweredeployed.Whatwasthatexperiencelike?13.Reflectonyourchildseducation.Whatisyourperceptionofyourchildssenseofhowyourdeploymentimpactshisorherlearning?Questionsrelatingtoparticipantsperceptionsofchallenges14.Describeatime(whiledeployed)whenyouencounteredabarrierorchallengethatpreventedyoufrombeinginvolvedintheireducation?15.Describeatimewhenyoufeltthatyoucouldbemoreinvolvedinyourchildrenseducationwhiledeployed.Wereyouabletocomeupwithasolution?Ifso,pleasedescribeit.16.Howdoesbeingdeployedaltersyourinteractionswithyourchildsteachersandothereducators?17.Whatstageofdeployment(pre-deployment,deployment,post-deployment)doyoubelievecreatesthemostchallengesinattemptingtostayinvolvedinyourchildseducation?Pleaseexplain18.Whatadvicewouldyougiveamilitaryparentwhoisdeployedormaydeployinthefuture?Theinterviewprotocolwasconstructedasfollows:Questionsonethroughfivewereknowledgequestionsusedtoobtaininformationabouttheparticipant.Questionssixthrough13weredesignedtoelicittheperspectiveoftheintervieweeonthetopicoftheresearchquestions.Questions14through18wereusedtogaininsightintotheparticipantsperceptionsoftheproblem,i.e.,thechallengesfacedbydeployedparentsastheyattemptedtoassistintheeducationoftheirchildren.AsRosenthal(2016)noted,gettingtheintervieweesperspectiveisessentialinqualitativeresearch.Thewaytodothatistoaskdirect,open-endedquestionsthatrelatetotheresearchquestion.ArtifactAnalysisArtifactanalysiswaslimitedtodocumentsusedandinpossessionoftheparticipants(Petersetal.,2015).Thespecificartifactsthatwerecollectedwereparticipantsjournals,letters,andemailcorrespondencewithspousesorteacherspertainingtotheirchildren.In-lieuofsuchartifacts,participantswerealsogiventheoptiontochooseanartifactthatrepresentedtheirexperienceasamilitarydeployedparent.Suchoptionsincludedphotographs,writtenrecollectionsofconversationswithspousesduringdeployment,videosthattheparticipantwatched,orbooksthattheparticipantreadthatwererelevanttotheresearchtopic.Artifactswereobtained,withpermissionfromtheparticipantsandwereobservedasawholeorasalargerpartofatotalexperienceorsituation.Thepurposewastoattempttomakesenseofwhattheartifactrepresentedfortheindividual,bothhistoricallyandsocially.Itwasassumedthattheseartifactswouldprovidefurtherinsightintotheexperiencesofdeployedmilitarymemberswithregardtotheirchildseducationor,attheveryleast,whattheirthoughtswereatthetimeandwhattheywerefocusingonasadeployedparent.Thisinformationwasusedtohelpguidethefocusgroupdiscussion.Participants,whowerenotabletoproduceartifactsthatfitpreviouslystatedcategories,hadtheoptiontoprovideartifacts,solongasitrelatedtotheirtimespentasadeployedparent.Artifacts,nomatterwhattheirkind,arehelpfulinrevealinginformationaboutpeople,places,andtimesandallowforadeeperunderstandingofaphenomenonthatcannotbeobtainedsolelythroughinterviewanalysis(Merriam&Grenier,2019;Shankar,Hakken&Osterlund,2017).Theseartifactsalsohelpedtoshowtherecurringthemesinthemessagessentbytheparentsandthefrequencyofthesethemesinthevariouscorrespondences.Inaddition,incasethecorrespondenceoriginatedfromtheteachers,itwasimportantfortheseartifacts,astheyshowedtheconcernsandtheneedsforparentparticipationfromtheperspectiveoftheteacher.Byinteractingwiththeseartifacts,itwasfoundhelpfulforenhancingtheresearchersperspectivebecauseithelpstobringtheresearcherintothecontextandreal-lifestatusofamilitaryparent.Theessenceoftheseartifcatswastoassistincontextualizingtheparentsfrustrations,ifany,emotions,ifany,andtheirdesiresandgoalswithinthevariousartifacts.FocusGroupAfocusgroupisavitalqualitativedatacollectionmethodasitprovidestheresearchertheopportunitytoposeaseriesofquestionsthathelptogaininsight.Focusgroupwasusedheretogaininformationaboutmilitaryparents\'perceptionsasitrelatedtotheirinvolvementintheeducationoftheirchildrenwhiledeployed.Becauseafocusgroupisarepresentationofthetargetpopulation,itprovidesinsightsthatareconsistentwiththoseofthebroaderpopulation(ONiembaetal.,2018).Thefocusgroupaddstothequalityofthedatacollected,astheresearcherisabletoobtainclearideasandfeelingsthatmightnotbetypicalinaninterviewsetting(Carey&Asbury,2016).Moreover,afocusgroupallowsthemoderator(who,inthiscase,wasalsotheprincipalresearcher)toobservetherawdynamicamongthegroupmembersastheyexpresstheiropinions.Table4StandardizedOpen-EndedFocusGroupQuestionsQuestionsOpeningQuestions:1.Willeachindividualpleasestateyourname,yourmilitarybranch,andlengthofservice?QuestionsRelatingtoChallengesParentsexperiencewhileDeployed:2.Asaparent,howwouldyoudescribeyouroverallexperienceofbeingseparatedfromyourfamilywhiledeployed?3.Whatwouldyouidentifyasthemostchallengingaspectofbeingamilitarydeployedparent?4.Fromaparentalstandpoint,whataresomeexamplesofchallengesyouencounteredwhiledeployed,andhowhaveyouovercomethem?QuestionsRelatingtoParticipantsinvolvement:5.Howhasyourdeploymentaffectedyourchildsperformanceinschool?6.Howoftenandinwhatwaydoyouinteractwithyourchildsteachersoreducator,whattypesoffeedbackhaveyoureceived?Eachofthesequestionswasorientedtowardsopeningupanewperspectiveonthematter,whichisessentialtogaininsightasHoffdingandMartiny(2016)show.Thequestionsweregearedtowardsgettingthefocusgrouptodiscusstheseissuestogetherandtopullinformationfromoneanotherasagroup.Theyengagedingroupthinkingtoarriveatnewideasthathelpedanswertheresearchquestions.DataAnalysisDataanalysiswasconductedusingMoustakas(1994)seven-stepprocessforphenomenologicalreduction.Theinterviewsandfocusgroupswererecordedandtranscribed.Bydisassemblingthedatathroughphenomenologicalreductionandthenusingimaginativevariationandintuitiontoconstructthemeaning,thedatawasinterpretedwithlessnoiseinterferenceandmoreobjectivescrutiny(Neuendorf,2016).Interpretingthedataincludedconductingimaginativevariation,whichwasusedtoidentifykeythemes,correlatethekeythemestotheliterature,andconstructthemwithintheconceptualframework(Gandy,2015).ThemeswereenteredintoExcelforeasiercompartmentalizing.Moustakas(1994)seven-stepprocessforphenomenologicalreductionwasalsoused.Priortoinitiatingthisprocess,theresearcherhadtobracketideas.Thepurposeherewastoremoveasmuchindividualbiasfromtheresearchaspossible;thus,theresearcherstatedanypreconceivednotionsinthisstep(Creswell,2018).ThebasicframeworkfortheMoustakas(1994)modelistofollowastrategythatstartswithimmersionandendswithcreativesynthesis.Immersionisthestagewhereintheresearcherimmerseshimselfintheworldofthesubjectandintheexperiencesoftheparticipants.Incubationisthestagewhereintheresearchertakestimetoallowhimselfspaceforunderstandingwhathehascollectedfromtheimmersionstage.Illuminationoccurswhentheresearcheractivelyengagesthematerialinordertodeepenandexpandhisknowledgeandunderstandingofthesubject.Explicationisthestagewhereintheresearcherreflectsontheexperienceandallowspatternstoemerge.Creativesynthesisisthestagewhereintheresearcheridentifiesthepatternsthatemergefromthereflectionprocessanddescribesthepatternsinawaythatshowshowrelationshipsbetweenvariablesareformedwithintheoverallphenomenonofexperience.ThisentireprocessiswhatMoustakas(1994)referstoasEpoche:phenomenologicalreductionplusimaginativevariationresultsinthederivationoftheessence.Thestepsofthisprocessaredescribedinthefigurebelow.Figure1.TheoreticalFrameworks,Mthods,andProcedures(adaptedfromY?ld?r?m&Yksel,2015).HorizonalizingHorizonalizingwastheprocessoflistingallrelevantstatementsandgroupingaccordingtoqualitiestheypossess(Moustakas,1994).ReductionandEliminationi.e.,theprocessoferadicatingthenoise(alsoknownaseideticreduction)iswheretheexperiencesarereducedtotheirinvariantconstituents.Clusteringoflikeinvariantconstituentsintothemes,i.e.,creatingclustersofmeanings,iswherethebasiccoredatapointsarecategorizedthematically.Duringthisprocess,Iusedthequalitativedataanalysissoftware,NVivo,tohelpdevelopacodingsystemtomakethetranscribeddatamoremanageable.Statementswereclusteredintocategoriesbasedontheirrelevancetotheresearchquestions.Thisproducedaframeworkfororganizinganddescribingwhatwascollected(Patton,2002).Creatingindividualtexturaldescriptionsforeachparticipantwasthefinalstepinthisprocess.ImaginationVariationConstructingindividualstructuraldescriptionswastheprocesswhereimaginativevariationisoperationalized,andeideticreductionisusedagaintodistilltheessenceofmeaningfortheindividualparticipantsandtohelpdistillthemeaningsthatarecommunicated(Katsirikou&Lin,2017).Creatingthecompositeiswherereassemblingthedatacanbeconducted.Duringthisstepoftheanalysis,Iidentifiedstructuralqualitieswithinthetexturalthemesofthephenomenon.Byusingimagination,ratherthantheuseofsoftware,Iwasthenbeabletodevelopadescriptionofhowtheexperienceofthephenomenoncametobe(Moustakas,1994).Assynthesisoccured,meaningandtheorybegantotakeshapeinaholisticmanner(RuleandJohn,2015).EssenceTheessencewasdistilledwhenthetextureandstructureweredescribedandsynthesizedintoonewholeorganicproduct.Patton(2015)statedtexturaldescriptionsdescribewhattheparticipantsexperienced,andstructuraldescriptionsdescribehowtheyexperiencedthephenomenon.Theessenceclarifiedandmadeplaintheholisticmeaning,whichwasproducedbytakingintoconsiderationthevariouspartsofthedataandtheassociatedcontext.Thisconsiderationprovidedanunderstandingofthephenomenon,supportedbycriticalthought,intermsofidentifyingthefundamentalmeaningofwhatwasbeinganalyzed(Katsirikou&Lin,2017).Oncebothdescriptionswerecomplete,Iwasabletosynthesizethemeaningsandessencesofthephenomenon(Moustakas,1994).TrustworthinessVariabilityandreliabilityaretwoimportantconceptswhenitcomestoestablishinganumberofcriticalfactorsinqualitativestudies.Analyzingthethemesthatemergeisessentialtoattainingtrustworthiness(Nowell,Norris,White,&Moules,2017).Therelevantfactors,whichwereaddressedindividuallybelow,includedcredibility,dependability,confirmability,andtransferability.CredibilityMembercheckingisthebestwaytoensurethecredibilityofqualitativeresearch(Marshall&Rossman,2014).Thistechniqueallowedinterpretiveanddescriptivevaliditytobeapartofthestudy;itcalledfortheparticipantstochecktheresearcher\'sreportinordertocheckfortheauthenticityofthework(Creswell&Poth,2018).Themembersfeedbackservedasacheckoftheviabilityoftheinterpretation(Creswell&Poth,2018).Followingtheconstantcomparisonanalysis,participantswereaskedtoreviewthefindingsofthestudypriortocompletingtoenhancecredibility.DependabilityandConfirmabilityDatatriangulationhelpedtoensuredependability(Yin,2014).Atriangulationofdatasourceswasusedtoensurethedataisrich.Datasourcesincludedquestionnaires,interviews,artifactanalysis,andfocusgroupdata.Theresearcherhadanotherresearcherwithnoconnectiontotheprojectexaminetheprocessandproductinordertogaintheirviewofthecredibilityofthefindingsandinterpretations(Creswell&Poth,2018).Thisprocessincreasedthereliabilityofthestudybecauseanexternalauditorlookedatthestudywithfresheyesnotslantedbyinvolvementintheresearchorrelationshipsformedwiththeparticipants.TransferabilityAsitrelatestothisstudy,transferabilityreferstowhetherornotthefindingsofthisstudywereusedtoassistotherstudiesthataresimilarinnature(Marshall&Rossman,2014).Theresearcherdescribedindetailtheperceptionsofthemilitarydeployedparentswithregardtotheirinvolvementintheeducativeprocessoftheirchildren.Athickdescriptiontechniquewasusedtogiverich,concretedetailsabouthowdatawascollected,describingthesetting,thesocialcontexts,andanythingelsethatcouldhelpareaderunderstandtheexperience,whichAnney(2014)showsismosthelpfulinensuringtransferability.EthicalConsiderationsIRBapprovalwasobtainedpriortodatacollection.Participants\'anonymitywasmaintainedatalltimes.Inthiscase,pseudonymswereutilizedondataartifactstoprotecttheparticipantsidentity.Informationobtainedbytheresearcherwasobtainedonlyforthepurposeofresearch,andparticipationwasvoluntary.Bysigningtheconsentform,participantsprovedtheirvoluntaryparticipationintheresearch,andparticipantswereinformedthattheycouldrefusetoparticipateorwithdrawatanytimewithoutconsequence.Consentformswerestoredinalockedofficeonlyaccessibletotheresearcher.Uponcompletionoftheresearchproject,alldatawastransferredtoanexternalharddriveandstoredinalockedfilecabinetforfiveyears.Afterfiveyears,alldataandassociateddocumentsarepermanentlydestroyedordeleted.SummaryThisqualitativeresearchdesignusedquestionnaires,interviews,artifactanalysis,andfocusgroupsastheprimarymeansofcollectingdata.Thetranscendentalphenomenologicalapproachwasutilized,astheresearchersoughttoobtainanin-depthunderstandingofdeployedmilitarymemberswhowereinvolvedintheirchildseducationwhiledeployed.Datawasanalyzedusingthephenomenologicalreductionapproach.Theinterviewandfocusgroupquestionswereusedtogainperspectivetoanswertheresearchquestions.Thetrustworthinessofdatawasensuredbyusingmemberchecking,externalauditing,andadetaileddescriptiontechnique.Inaddition,theresearchsoughttoadheretoallethicalissuesbyobtaininginformedconsentandensuringparticipantsanonymity.CHAPTERFOUR:FINDINGSOverviewThepurposeofChapterFouristopresenttheresultsofthedataanalysis.Thischapterisreservedforfindingsspecifically;methodologicalinformationshouldbediscussedinChapterThree,andaninterpretationanddiscussionofresultsshouldbereservedforChapterFive.Thechaptershouldbeginwithabriefoverviewofthechapter\'scontent.TheOverviewshouldalsoincludeaconciserestatementofthestudypurpose.Thedata,intheformofthemes(narrative),charts,graphs,tables,ormodels,shouldthenbepresented.Datashouldbedisplayedintheorderinwhichtheresearchquestionswerestatedoraccordingtothemesgenerated.However,theresearchquestionsshouldstillbeansweredbeforeconcludingthechapter.TheOverviewmustclearlyandconciselydescribethecontentsandorganizationofthechapter.Note:Thischapterisnotpartoftheplan,prospectus,orproposal.ParticipantsWhiletheoverallsampleshouldbedescribedorpresentedintabularforminChapterThree(e.g.,samplesize,age,ethnicitiesrepresented,gender,etc.),itistypicalinqualitativedissertationstoprovideadetaileddescriptionorportraitofeachindividualwhoparticipatedinthestudy(usingpseudonyms).Pseudonymsshouldberealisticandreflectiveofthecultureofyourparticipants,butnotinsuchawaythattheiranonymitycouldbecompromised.YoucanorganizetheseparticipantdescriptionsusingLevel2APAheadings.GeorgeSallyEtc.ResultsThissectionmustbeorganizedthematicallyandaccordingtoresearchquestions,usingtwoAPALevel2sub-headings.ThemeDevelopment(orsomesuchname)underitsownheading,mustreflectthestepsfordataanalysisdescribedbythecandidateinChapterThree.Themedevelopmentmustbesupportedusingappropriatenarrativeanddatafromeachdatacollectionmethod,especiallythroughtheuseofparticipantquotes.Donotsimplylistaseriesofparticipantquotesdetachedfromanynarrative.Unexpectedcodesand/orthemesthatdonotcorrelatetospecificresearchquestionsarealsopresented.Datafromeachcollectionmethodareclearlyandmeaningfullyintegratedintothemedevelopment.Codes,ifdeveloped,arepresentedinmeaningfultablesorappendices,demonstratinghowtheywereorganizedtoinformthemes.ResearchQuestionResponses(orsomesuchname),underitsownheading,mustsupplynarrativeanswerstoeachoftheresearchquestionsusingdatacollected,butprimarilythethemesdevelopedintheprevioussection.Selectparticipantquotesareappropriatetosupporttheresponsestotheresearchquestions.SummaryProvideachaptersummary.TheSummaryincludesasuccinctconclusiontothechapter.CHAPTERFIVE:CONCLUSIONOverviewBegintheOverviewsectionwithabriefrestatementofthepurposeofthestudy.TheOverviewmustclearlyandconciselydescribethecontentsandorganizationofthechapter.ChapterFiveisuniqueinthatyouareexpectedtouseyourowninterpretationsandideasChapterFiveconsistsofsixsections:(a)anoverviewofthechapter,(b)asummaryofthefindings,(c)adiscussionofthefindingsandtheimplicationsinlightoftherelevantliteratureandtheory,(d)animplicationssection(methodologicalandpractical),(e)anoutlineofthestudydelimitationsandlimitations,and(f)recommendationsforfutureresearch.Note:Thischapterisnotpartoftheplan,prospectus,orproposal.SummaryofFindingsProvideaconcisesummaryofthestudyfindings,brieflyansweringeachresearchquestion.DonotmerelycutandpastefromtheChapterFourResultssection.DiscussionThepurposeofthissectionistodiscussthestudyfindingsinrelationtotheempiricalandtheoreticalliteraturereviewedinChapterTwo.TheempiricalandtheoreticalliteraturediscussionsmustbewrittenundertheirownAPALevel2headings.Howdoesyourstudyconfirmorcorroboratepreviousresearch?Howdoesyourstudydivergefromorextendonpreviousresearch?Whatnovelcontributiondoesyourstudyaddtothefield?Howdoesyourstudyextendorshednewlightontheoryinformingthetopic?ImplicationsThepurposeofthissectionistoaddressthetheoretical,empirical,andpracticalimplicationsofthestudy.Thetheoretical,empirical,andpracticalimplicationsmustbewrittenundertheirownAPALevel2headings.Dependingonthetopic,itmaybeappropriatetoincludespecificrecommendationsforvariousstakeholders,suchaspolicymakers,administrators,teachers,parents,etc.DelimitationsandLimitationsDelimitationsarepurposefuldecisionstheresearchermakestolimitordefinetheboundariesofthestudy(e.g.,onlyincludingparticipantsovertheageof18,selectinganethnographicoveraphenomenologicalstudy,etc.).Describetherationalebehinddecisionsmadetolimitordefinethescopeandfocusofthestudy.Limitationsarepotentialweaknessesofthestudythatcannotbecontrolled.Theymayberelatedtothedesign,theanalysis,orthesample(e.g.,gender,age,ethnicity,geographicallocation,etc.).RecommendationsforFutureResearchInconsiderationofthestudyfindings,limitations,andthedelimitationsplacedonthestudy,providemultiplerecommendationsanddirectionsforfutureresearch.Includeanargumentforwhattopicsandpopulationsshouldbestudied,alongwithspecifictypesofdesignsthatshouldbeemployed.SummaryProvideasummaryofthestudy.FromyourImplicationssection,reiteratewhatyouconsidertobetheoneortwomostimportanttake-awaysfromtheresultsofyourresearch(youmayconsiderincludingananecdotalillustration)REFERENCESAlfano,C.A.,Lau,S.,Balderas,J.,Bunnell,B.E.,&Beidel,D.C.(2016).Theimpactofmilitarydeploymentonchildren:Placingdevelopmentalriskincontext.ClinicalPsychologyReview,43,17-29.Allen,D.C.(2015).Research,whenyouknowwhatyouredoing:Areviewofessentialsofqualitativeinquiry.TheQualitativeReport,20(4),451-453.Amineh,R.J.,&Asl,H.D.(2015).Reviewofconstructivismandsocialconstructivism.JournalofSocialSciences,Literature,andLanguages,1(1),9-16.Anney,V.N.(2014).Ensuringthequalityofthefindingsofqualitativeresearch:Lookingattrustworthinesscriteria.JournalofEmergingTrendsinEducationalResearchandPolicyStudies(JETERAPS),5(2),272-281.Appel,H.,Gerlach,A.L.,&Crusius,J.(2016).TheinterplaybetweenFacebookuse,socialcomparison,envy,anddepression.CurrentOpinioninPsychology,9,44-49.Bandura,A.(2018).Towardapsychologyofhumanagency:Pathwaysandreflections.PerspectivesonPsychologicalScience,13(2),130-136.Bello?Utu,C.F.,&DeSocio,J.E.(2015).Militarydeploymentandreintegration:Asystematicreviewofchildcoping.JournalofChildandAdolescentPsychiatricNursing,28(1),23-34.Benner,A.D.,Boyle,A.E.,&Sadler,S.(2016).Parentalinvolvementandadolescentseducationalsuccess:Therolesofpriorachievementandsocioeconomicstatus.Journalofyouthandadolescence,45(6),1053-1064.Bennett,J.(2018).Combatingsexualassaultwiththemilitaryethic:Exploringculture,militaryinstitutions,andnorms-basedpreventivepolicy.ArmedForces&Society,44(4),707-730.Bolles,E.,&Patrizio,K.(2016).Leadershiptenetsofmilitaryveteransworkingasschooladministrators.JournalofLeadershipEducation,15(3),98-116.Bondy,E.,Ross,D.D.,Gallingane,C.,&Hambacher,E.(2007).Creatingenvironmentsofsuccessandresilience:Culturallyresponsiveclassroommanagementandmore.UrbanEducation,42(4),326-348.Brownfield,D.,&Thompson,K.(1991).Attachmenttopeersanddelinquentbehavior.CanadianJournalofCriminology,33,45.Burton,N.W.,Pakenham,K.I.,&Brown,W.J.(2010).Feasibilityandeffectivenessofpsychosocialresiliencetraining:ApilotstudyoftheREADYprogram.Psychology,Health,andMedicine,15(3),266-277.Carey,M.A.,&Asbury,J.E.(2016).Focusgroupresearch.Routledge.Castro,M.,Expsito-Casas,E.,Lpez-Martn,E.,Lizasoain,L.,Navarro-Asencio,E.,&Gaviria,J.L.(2015).Parentalinvolvementonstudentacademicachievement:Ameta-analysis.Educationalresearchreview,14,33-46.Chang,R.(2017).GenevraWalters:Howtechcanclosetheachievementgap:Studentswhostruggleneedmoretechnology,notless.THEJournal(TechnologicalHorizonsinEducation),44(1),12.Cheng,C.C.&Huang,K.H.(2018).Educationreformandteacheragency.ProblemsofEducationinthe21stCentury,76(3),286-287.Chester,J.,&Montgomery,K.(2008).Noescape:Marketingtokidsinthedigitalage.MultinationalMonitor,29(1),11.Conforte,A.M.,Bakalar,J.L.,Shank,L.M.,Quinlan,J.,Stephens,M.B.,Sbrocco,T.,&Tanofsky-Kraff,M.(2017).Assessingmilitarycommunitysupport:Relationsamongperceivedmilitarycommunitysupport,childpsychosocialadjustment,andparentpsychosocialadjustment.MilitaryMedicine,182(9-10),e1871-e1878.Cozza,S.J.,Knobloch,L.K.,Gewirtz,A.H.,DeVoe,E.R.,Gorman,L.A.,Flake,E.M.,...&Lerner,R.M.(2018).Lessonslearnedandfuturerecommendationsforconductingresearchwithmilitarychildrenandfamilies.InABattlePlanforSupportingMilitaryFamilies(pp.265-287).Springer,Cham.Creswell,J.(2003).ResearchDesign:Qualitative,Quantitative,andMixedMethodsApproaches.California:SagePublication.Creswell,J.W.(2007).QualitativeInquiryandResearchDesign:ChoosingamongFiveApproaches.CA:Sage.Creswell,J.W.,&Poth,C.N.(2018).Qualitativeinquiry&researchdesign:Choosingamongfiveapproaches(4thed.).ThousandOaks,California:SagePublications.Dahlman,H.(2013,September/October).Thejourneytowardcross-culturalcompetenceisnever-ending.Momentum,44(3),27-31.DePedro,K.T.,Astor,R.A.,Gilreath,T.D.,Benbenishty,R.,&Berkowitz,R.(2018).Schoolclimate,deployment,andmentalhealthamongstudentsinmilitary-connectedschools.Youth&Society,50(1),93-115.DeVoe,E.R.(2017).Supportingmilitaryfamilieswithyoungchildrenthroughoutthedeploymentlifecycle.Boston:TrusteesofBostonUniversity.DeVoe,E.R.,Paris,R.,Emmert-Aronson,B.,Ross,A.,&Acker,M.(2017).Arandomizedclinicaltrialofapost-deploymentparentinginterventionforservicemembersandtheirfamilieswithveryyoungchildren.PsychologicalTrau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EducationatLibertyUniversity,isconductingthisstudy.BackgroundInformation:Thepurposeofthisstudyistoexploretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.Thiswillprovideafoundationofunderstandingthatcanassisteducationalstakeholdersandthemilitarycommunityinfillingthevoidcreatedbyadeployedparentwiththegoaltohelpthestudentofthedeployedparent.Procedures:Ifyouconsenttobeapartofthisstudy,youwillbeaskedtodothefollowing:1.Completeaquestionnairethatincludespreliminarydemographicdata,suchasage,race,militaryaffiliation,andyearsofservice.Thequestionnairewillalsoconsistofthreeopen-endedquestionsandshouldtakeapproximately30minutestocomplete2.Participateinaface-to-faceoronlineinterviewwiththeresearcher.Interviewswillbeconductedinapredesignatedlocation(chosenbyyou).Eachinterviewwilllastforapproximately45-60minutes.Interviewswillbeaudio-recorded,butpseudonymswillbeusedtomaintainconfidentiality.3.Participateinanonlinefocusgroupthroughwhichseveralpreparedquestionswillbeanswered.Participantswillbegatheredinanonlineforumfor45-60minutesusingavideoconferencingsoftwaresuchasZOOM.Theonlinesessionwillberecordedfortranscription.Pseudonymswillbeusedtomaintainconfidentiality.4.Providerelevantartifactsforanalysis:Youwillbeaskedtoprovide(ifavailable)artifactssuchasjournals,letters,andemailcorrespondencewithteacherspertainingtoyourchildren.Theseartifactswillbeanalyzedtogainfurtherinsightintotheissuesthatdeployedparentsface.Pseudonymswillbeusedtomaintainconfidentiality.Risks:Therisksinvolvedinthisstudyareminimalandarenomorethanwhatparticipantsencounterineverydaylife.Ifyouexperiencediscomfortwhiletakingpartinthisstudy,youmaychoosetostopparticipatingatanytime.Benefits:Thedirectbenefitsparticipantsshouldexpecttoreceivefromtakingpartinthisstudywillbeunderstandingtheperceptionsofotherdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.Thoughyourparticipationmayhavepotentialbenefitstoeducationandthemilitarycommunityasawhole,youmaynotreceiveanydirectbenefitsofyourinvolvement.Compensation:Participantswillnotbecompensatedforparticipatinginthisstudy.Confidentiality:Therecordsofthisstudywillbekeptprivate.Inanysortofreport,Imightpublish,Iwillnotincludeanyinformationthatwillmakeitpossibletoidentifyasubject.Researchrecordswillbestoredsecurely,andonlytheresearcherwillhaveaccesstotheartifacts.ImaysharethedataIcollectfromyouforuseinfutureresearchstudiesorwithotherresearchers;ifIsharethedatathatIcollectaboutyou,Iwillremoveanyinformationthatcouldidentifyyou,ifapplicable,beforeIsharethedata.Procedureswillbetakentoprotecttheprivacyofallparticipants,includingtheuseofassignedpseudonymsandinterviewsconductedinlocationswhereotherswillnoteasilyoverheartheconversation.Datawillbestoredonapassword-protectedcomputer,andalldocumentswillbekeptinalockedfilecabinet.Datamaybeusedinfuturepresentations.Theresearcherwilltranscribeinterviews.Recordingswillbestoredonapassword-lockedcomputerforthreeyearsndthenerased.Onlytheresearcherwillhaveaccesstotheserecordings.Icannotassureparticipantsthatothermembersoftheonlinefocusgroupwillnotsharewhatwasdiscussedwithpersonsoutsideofthegroup.VoluntaryNatureoftheStudy:Participationinthisstudyisvoluntary.YourdecisionwhetherornottoparticipatewillnotaffectyourcurrentorfuturerelationswithLibertyUniversityoryourpositionsinthemilitary.Ifyoudecidetoparticipate,youarefreenottoansweranyquestionorwithdrawatanytimewithoutaffectingthoserelationships.HowtoWithdrawfromtheStudy:Ifyouchoosetowithdrawfromthestudy,pleasecontacttheresearcherattheemailaddress/phonenumberincludedinthenextparagraph.Shouldyoudecidetowithdraw,datacollectedfromyou,apartfromfocusgroupdata,willbedestroyedimmediatelyandwillnotbeincludedinthisstudy.Focusgroupdatawillnotbedestroyed,butyourcontributionstothefocusgroupwillnotbeincludedinthestudyifyouchoosetowithdraw.ContactsandQuestions:TheresearcherconductingthisstudyisEderG.Bennett.Youmayaskanyquestionsyouhavenow.Ifyouhavequestionslater,youareencouragedtocontacthimat(860)213-4464orebennett17@liberty.edu.Ifyouwouldliketoaddressquestionsorconcernstosomeoneotherthantheresearcher,youareencouragedtocontacttheresearchersfacultychair,Dr.JamesEller,at(440)[email protected]:Ihavereadandunderstoodtheaboveinformation.Ihaveaskedquestionsandhavereceivedanswers.Iconsenttoparticipateinthestudy.Theresearcherhasmypermissiontoaudio-recordmeaspartofmyparticipationinthisstudy.SignatureofParticipantDateSignatureofInvestigatorDateAPPENDIXD:RECRUITMENTLETTERFall2019DearServiceMember,AsagraduatestudentintheSchoolofEducationatLibertyUniversity,IamconductingresearchaspartoftherequirementsforadoctoraldegreeinEducationalLeadership.Iamwritingtoinviteyoutoparticipateinmyresearchstudyabouttheperceptionsofmilitaryparentswhoaredeployedregardingtheiractiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.You\'reeligibletobeinthisstudybecauseyouhavebeenidentifiedashavingsomeexperiencewiththisparticularissue.Ifyoudecidetoparticipateinthisstudy,youwillpartakeinaface-to-faceoronlinerecordedinterview,takepartinanonlinefocusgroup,andbeaskedtoproviderelevantartifacts(ifavailable)foranalysis.Youshouldbeabletocompleteyourparticipationinapproximatelytwotothreeweeks,withittakingfourtofivehourstocompleteallprocedures.Yournameand/orotheridentifyinginformationwillberequestedaspartofyourparticipation,buttheinformationwillremainconfidential.Toparticipate,pleaserespondtomyemailwithyourdesiretobeapossibleparticipant.Followingyourresponsetoparticipate,Iwillthencontactyouforaninterviewandprovidetheconsentformforyoutosign.Theconsentdocumentcontainsadditionalinformationaboutmyresearch.Sincerely,EderG.BennettDoctoralCandidateLibertyUniversityAPPENDIXE:QUESTIONNAIREThepurposeofthisqualitativetranscendentalphenomenologicalstudyistoexploretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation.Thisquestionnaireisdesignedtoobtaindemographicinformationaswellastocaptureyourperceptionsandexperiencesofbeingaparentwhiledeployedoverseasinthemilitary.1.Name:____________________________________________________________2.Age:_____________3.Ethnicity:______________________4.BranchofService:_____________________________________________5.Rank:__________________________________________________6.Ageofspouse:____________________________________________7.Spousecurrentprofession:_______________________________________8.Highestdegreeearned____________________________________________________9.Howmanyschoolagechildrencurrentlyinyourhousehold:_______________________10.Howmanytimeshaveyoubeendeployed:_____________________________________?11.Ifcurrentlydeployed,whatisthedurationofyourdeployment:______________________12.Ifnotcurrentlydeployed:Whenwasyourlastdeploymentandhowlong________________13.Reflectonyourexperiencesofbeingaparentwhiledeployedinthemilitary.Pleaseprovideabriefwrittenresponsetoeachquestion.a.Whatwordbestdescribesyourinitialthoughtaboutdeploymentasitrelatestoyourabilitytobeinvolvedinyourchildseducation.Pleaseexplainb.Whatsupport(familial,financial,experience)hasaidedinmaintainingasenseofinvolvementinyourchildseducationc.Whatisthenumberonechallenge(asidefromadistance)thathindersyourabilitytoparticipateinachildseducation?APPENDIXF:INTERVIEWGUIDESemi-Structured,Open-EndedInterviewQuestionsCentralResearchQuestion:Whataretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation?OpeningQuestions19.Pleaseintroduceyourself,describeyourselfandyourfamily20.Howlonghaveyoubeenservinginthemilitary21.Inthepasttwoyears,howmanytimesandforhowlongwhereyoudeployed22.Whatistheageandgenderofyourschool-agechildorchildren23.PleaseexplainyourexperienceinthemilitarythusfarQuestionsrelatingtoparticipantsperceptions24.Whatisyourdefinitionofparentalinvolvement,particularlyasitrelatestoeducation25.Inwhatway(ifany)doesyourdefinitionofparentalinvolvementchangewhiledeployed26.Howwouldyoucompareandcontrastyourroleinyourchildseducationwhennotdeployedandwhiledeployed27.Whatchangeshaveyouexperiencedinyourchildsbehavior,focus,andattitudetowardslearningwhiledeployed?28.Whataresomewaysormethodsusedtoparticipateinyourchildseducationwhiledeployed,andhowdotheydifferfromthetechniqueusedwhennotdeployed29.Howhasyourdeploymentimpactedyourspouse,particularlyasitrelatestohis/herabilitytobeinvolvedinyourchildseducation30.Reflectonthefirsttimeyouspokewithyourchildabouttheireducationwhenyouweredeployed.Whatwasthatexperiencelike?31.Reflectonyourchildseducation.Whatisyourperceptionofyourchildssenseofhowyourdeploymentimpactshisorherlearning?Questionsrelatingtoparticipantsperceptionsofchallenges32.Describeatime(whiledeployed)whenyouencounteredabarrierorchallengethatpreventedyoufrombeinginvolvedintheireducation?33.Describeatimewhenyoufeltthatyoucouldbemoreinvolvedinyourchildrenseducationwhiledeployed.Wereyouabletocomeupwithasolution?Ifso,pleasedescribeit.34.Howdoesbeingdeployedaltersyourinteractionswithyourchildsteachersandothereducators35.Whatstageofdeployment(pre-deployment,deployment,post-deployment)doyoubelievecreatesthemostchallengesinattemptingtostayinvolvedinyourchildseducation,pleaseexplain36.WhatadvicewouldyougiveamilitaryparentwhoisdeployedormaydeployinthefutureAPPENDIXG:FOCUSGROUPQUESTIONGUIDESemi-Structured,Open-EndedFocusGroupQuestionsCentralResearchQuestion:Whataretheperceptionsandlivedexperincesofdeployedmilitaryparentsregardingactiveinvolvementintheirchildseducation?OpeningQuestions:7.Willeachindividual,pleasestateyourname,yourmilitarybranch,andlengthofserviceQuestionsRelatingtoChallengesParentsexperiencewhileDeployed:8.Asaparent,howwouldyoudescribeyouroverallexperienceofbeingseparatedfromyourfamilywhiledeployed9.Whatwouldyouidentifyasthemostchallengingaspectofbeingamilitarydeployedparent10.Fromaparentalstandpoint,whataresomeexamplesofchallengesyouencounteredwhiledeployed,andhowhaveyouovercomethemQuestionsRelatingtoParticipantsinvolvement:11.Howhasyourdeploymentaffectedyourchildsperformanceinschool12.Howoftenandinwhatwaydoyouinteractwithyourchildsteachersoreducator,whattypesoffeedbackhaveyoureceived