The involvement of Childrens Education Military deployed Parents Perceptions

MILITARY DEPLOYED PARENT PERCEPTIONS OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

by

Eder G. Bennett

Liberty University

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education

Liberty University

MILITARY DEPLOYED PARENT PERCEPTIONS OF INVOLVEMENT IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

by Eder G. Bennett

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education

APPROVED BY:

James Eller, Ed.D., Committee Chair

Michael-Chadwell Sharon, Ed.D., Committee Member

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education. For this purpose, this study developed an informed answer to the following research question: What are the perceptions of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education? The study used Epstein's theory 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 comparisonThe setting for this study was Fort Rapture. The sample population consisted of 10-12 personnel currently deployed or previously deployed within the past two years, who have pre-K-12 school-aged children now in school.

Keywords: parental involvement, military deployment, deployed parents, soldiers as parents, phenomenology

Copyright Page

No original material may be used without permission of the author

All rights reserved

Acknowledgments

I want to express utmost gratitude to James Eller, Ed.D., Committee Chair Michael-Chadwell Sharon, Ed.D., Committee Member, for their unwavering support and mentorship through the dissertation. I am honored and grateful to have been part of the Faculty of Education at Liberty University pursuing my doctorate and will live to look back at the time spent here with nostalgia and fun. Furthermore, I am grateful to all those I have had the privilege to work with on this dissertation and other projects. Each of the members of my dissertation committee has been proactive and gone above what is required of them to offer invaluable professional guidance that I will be keen to provide to those who I will have an opportunity to mentor, and for this am thankful.

To my family, I am indebted to you for the devotion, patience, and unyielding support that you have shown during this endeavor and always. Your love and guidance are with me at all times and are never taken in vain. Your presence is an eternal source of inspiration. You are role models whom I can rely on for genuine and objective opinions. Living as examples of integrity and commitment to the pursuit of own goals has been the most important lesson from you, and for this reason, I appreciate you.

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

Copyright Page 4

Dedication 5

Acknowledgments 6

Table of Contents 7

List of Tables 12

List of Figures 13

List of Abbreviations 14

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 15

Overview 15

Background 15

Historical 17

Theoretical 18

Social 19

Situation to Self 20

Problem Statement 21

Purpose Statement 22

Significance of Study 22

Theoretical Significance 23

Practical Significance 24

Empirical Significance 24

Research Questions 24

Central Research Question 25

Sub Research Question One 25

Sub Research Question Two 26

Sub Research Question Three 26

Definitions 27

Summary 28

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 30

Overview 30

Theoretical Framework 31

Related Literature 32

Impact of Military Deployment 32

The Supportive Role of Community 38

Resiliency 42

How Technology Plays a Part 48

The Role of the Teacher 51

Summary 57

CHAPTER THREE: METHODS 61

Overview 61

Design 61

Research Questions 63

Setting 64

Participants 65

Procedures 66

The Researcher’s Role 67

Data Collection 68

Questionnaire 68

Interviews 70

Artifact Analysis 73

Focus Group 74

Data Analysis 75

Horizonalizing 77

Imagination Variation 78

Essence 78

Trustworthiness 78

Credibility 79

Dependability and Confirmability 79

Transferability 79

Ethical Considerations 80

Summary 80

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS 82

Overview 82

Participants 82

Mike 83

Christopher 84

Johnathon 85

Zac 86

Brown 87

Billy 88

Schneider 89

Chris 90

Janice 91

Tammy 92

Thomas 93

Terry 94

RESULTS 95

Theme Development 95

Research Question Responses 103

Summary 106

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION 107

Overview 107

Summary of the Findings 107

Discussion 109

Theoretical Literature 110

Empirical Literature 112

Implications 115

Empirical Implications 115

Theoretical Implications 116

Practical Implications 116

Limitations and Delimitations 117

Recommendations for Future Research 117

Summary 117

REFERENCES 119

APPENDIX A: LIBERTY UNIVERSITY IRB APPROVAL 132

APPENDIX B: RECRUITMENT FLYER 133

APPENDIX C: INFORMED CONSENT 134

APPENDIX D: RECRUITMENT LETTER 137

APPENDIX E: QUESTIONNAIRE 138

APPENDIX F: INTERVIEW GUIDE 139

APPENDIX G: FOCUS GROUP QUESTION GUIDE 141

List of Tables

Note: Anticipated Tables

Table 1. Questionnaire………………………….………….….…………….…………….…65

Table 2. Participants Item Selection. ……………….…………………………….……….…...65

Table 3. Standardized Open-Ended Interview Questions…………………………………. ….68

Tab 4. Standardized Open-Ended Focus Group Questions…………………………………......68

List of Figures

Figure 1. Theoretical Frameworks, Methods, and Procedures………………….………………70

List of Abbreviations

Positive 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: INTRODUCTION

Overview

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education. The study aimed to provide a foundation of understanding for educational stakeholders and the military community to fill the void in a child’s educative experience created by a deployed parentThis chapter provides a framework for the research; justifies the research problem; provides an overview of previous research; identifies the importance of this research for stakeholders in education, including military personnel, families, teachers, and community members; and introduces the research questions.

Background

Deployment involves the temporary relocation of a military unit within the United States or overseas locations (Alfano, Lau, Balderas, Bunnell, & Beidel, 2016). Deployment has three phases: pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment. Though all three phases are challenging for military personnel and their families, the deployment and post-deployment phase is believed to be the most severe (Alfano et al., 2016). As the military parent prepares to leave, the children are emotionally affected (Alfano et al., 2016). It is important to note that the specific responses to deployment depend on various factors such as age, gender, maturity, pre-existing parent-child relationship, and the coping strategies and skills provided through interventions.

Children of military parents undergo tremendous challenges, especially during their parent’s deployment. These challenges are mainly psychological strain, which often manifests in poor academic performance (Nicosia, Wong, Shier, Massachi, & Datar, A., 2017). Due to actions taken by the United States military in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, extended deployment has become a reality for children of military parents. The standard deployment time for the Army is 12 months, but this could rise to 18 months. During this time, research findings have shown that the academic performance of military children decreases in a noticeable way (Bello?Utu & DeSocio, 2015; Nicosia et al., 2017). The academic performance of children of military parents on long-term deployment, which can be as much as 18 months or even more, is lower than children without deployed parents (Moeller, Culler, Hamilton, Aronson, & Perkins, 2015).

Deployment and the period after deployment have been shown to affect children's learning and academic performance because it creates instability in students' lives and their environment (Conforte, Bakalar, Shank, Quinlan& Stephens, 2017). Children of deployed military parents become stressed students due to the absence of their parents and the shock and pressure of adjusting to the new normal. The stress associated with an absent parent has been shown to cause problems in concentrating, learning new academic concepts, and controlling their emotions and expressions (Conforte et al., 2017). The exact manner in which such stress manifests varies with every child. Still, some common responses include becoming quiet and withdrawn or, conversely, hyperactive, disruptive to classroom etiquette, and lack of ability to concentrate on a single activity.

There is a growing body of research on possible interventions that can be provided through policy, community, and schools (Epstein, 2011; Epstein et al., 2018). However, it has been noted that there is not much research on the views of military parents in this context, especially their requirement to leave their children to serve the country. Like any reasonable and non-military parent, they want to be involved in the education of their children. Therefore, this study seeks to research and highlight the perceptions of military parent’s involvement in their children’s education. To this end, the historical, social, and theoretical contexts in which this problem exists are discussed further below.

Historical

The problem of the effects of deployment on children's education is one that researchers have only recently begun to examine. Alfano, Lau, Balderas, Bunnell, and Beidel (2016) showed that the impact of a parent’s deployment could harm children’s education. DePedro, Astor, Gilreath, Benbenishty, and Berkowitz (2018), there is sufficient evidence to indicate a need for schools to accept and address the challenges faced by children of a deployed parent to reduce the likelihood of them veering off the academic path. Over time, the problem of deployed parents and the ramifications of their deployment on their children's education has become more transparent, which is why this recent research has emerged. The United States government has gone so far as to put together a booklet to assist parents facing deployment and explain some of the challenges that their families and children might face.

Per the Educator's Guide to the Military Child During Deployment (U.S. Department of Defense, 2008.), the stressful effects of deployment impacts not only the family members but also the service member. Once a military parent deploys, regardless of the deployment period, the family members that remain behind have to readjust and redistribute their roles to compensate for the absence of the deployed family member. The research to date indicates that for young families, there is an increased tendency to return to the location of their origin to reduce costs and as a measure to add to psychological support sources needed for the family to keep going (U.S. Department of Defense, n.d.).

Moreover, researchers at the RAND Corporation have shown that children of deployed parents face academic challenges because of their home life structure (RAND Corporation, 2012). Some of the critical findings by the RAND Corporation are that children whose parents are deployed for more than a year tend to achieve statistically significant poorer academic results compared to the scores of students who have never experienced a parental deployment (RAND Corporation, 2012).

Theoretical

The theoretical underpinnings of this research problem involve the relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement, which has been well documented (Trautman & Ho, 2018). ). Epstein’s parent-teacher-community theory emphasizes the parent-child role. Hirschi’s social bond theory, as well as Sampson and Laub’s life course theory, both support the idea that strong families and support systems lead to outcomes that are more positive as children progress into adulthood Therefore, it is reasonable to posit that the extended absence of a parent amounts to an increase in stress levels that is associated with military deployments on children, which has a profoundly adverse effect on young learners’ academic achievement. Moreover, concern about this adverse effect can have a corresponding negative impact on deployed parents’ morale and well-being, perhaps to the extent that their job performance is affected. Although military service is inherently a dangerous enterprise, causing service members to be concerned for their safety, parents serving in combat may also experience stress over concerns for their families back at home. The extent to which service members are negatively affected by these concerns may impact their ability to achieve their mission.

Social

One of the more significant findings of the RAND Corporation's (2012) study into the negative ramifications of deployment on children's academic progress is that parents tend to suffer most from the deployment, which adds a burden to the child's mind and can distract them from school or add to the child's worries and anxieties. Thus, a holistic approach to this problem needs to be developed to provide deployed parents, their spouses or intimate partners, their children, and other members and friends the knowledge and resources required to address every facet of the issue. One way to develop this holistic approach is to understand better what they go through and their experiences. Because so much of their experience translates to the child's experience, it is most helpful to understand first. As Castro et al. (2015) pointed out, a parent plays a pivotal role in the child’s academic development. If the parent is not actively involved due to being deployed or because their spouse is deployed, the child may receive less support and engagement from the parent than under normal circumstances.

The social aspect of this problem extends beyond the family. Teachers have to find ways to manage a child's challenges at home and the community, as the child's potential to develop could impair the community's future (Benner, Boyle, & Sadler, 2016). As noted by O'Neal, Mallette, and Mancini (2018), community connections are essential for military parents looking out for their children's well-being. Children are part of families, who are, in turn, part of wider communities, and those communities provide support for families that is extended to the child. A clear and definite social relationship has to be explored in this issue to see whether deployed parents are utilizing the support of their communities to help their children develop adequately.

Situation to Self

I am a United States Army officer and an Instructor with the United States Army Recruiting and Retention College. I have more than thirteen years of military service, which spans various positions and assignments. I consider myself a member of the population I am studying because I am familiar with their issues and experiences. That is the precise reason I have chosen to conduct this research. I assume that the nature of the lived experiences of deployed parents is characterized by an overarching perception that their deployment, military occupation, and geographic distance from their family members represent the main obstacles in assisting in their child's educative process. This assumption is based on an ontological view. According to Creswell (2013), researchers embracing ontological views believe that phenomena hold multiple realities. These realities require multiple forms of evidence and can be discovered through investigation. I also believe that the knowledge one learns can be communicated effectively to others. As understood by the individual, this reality can be reported to others notwithstanding the subjective values and biases that the researcher might possess.

The research paradigm by which I view this study is constructivism; this paradigm suggests that learning is an active, constructive process wherein the learner constructs the information or creates subjective representations of objective reality (Amineh & Asl, 2015). I expect that participants in this study have been as honest as possible and that the meaning they express is useful in creating better approaches to helping their children academically.

This research paradigm comes with limits. The memory of individuals may differ from the facts, which could lead to a participant's recollections and meaning construction seeming to be unreliable (Gardner, 2001). However, even if the memories shift, the creation of meaning that the participants provide is essential because this feeling and sense of things are what has stayed with them.

Problem Statement

It is important to note that the deployment of military parents can disrupt the educational and academic progress of their children. De Pedro et al. (2018) pointed out that children who go a considerable period (a year or more) without a parent in their lives because of deployment are at higher risk of suffering academically. Currently, there are no clear guidelines available for parents or teachers to help understand the development process of children of deployed military parents. The United States government has provided the Educator’s Guide to the Military Child During Deployment (U.S. Department of Defense, n.d.). Still, it is brief and mainly designed to alert parents about what to expect but does not give an in-depth guide about possible interventions.

There are no clearly defined protocols or persuasive strategies that deployed parents could employ to assist in their efforts to be involved in their children's education (De Pedro et al., 2018). This gap, however, represents an opportunity for new research. To date, there has been some research concerning the effects of deployment and the possible corrective measures. Still, this research has focused only on children, school, and society without parental perspectives (Bello?Utu & DeSocio, 2015; De Pedro et al., 2018). Understanding that deployment affects military service members and their children and family members, it is therefore essential to focus on parental perspectives.

That is why the theoretical approach provided by Epstein et al. (2018) can help to use primary stakeholders—parents, teachers, and community—to come to the aid of children who have a deployed parent. What is necessary is developing efficacious interventions that directly address this problem (De Pedro et al., 2018). To develop such interventions, one must first understand the parents' perspective because they are the ones who experience an immediate impact (RAND Corporation, 2012). I believe that this phenomenological research design has helped uncover this perspective and presented the information in a meaningful way that assists in developing appropriate interventions using Epstein’s parent-teacher-community theory.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their children’s education. This study provides a foundation of understanding that can assist educational stakeholders and the military community in filling the void created by a deployed parent to help the student of the deployed parent. At the outset of the research, the perceptions of military parents were defined as the experiences, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs about being absent from home. At the same time, their child attempts to go through the educative process and what they could do to help. The theory that guided this research was Epstein’s (2018) parent-teacher-community theory, highlighting the importance of the relationship between these three stakeholders in shaping the child's academic progress.

Significance of Study

Though many Americans profess to support the troops, it is clear that the needs of many deployed military parents are being overlooked. Therefore, the significance of this study relates to filling this gap by identifying optimal strategies that would help deployed parents actively participate in their children’s education without creating detractions from their occupational performance. Cozza et al. (2018) noted that more research into the relationship between military parents and their children is needed. Similarly, Alfano, Lau, Balderas, Bunnell, and Beidel (2016) found that military deployment puts the academic progress of children of deployed parents at risk.

This study provides a foundation for understanding that can assist educational stakeholders and the military community in filling the void created by a deployed parent to help the student of the deployed parent. Alfano et al. (2016) noted that there is still a need for researchers to examine, in detail, the relationship between and among the academic development of the child, the role of the deployed parent, and other contextual factors such as community, teacher role, and so forth. However, since the RAND Corporation’s (2012) examination of the effect of deployment on military children, there has not been a significant review of the data regarding parents' perception of this challenging issue or contextual factors.

Theoretical Significance

This study helped explore Epstein’s parent-teacher-community theory on academic success from the perspective of military deployment and parent-absence. By showing how parent absence might impact the student’s academic achievement, this study could provide supplementary insight into the applications or limitations of Epstein’s theory. It may also help to reinforce Hirschi’s social bond theory and Sampson and Laub’s life course theory. Although these latter two deal primarily with deviance, the findings of this study could facilitate their application to students' academic challenges as well.

Practical Significance

This study aimed to build on the study by the RAND Corporation (2012) and incorporate the insights or more recent studies such as that conducted by De Pedro et al. (2018) to focus the phenomenological study and guide the interviews and focus groups that were used for obtaining the data on parents’ perceptions. It is believed that this study can help to improve the academic progress of children of deployed parents by giving stakeholders a better sense of challenges, options for overcoming these challenges, and real-life stories about what works, what does not work, and what might work. Hearing the experiences from the people involved can help give a better sense of the reality of the situation. Therefore, this study explored and examined these parents' perceptions and the contextual factors that impact their lives and contributed to developing a fuller understanding of how the military community can better assist parents, teachers, and the overall community itself.

Empirical Significance

This study aims to provide a foundation of understanding for educational stakeholders and the military community to fill the void in a child’s educative experience created by a deployed parent. By listening to military parents' lived experiences, challenges, and success stories in coping with lengthy deployments, fresh and vital insights may be obtained that would otherwise go unidentified. These empirical observations and experiences can help inform efforts to develop the individualized interventions that are necessary to support deployed parents and their families in ways that draw on demonstrated successes and opportunities

Research Questions

This study used a transcendental phenomenological research design to explore the perceptions that deployed military parents have regarding their involvement in their children’s education. The theoretical framework that guided this study was the theory of parental involvement supplied by Epstein (2011) regarding the relationship between parents, school, and community. To address the central research question and sub-questions, this researcher collected and analyzed data from military parents who were (at the time) deployed or were deployed in the past two years (Creswell, 2013).

Central Research Question

What are the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education?

This question provided insight into parents' experiences as they attempted to negotiate their deployment with their duties and responsibilities to their children . As Alfano et al. (2018) previously demonstrated, it was crucial to understand the broader contextual factors of this issue to arrive at an effective solution to the problem. Therefore, this question served as the primary focus.

Sub Research Question One

How do military parents perccieve their involvement in their children’s education while deployed?

This question was used to gain insight into the parents' sense of whether they play a factor in their child's academic performance. If parents did not see themselves as a contributing factor in the child's academic progress, this could impact how an intervention or solution would be affected. Parents play a vital role and are one of the leading players aside from teachers and the community in establishing the child's well-being and level of academic outcomes. Thus, it was essential to identify the perception of their role as parents.

Sub Research Question Two

How do military parents perceive the impact of their deployment on the family and their child’s academic performance?

This question was important because it addressed whether parent absence is an impactful factor in a child’s academic performance. It also addressed whether deployment (absence by order rather than by personal choice) was viewed as problematic by the deployed parent. Some research has shown that absence engagement in the child’s academic performance depends upon the parent’s sense of what the child is going through (Castro et al., 2015). Thus, this research question helped shed light on whether deployed parents see their absence in good, neutral or negative terms. If the parent was not in touch with what was going on in the child’s life, there was likely to be some greater need to educate the parent about the need to be more engaged.

Sub Research Question Three

What challenges do military parents who are deployed face from their communities while trying to stay involved in their children’s education?

This question was crucial because even if deployed parents and their spouses possessed a desire to be involved in their child’s academic development, they may have encountered challenges within the community or school environment (Benner et al., 2016). Understanding what these challenges and conditions were can help formulate recommended approaches that parents and stakeholders can utilize in the future. If the obstacles are not recognized, no adequate intervention can be implemented.

Definitions

For this study, the perceptions of military parents were defined as the experiences, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs about being absent from home. At the same time, their child attempts to go through the educative process and what interventions could be taken.

1. Attitude: According to Project Implicit (2018), an attitude is “your evaluation of some concept (e.g., person, place, thing, or idea). An explicit attitude is the kind of attitude that you deliberately think about and report.” Attitude for this study refers to the evaluations made by military parents and their feelings and beliefs.

2. Deployment: The most precise use of this term is the movement of military personnel from home station to another location (usually outside continental U.S. and its territories) in support of a specific training exercise or combat operation. +(VA, 2020).

3. Educative process: This refers to any learning environment in which one can engage in a learning process (Glassman & Kang, 2016).

4. Environment: This refers to the three agencies by which a person’s behavior is shaped: one’s peers (family, friends, and community), organizations, and media (Bandura, 2018). This definition helps understand how the three stakeholders of Epstein's theory contribute to making up the learner's environment.

5. Life course theory: This theory posits that events in one’s early life determine one’s life course, and if one is derailed through some traumatic event from a normal, supportive upbringing it can set one on a course for crime (Siegel, 2018).

6. Parental involvement: When parents participate and share communication with the school, parents gain active involvement in the educational process. Parental involvement may include parents volunteering in classroom activities and school events (Epstein, 2018).

7. Parent-teacher-community theory: This theory posits that a triumvirate of assistance among parents, teachers, and community members to assist in a child's education (Epstein, 2018).

8. Perception: This is the combination of experiences, attitudes, feelings, and parents' beliefs about being absent from home while their child attempts to go through the educative process and what they could do to help (Amineh &Asl, 2015; Benner et al., 2016).

9. Social bond theory posits that people refrain from committing derelict acts or deviant behavior because they have strong social ties or bonds with others. When those bonds do not exist, people have no reason to refrain from negative, deviant or self-destructive behavior (Siegel, 2018).

Summary

This transcendental phenomenological study focused on exploring the perceptions of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education. Currently, there are minimal guidelines available for parents or teachers to help develop military deployed parents. This created a need to understand what parents go through during deployment to arrive at a better understanding of how stakeholders can more comprehensively address the issue of helping the children of deployed parents to achieve academic success during the stressful period of deployment

Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in the education of their children. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in the education of their children. This study used the theory of Epstein (2018) 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 dealt with this challenge in the past.Using interviews and focus group discussions, this study aimed to provide more insight into how to help the children of deployed parents.

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

Overview

This literature review examines the theoretical framework used in this research study and a review of the literature relevant to the overall topic. The theory of parental involvement developed by Epstein (2011) is used as the framework to contextualize this literature review. The theory focuses on the support-relationship that is ordinarily and inherent between parents and their children and the support system available from schools and the entire community related to students' academic progression. It is especially important to consider this framework in the light of parents who are deployed to foreign wars or service and who are largely absent in their child's education. The parent makes up a significant part of the Epstein framework, so considering what happens when the parent is absent is necessary.

Parents' perceptions of missing their children's lives and not being present as their children make educational decisions challenging. The literature review focuses on parents' experience in supporting school children, the difficulties they face when deployed, and how support can be provided from communities and schools while parents are absent. Very few researchers consider the perspective of parents, which creates the need to take a closer look at the phenomenon.

This chapter discusses the impact that deployment of military parents has on children, types of community support available, the importance of resiliency training, the role of technology, and the role that teachers play, both in and outside of the classroom. The parent perception of these topics is provided when available. The literature that is used provides insight into how these issues play a role in children's academic lives of deployed parents. In the final analysis, the military family suffers from the deployment of parents. This is more so the case as far as the academic life of children is concerned.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework for this study is the theory of parental involvement supplied by Epstein (2011) regarding the relationship between parents, school, and community. Following this theory, parents play a pivotal role in providing the guidance and support children need to achieve their academic goals. The six types of involvement identified by Epstein (2011) are parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community. In all six types of involvement, the parent plays a pivotal role. The stronger the parent’s involvement—including setting high expectations for school achievement—the more likely the child is to pursue identified goals (Castro et al., 2015). Numerous research studies have validated this relationship between parental support and student academic achievement and is recognized as a universal phenomenon in various cultures (Benner, Boyle & Sadler, 2016; Mahuro & Hungi, 2016; Nunez et al., 2015).

The application of the theoretical framework to this study provided a structure for analysis. To determine the challenges, obstacles, benefits, and solutions to how a military parent can support their child's education while deployed, this theoretical framework shows where to look and what supports should be in place. Epstein et al. (2018) compiled this information into a helpful theory that delineates the partnerships that schools, families, and communities can have to improve academic outcomes for young learners. Epstein et al. (2018) provided substantive evidence of the positive impact of parental and community involvement on academic achievement and performance in schools (Slavin, 2019). They concluded that this collaborative approach could also improve educator morale and enhance schools' reputations in the community. By exploring how deployed parents perceive the effects of their absence on their child’s academic performance and whether those parents see any assistance coming from the community or school, a sense of what challenges remain for this population may be obtained.

Related Literature

Various studies (e.g., Alfano et al., 2016; MacDermid Wadsworth et al., 2017; Pexton, Farrants & Yule, 2018; Trautmann, Alhusen & Gross, 2015) have demonstrated that children’s education is affected by the deployment of their military parents. Further review of the literature indicates the relevance of consistency cannot be overstated when properly managing the various adversities they encounter, particularly during the early stages of their development (DeVoe, 2017). Towards this end, it would be prudent to highlight the community's supportive role in this endeavor and the role that other factors play, such as technology and parental resiliency in addressing the diverse needs of learners from households where parents have been deployed.

Impact of Military Deployment

A study by Alfano, Lau, Balderas, Bunnell, and Beidel (2016) showed the negative impact of military deployment on children, particularly their education. This could create a need for mental health treatment because they lack the consistency and stability most children have in a typical nuclear family. Further, DePedro, Astor, Gilreath, Benbenishty, and Berkowitz (2018) point out; schools can play a significant role in alleviating some of the negative symptoms children experience when parents are deployed in the military. School climate is an essential factor in lessening the severity of students' mental health issues while one or more parents are deployed (DePedro et al., 2018). As Pexton, Farrants, and Yule (2018) observed, without support from schools, the family unit cannot come together cohesively, as one parent is away for a while, and the child may not receive enough support or consistency from the other parent.

In this regard, Nicosia, Wong, Shier, Massachi, and Datar (2017) indicated that children need consistency in their lives to manage the problems and adversity that come their way during their adolescence's growth and development phases. Without this consistency, they are at risk of lacking adequate academic skills and follow-through (Nicosia, Wong, Shier, Massachi & Datar, 2017). A series of deployments and the process of reintegration that follows deployment may interrupt this developmental process (Knobloch-Fedders, Yorgason, Ebata & McGlaughlin, 2017). Consistency is of great relevance in ensuring that a child’s learning process is not hampered in any shape or form. In some instances, transfers from one school to another could be a complex undertaking. This example is particularly when credits are not transferrable between institutions – effectively meaning the learner risks starting repeatedly. This can have an unfortunate effect on the student, and both parents and teachers should be aware of the trials students experience due to military deployment (De Pedro et al., 2018).

Lester et al. (2016) discovered a significant negative impact on children resulting from war-related deployment of parents. They showed that parents who experience depression or PTSD during or after deployment also negatively impact their children's lives and affect their ability to socially and emotionally adjust to their environments. Thus, deployment has impacts beyond a mere absence; when parents return, they do not always return in the same mental and emotional state they were in when they left. They may be bringing back psychological baggage or trauma that, in turn, impacts the child even after the deployment has ended. There are residual effects of deployment that must be considered when assessing how children of military parents are affected by war. They indicate that the military community must be more mindful and supportive of military families where children are involved, vulnerable and at risk. Turner, Finkelhor, Hamby, and Henly (2017) supported the findings of Lester et al. (2016) with their study, which compared two groups—children of deployed parents and children of non-deployed parents—to see whether one group showed signs of adversity, trauma, delinquency, or victimization. Their cross-sectional surveys conducted over six years from a total sample of more than 13,000 participants showed that the children of deployed parents demonstrated more vulnerability to adversity, delinquency, trauma, and victimization than children of non-deployed parents. Turner et al. (2017) revealed that a deployed parent involved in a mission abroad would likely be absent in the home. Upon returning, the parent may provide a physical presence, but the mission overseas can take its toll on the parent's mental health. Thus, making the situation at home all the more tense and stressful for the child, who sees the parent as the same but does not understand the psychological change that has taken place on the parent. In many cases, the parent is unaware of the trauma; even though signs may be there, something has changed (Turner et al., 2017).

Earlier studies by Brownfield and Thompson (1991), provided evidence that suggested no relationship among youths, families, and delinquency, positing that social learning and social control theories were inadequate theoretical frameworks for explaining adversity among children and adolescents. However, other researchers, such as Koon-Magnin, Bowers, Langhinrichsen-Rohling, and Arata (2016), used self-control theory and social learning theory to explain why adolescent girls and boys deviate into delinquency, later countered their study. Both studies indicate a relationship between family and child behavior, with parents acting as a moderating force.

Trier, Pappas, Bovitz, and Augustyn (2018) conducted an important case study of a six-year-old child diagnosed with global developmental delay and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder following the deployment of his father and the death of his mother. The father reported feeling unprepared and overwhelmed by the task of raising the child alone when called back home by the military (Trier et al., 2018). He felt cognitively and emotionally unprepared for the responsibility; moreover, he was suffering from emotional issues stemming from both the effects of war-related deployment and the loss of his wife.

The combined effect of these stressors also spilled over to impact his six-year-old child. The father reported feeling isolated from his community and cut-off from others, as though there were something wrong with him. Trier et al.’s (2018) case study showed that the impacts of deployment on the child can be deeply felt and can be one of several factors that prevent development from progressing appropriately The study also illustrates the challenges deployed parents face after returning home, which are entirely different from the ones encounters on the battlefield and require a completely different set of skills, especially when the child is at a young age.

The case study by Trier et al. (2018) supported the model of development put forward by Erikson. Erikson’s eight stages of development theory helped explain even what children go through as they ageAlthough the eight stages cover all of life up to death, the first five stages cover childhood, from infancy to young adulthood (Shriner & Shriner, 2014). Each stage is defined by the psychosocial conflict that characterizes that specific development stage. In other words, at each stage of development, the child (and later the adult) experiences conflict, and to move successfully on to the next stage of development, the conflict needs to be resolved.

The first stage of Erikson’s model is called the Trust vs. Mistrust stage, and it is typically experienced between the ages of zero and two (Trier et al., 2018). The second stage of Erikson’s model is the Autonomy vs. Shame stage, usually experienced from ages two to three. The third stage is the Initiative vs. Guilt stage, and that occurs between ages three to five. The fourth stage is the Industry vs. Inferiority stage, which occurs from ages five to twelve. The fifth stage is the Identity vs. Role Confusion, which lasts from twelve to eighteen (Shriner & Shriner, 2014). As can be seen, the very first stage of development is the Trust vs. Mistrust stage, and the child needs a nurturing caregiver to develop a trusting relationship.

Each stage of Erikson’s model is a span of learning, interacting with surroundings, and gaining experience and knowledge to shape the child’s outlook for years to come (Trier et al., 2018). That is why it is so important to make sure the child’s environment is happy and healthy.If a parent is deployed during this time, the long-term adverse effects can be significant; as shown in Trier et al.'s case study (2018). In such cases, the child must be taken back to the earlier stages, psychologically speaking, to delt with the conflict of that stage (Perry, 2006). Therefore, the severity of making sure all of the child's needs across all these developmental levels cannot be overstated.

In terms of research that suggests that children who face adversity are not necessarily disadvantaged, Tough (2013) shows that children need to be challenged to develop their resilience and grit. Tough (2013) argues that grit and resilience are what will inevitably assist the child in overcoming the challenges they will face as they grow—that become harder if they are not pushed to become resilient as children. Tough (2013) explicitly state that “when kindergarten teachers are surveyed about their students, they say that the biggest problem they face is not children who are unaware of their letters and numbers; it is children who do not know how to manage their tempers or calm themselves down after a provocation” (p. 17). He claims that children have to be trained to control themselves, which is where self-control theory often comes into play for the proponents of allowing children to develop grit. By challenging children or allowing them to be challenged, they can learn what it means to pick oneself up and put in the effort to overcome the obstacle.

The study by Von Culin, Tsukayama, and Duckworth (2014) also suggests adversity is helpful for children, as it teaches them the value of cultivating grit and resiliency and teaches them to learn self-determination, self-efficacy, confidence, and perseverance. . Academic success, the building up of social capital, and the successful attainment of goals have also been attributed to the cultivation of grit and resilience. Robertson-Kraft and Duckworth (2014), and Perkins-Gough (2013) states, “grit predicts success over and beyond talent. When you consider individuals of equal talent, the grittier ones do better” (p. 16). According to these authors, success is mediated by one’s level of determination and ability to overcome adversity.

Additionally, according to Eskreis-Winkler, Duckworth, Shulman, and Beal (2014), “the tendency to sustain passion and perseverance for long-term goals, is a domain-general trait that promotes ‘showing up’ across diverse life contexts” (p. 37) and is determined by the development of one’s grit and capacity for resilience. In short, “grittier students [are] more likely to graduate from high school” and succeed in reaching their goals in life (Eskreis-Winkler et al., 2014, p. 36). Each of these studies suggests that worrying too much about children facing diversity due to deployment of a parent may be to deny them the bit of adversity they need to go through to develop resiliency in life. These arguments could potentially reduce some of the stress and guilt that deployed parents may face as they struggle with knowing that they are not there at home for their children. Accepting these arguments would allow the deployed parent to accept deployment more readily and expect the family at home to accept it as well. A little adversity, after all, could be considered suitable for one in the long term.

Thus, the research suggests a need to balance the harmful effects of deployment on a child and emphasize the positive impact of a child who receives the opportunity to experience adversity and gain resilience. The child who never gets pushed, challenged, or tasked with facing the difficulties of a demanding situation could lack resilience and grit and face increased adversity later in life. The child who faces adversity and is challenged to dig deep within himself to overcome obstacles is more likely to achieve success.

The Supportive Role of Community

Research performed by O'Neal, Mallette, and Mancini (2018) emphasized the need for community support for military families. Families need to be open to community support, as their unfavorable opinion of the community they live in can harm the child or student’s development (O’Neal et al., 2018). Communities play an extra-familial role in assisting children development and helping students cope with moving, transferring from one school to another, and finding a place outside the home to make friends and develop their support network.Parents sometimes struggle to recognize the value of their communities. When parents are disengaged from the community or have an unfavorable opinion of a community that can harm their child’s developmental progress (Castro et al., 2015; Epstein et al., 2018). Parent perspectives reveal that they can feel helpless in providing support for their children academically and socially and do not always trust external environments suitable for them because of the possibility of bad influences, such as drugs or pre-marital sex (Kelley et al., 2016).

To understand how communities and environments can be impactful in people's lives, it is helpful to consider Bandura's (2018) assessment of how the environment impacts people's behavior. Bandura (2018) explained that the cognitive development and behavior of people are affected by three main factors or agencies—media, peers (family, parents, and friends), and groups (such as schools and churches). Parents thus play a significant role in advocating for and supporting their children, but peers, groups, and media all play a part in that as well (Cheng & Huang, 2018). When dealing with deployment, parents may struggle to make adjustments in new communities or seek alternatives to make amends for their parents’ absenteeism. To address this issue, communication becomes a vital tool, the digital age can be facilitates addressing this challenge through the use of social media. Since people are highly influenced by media (Bandura, 2018), using such tool can help to address some of the stress in families where deployment has occurred. Schools can use it, and teachers can effectively communicate with parents using social media platforms like Facebook (Ellison & Evans, 2016).

Communicating with parents and families is essential in maintaining a stable and core relationship with students and families. The research shows that parents prefer social media as a communication method. They would like to see more teachers use it, as it is the most convenient and most often checked message system utilized throughout the day (Thompson, Mazer & Flood Grady, 2015). Thus, teachers make extra effort to provide parents with e-mail updates and text messaging to keep them abreast with the changes at school. However, not every family will have access to cell phones or computers, so there must be an alternate means of communicating available (Graham-Clay, 2009).

Social media has become the dominant mode of communication in the 21st century. Parents and teachers can use it to coordinate, collaborate, communicate and assist one another in the educative process (Thompson et al., 2015). A crucial point for parent-teacher relationships that foster the student's success is to implement a plan that connects parents and families by communicating through social media and letters when social media is not useful for families. Another key is to obtain feedback from parents on culture; this means teachers should develop cultural competency in line with Leininger's (2008) theory of transcultural care.

Another way communities can become more assertive is through community works, whether theater projects such as plays and musicals or public tasks like cleaning up parks. The point is they should be social in nature and orientation. As Bandura (2018) points out, children learn from peers and groups—those are the two primary learning sources for children aside from media. So, when children see peers and groups devoting themselves to something positive in the community, they naturally respond by joining in.

The effort by the community shows the child that the community members are committed, which helps to reinforce behavioral expectations for the child, as explained by Bandura (2018). Efforts by the community also show the child that their parents and other adults in the community care about his or her development, and even though a parent may be deployed, the child is not alone. Additionally, the family is encouraged whenever there is outreach made by community members, whether it be a teacher or a principal or a coach. Whenever individuals of this role visit the home, it helps to bridge a gap between that social world and the home world and thus strengthen the overall support system of the child (Stetson et al., 2012).

Another option is for the community to offer intervention programs like those used for early starters, i.e., children at risk of future delinquency. These intervention programs would be a preventive measure to reduce the risk of future problems stemming from the parent's deployment. One specific treatment option is trauma-informed care, as Espinosa, Sorensen, and Lopez (2013). Espinosa et al. (2013) show that many young people who venture into delinquency do so because they suffer from some form of trauma that prevents them from adjusting socially to their environment. The way they argue to address the situation is through trauma-informed systems, in which all programs and agencies ‘‘infuse and sustain trauma awareness, knowledge, and skills into their organizational cultures, practices, and policies” (p. 1833). The military community that adopts a trauma-informed system with children of deployed parents would make sense from Espinosa et al. (2013).

One of the benefits of a community-based trauma-informed approach to helping children is that attention is focused on the child’s mental health issues rather than on whatever problems the child may be having at home, school, or community (Lester et al., 2016). The aim is to support the child to cope with the trauma likely lying at the heart of his actions and likely stemming, in the case of children of deployed parents, from the deployment and its effects on the parents (Lester et al., 2016). The purpose is to provide understanding, nurturing, and helping the child to reach their potential, which otherwise might be stymied by the effects of parental deployment (Espinosa et al., 2013; Lester et al., 2016). Since the approach promotes and fosters the child’s mental health, and many children usually do not have this kind of support when left independently, there are few potential drawbacks (Espinosa et al., 2016).

There are also after school programs, which are a primary level prevention program as they “focus on the conditions that could lead to delinquent behavior such as truancy, poor parenting, and prenatal exposure to toxins” (Listwan, 2013, p. 5). Secondary-level programs might be more productive, such as Big Brother and Big Sister programs. These programs are geared towards youths who lack adult role models and fit well for children whose parents are deployed. Such children need guidance more than others do, and these secondary programs could aid in developing the child. Youth tend to receive positive support and build their confidence from these programs, though, as Herrera, Grossman, Kauh, and McMaken (2011) point out, the success rate is not always sustainable.

Resiliency

Resilience is further considered a helpful strategy and tool of military parents deployed and who must care for their children despite their deployment (O’Neal et al., 2018). The military already focuses on resilience through the Army’s Master Resiliency Training program, which focuses on helping military personnel maintain positive attitudes in the face of adversity. Resiliency is something that military parents can utilize to help bring positivity to their children’s lives, especially during the chaotic times when deployment and relocation occurs.

Spitzer and Aronson (2015) noted three areas of positive psychology. The first key area is awareness of self. Awareness is necessary for the second strategic source, self-regulation; this involves monitoring and regulating emotions and thoughts and being willing to express oneself healthily. Third, one must be able to see the good in things while being realistic about what one can control, and this is what is meant by optimismMental agility is also required. It refers to the ability to be flexible and follows from one's ability to be optimistic. One needs strength to overcome obstacles and build relationships and make connections with people by putting himself in another's situation.

Military parents can find positive psychology to be useful in strengthening their relationships with their children. Helping military parents develop the positive psychology needed to cope with the wide range of challenges and obstacles left behind by deployed parents.Such challenges and obstacles include helping young people with their academic pursuits and assisting adolescents during this transitional and uncertain period in their lives (Sandoz & Moyer, 2015). Besides helping military parents, Spitzer and Aronson (2015) also noted that teachers might use these same strategies to help promote positivity among students who are struggling due to military deployment or some other destabilizing influence in the home or community.

Once the above-mentioned areas of positive psychology are understood, parents can also focus on identifying triggers—events or thoughts that trigger a particularly adverse reaction. When patterns appear, individuals can begin to see the trend in one’s thoughts or feelings that push one into negative moods or the desire to seek escape in an unhealthy manner (Spitzer &Aronson, 2015). Other areas military parents could focus on are simple breathing exercises, which can help one to regain composure in a stressful period, problem-solving, and developing the ability to show gratitude (Bennett, 2018). In its positive psychology training on resiliency, the military teaches resiliency that members should recognize counterproductive thoughts by owning them and taking responsibility for them. The errors that people make in trying to stop negative thoughts is that they try to reduce the noise they make by ignoring them—or they might try to justify why they have them—or they may simply try to deny the thoughts exist at all (Spitzer &Aronson, 2015).

A military parent knows that reality must be dealt with head-on, so, in the event of negative thoughts, the key to overcoming them is to acknowledge them, own them, and assume responsibility for them by addressing them directly. This is an important consideration to keep in mind as parents try to cope with what their children are experiencing at home. As Alfano et al. (2016) point out, military parents are in a challenging situation regarding their children. While many of them are aware of the difficulties, they do not often consider how their military training can help their family members cope with the deployment back home. Resiliency does not only play a part in the lives of the deployed parents, but it also plays a role in the lives of their children. Therefore, Liebenberg and Ungar (2015) show that social supports are significant factors in developing resilience, self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of self-worth among young children. If children have no strong social supports, they are less likely to develop these characteristics.

Ensuring the child of a deployed parent has other support options outside the home can be an excellent way to help develop their resiliency. It is not always going to be a matter of obliging the child to make it alone or to overcome obstacles without assistance. Tough (2013) argues that obstacles and challenges are necessary for children to learn grit and resiliency. Still, Theron et al. (2015) show that a robust social support system can facilitate the development of grit and resiliency. This is also the perspective of Webster and Rivers (2018). They find that the conventional notion of a child overcoming adversity by himself, often associated with grit and resiliency, is simply unrealistic. They posited that children need a supportive environment, which correlates with Erikson’s theory of development, particularly in the earlier stages of development wherein most children need at least love and some form of nurturing from a parent to face the conflicts of each of the early development stages.

Tempski et al. (2015) point out that “resilience has been considered as a process, where an individual, to be considered resilient, must have those personal characteristics tested in an objective or subjective adversity” (p. 1). Resiliency is defined by Tempski et al. (2015) “as the result of the interaction among the individual, his/her social support environment, and the adversity, including his/her subject values, cultural, social, and ethical influences” (p. 1). Theron et al. (2015), Tempski et al. (2015) note that resilience is not something one develops on one’s own but instead through the negotiation of moving parts. The child is at the center while the adversity seemingly surrounds him—but piercing through adversity are the encouragement and positive motivation of the child’s support environment.

Positive psychology plays a significant role in developing resilience for both parents and children and even developing relationships. Building on Adler’s principles of psychology, themselves rooted in the humanistic tradition, positive psychology emphasizes the ability of the person to become healthier by focusing on what it takes to be happy. It has been used to help promote the idea of resilience and grit (Bondy, Ross, Gallingane, & Hambacher, 2007), and one particular model is Seligman’s (2018) idea of PERMA, a happiness model developed by one of the leading advocates of positive psychology in the field.

PERMA (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) is Seligman’s (2018) theoretical model of happiness, named after the qualities that define or promote happiness. Positive emotion is used to connect a person to happiness. Engagement is used to focus the person on something enjoyable, a hobby, a work activity, or an activity to stay active and in a good place.Relationships are recommended because they help to maintain social interactions and healthy support systems. Meaning is one of the most important aspects of positive psychology as it serves as the foundation, the purpose of life. Without meaning, many are lost and directionless.. Lack of which, children are lost and lack direction. Accomplishment helps to develop a sense of achievement through enhancing overall well-being and motivation in a positive direction. (Seligman, 2018).

One popular method of achieving PERMA is using prospection (Roepke & Seligman, 2016; Vaillant, 2000). Prospection is a tool of positive psychology that can help summon positive energy to confront challenges. It refers to the art of seeing oneself in the future and imagining how one’s future self-attained the place where it is in one’s mind. By merely having a positive mental picture, one can imagine ways to achieve success by disabling negative thoughts. Prospection is a technique that is recommended by positive psychologists like Roepke and Seligman (2016) to counter stress and anxiety. It could be especially useful in helping deployed parents cope with stressors and issues as they struggle to balance deployments and being a parent from a distance.

Deployed parents should not wait for problems to find them; instead, they can engage in preventive maintenance to maintain a positive mindset from resilience through programs like READY. READY (REsilience and Activity for every DaY) is a resilience program used in many different organizations and settings to promote everyday psychosocial well-being for individuals (Burton, Pakenham & Brown, 2010) by focusing on nurturing a positive view of oneself. This concept can help individuals create better environments for the future. Rather than waiting for problems to happen and then addressing them through psychiatry, positive psychology through READY focuses instead on preventing problems in the future by creating great, positive working environments in places where stress and anxiety typically take over. READY also uses prospection to help individuals see their positive future selves and take steps to achieve those selves. It is thus another option that deployed parents and teens could both use to engage with the adversity of deployment positively and to stay focused on achieving success.

The military promotes positive psychology through its Master Resiliency Training (MRT). Thus, the army uses a positive psychology program to help leaders support soldiers dealing with anxiety and depression (Reivich, Seligman & McBride, 2011). The MRT program aims to create a more resilient soldier. It indicates that future military leaders will focus on positivity and mindfulness to assist in personal challenges and promoting the attainment of goals. The SMART (Stress Management and Resilience Training) program focuses on reducing a person’s anxiety levels and being more focused on staying positive (Loprinzi, Prasad, Schroeder & Sood, 2011). It enables people to identify their anxiety triggers and develop various methods to help them avoid their anxiety triggers or even counter the triggers with positive thoughts. The ways to achieve a positive state in the SMART program are to focus on Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Optimism, Mental agility, Character strengths, and forming connectionsBy focusing on these areas, one can then pursue the 6-step plan to help implement positive psychology at the societal level. Each of these steps reflects prospection and PERMA: seeing one’s future self, keeping a positive attitude, pursuing happiness, building relationships, having meaning, achieving goals, and sharing with others (Seligman, 2018). The goal of these programs is always to nurture a positive view of one’s self and to nurture positive thoughts.

Nurturing positive thoughts has been shown to play a vital role in negotiating adversity. This is useful in understanding how deployed parents deal with parenting challenges, particularly related to their efforts in assisting their children to maintain academic success. The six-step plan recommended by Seligman (2018) is to, first, adopt a positive perspective by seeing your best future self; second, find the things that make one happy; third, focus on building positive relationships; fourth, search for meaning; fifth, savor accomplishments; and sixth, share with others. According to Seligman’s (2018), positive emotion is maintained through a sense of appreciation, peace, and hope while engagement is maintained by fully immersing oneself in one’s work.

Additionally, relationships are maintained by developing authentic relationships in both work and play. Meaning is maintained by being mindful of helping others by volunteering at least one hour each week, and a sense of accomplishment is maintained by achieving daily personal goals. This model could be applied between parents and their children, coordinating on implementing the model despite the distance they experience during deployment. This model would be harder to implement with a deployed parent of a younger child. Still, the parent at home could likely facilitate the implementation by maintaining the right level of mindfulness throughout the deployment and providing assistance and guidance.

How Technology Plays a Part

Technology is another option that can be considered helpful in addressing learners who are in a military family with one or more deployed parents. Technology can help in several ways. Today, the technology exists to put students in contact with people on the other side of the world instantly. Parents deployed can maintain a closer connection with children while deployed thanks to streaming services that allow for face time through the internet. However, technology can also play a part in connecting older students with additional schooling opportunities

Technology has long been viewed as an efficient tool in the university classroom because it provides greater ease of access to learning for students who are digital natives (Henderson, Selwyn & Aston, 2017). This helps in not worrying about transfers or relocating to a new campus, as all education is taken online. In addition, students can tap into the enormous library of information that is the Internet. They can pull up manuscripts and primary sources uploaded to servers somewhere on the planet, allowing everyone to see. What was once contained in a library that one would physically have to observe is now readily available with the click of a few buttons, which can be keyed while in a classroom.

Because technology is so attractive to digital natives and interactive, it is inherently an active learning tool that educators can use to engage students more fully and create opportunities for them in class. For example, the technology exists for streaming films shared on YouTube, uploading feedback for students and their parents via web portals like Blackboard, distance learning, and more. Students can now take classes online without ever having to set foot on campus is a significant innovation that is a startling reminder of just how far technology has come—and the extent to which it has advanced the educational system.

Parents are not often cognizant of the opportunities to help them with children, but awareness of digital technology must be developed more thoroughly (Epstein et al., 2018). By opening the eyes to what new technology can do, parents, communities, and students can achieve a higher support synthesis. Technology can even help students in destabilized families like those where military parents are deployed, as Chang (2017) has shown. Chang (2017) identified the secret to her success at rejuvenating her school district via the incorporation of more technology into the classroom:

Students who struggle are often more dependent on technology to learn. More affluent kids are used to lots of technology because they could afford it. We could afford the same technology. For disadvantaged students, their access to technology needs to increase to close the opportunity gap. (Chang, 2017, p. 12)

In short, by bringing digital technology into the classroom, educators can help struggling students achieve their potential. Unfortunately, parents are often unaware of the positive role technology can play in their children’s lives. One way to help their children is to give them positive self-images and provide them with ways to enhance their self-image (Spitzer & Aronson, 2015).

Teachers especially can play a role in enhancing students’ self-image to empower them to take ownership of their academic careers (Yeager & Walton, 2011). These exercises are not often ones that parents are aware of, and they are as simple as asking children to imagine what they would like to be or what they would like to do for a career. The point of these exercises is to get students to think more imaginatively about their lives, so they are not overburdened by the present, which may be difficult considering the disadvantageous nature of their home life (Spitzer & Aronson, 2015).

However, if students, parents, and teachers can collaborate in bringing positive psychology into students' lives, military parents could see benefits in the lives of their children's academic careers. Technology should not be ignored (Prensky, 2001). It can be a useful tool for bringing parents and children together over long distances to stay in contact and deployed parents can be part of children’s lives. Alternatively, this may be difficult for some military parents, given their circumstances (Chang, 2017). Some evaluation of the circumstances is needed to understand whether technology is a convenient solution to keep parents and children connected. In addition to being useful in a school environment, technology can help open up possibilities for the student (Prensky, 2001).

There are dangers to exposing children to too much technology, particularly with the rise of social media and its influence on and popularity among adolescents today. Teens can be exposed to personalized advertisements to play on their impulses (Chester & Montgomery, 2008). They can also be exposed to negative impressions that arise from jealousy or envy at another’s social media account (Appel, Gerlach & Crusius, 2016; Freberg, Graham, McGaughey & Freberg, 2011). Exposure to social comparison via social media is likely for the child or adolescent is to experience envy, anxiety, and depression. Thus, too much media can cause the individual child or teen to regress and lose whatever positive momentum was gained from earlier positive usage of technology in a controlled or monitored environment—i.e., with a parent or teacher.

The Role of the Teacher

Communication through technology such as e-mail, text messaging, and social media usage are methods that teachers can use to coordinate and collaborate with parents more effectively. Parents prefer these methods: “an increase in parents’ preference for frequent e-mail communication as well as for emerging modes of parent-teacher communication such as text messaging and social media” are the primary modes of communication that parents wish teachers would use more of (Thompson, Mazer, & Flood-Grady, 2015, p. 187). Facebook can be used to schedule face-to-face meetings or to share information. However, it is often underutilized as a tool in parent-teacher communication (Thompson et al., 2015).

Another solution is to enhance the role of the teacher. Parents are often unaware that teachers can make home visits to provide additional support to learners (Stetson, Stetson, Sinclair & Nix, 2012). One-way to get teachers and parents working together to provide community support for children of deployed parents is for teachers to make home visits to the houses of these students throughout the year. Nothing shows families going through a difficult time, such as deployment, that teachers care more than when the teacher makes a home visit (Wright & Shields, 2018).

A teacher is generally thought of as the person who provides lessons on whatever subject the student is expected to learn—but if the teacher appears to the student as a real live human being who exists outside of the classroom, it gives the student more context and a greater appreciation for who the teacher is (Stetson et al., 2012). In addition, it shows the student that the teacher cares for him and wants him to succeed. Seligman (2018) identifies this type of support as part of the PERMA model for happiness. It includes a healthy amount of engagement, and the teacher can assist the student in prospection, helping the student form a vision of a future self. Thus, while the deployed parent is away, the teacher helps fill a gap, aligning with the Epstein (2018) theoretical framework.

Additionally, when families see teachers showing a vested interest in the lives of their students beyond the classroom, it can motivate both parents and students become more invested in their education (Whyte & Karabon, 2016). For that reason, Whyte and Karabon (2016) recommend home visits for teachers looking to promote the value of education, especially in communities suffering from destabilized families and lack of leadership. The teacher can fill a leadership gap in the community, and the home visit is an excellent way for that to happen.

However, the parents must be on board with teachers making home visits (Stetson et al., 2012). The role of parents in the education of children cannot be underestimated. If teachers are the educators setting the example in the school, parents are the educators setting the example in the home. Teachers and parents must work together and be on the same page to provide students with the consistency of example and continuity in their educative experience (Wright & Shields, 2018). The school always strives to reflect the values of the community and work with parents to define those values. As Bolles and Patrizio (2016) show, military parents already have the military sense of discipline and hierarchy ingrained into their mindsets, so it makes sense that they should seek to develop an interdisciplinary approach to providing support for their children by working long-distance with teachers to make home visits or to provide some form of extra-curricular support for their children.

The teacher also must be mindful of culture. Culture holds a particular significance in education because it provides the foundation and background of a student's experience; it gives the foundation of the student's ideas and beliefs. It shapes the lens that offers a view on the student's outlook (Doge & Keller, 2014). By considering culture, a teacher can better connect with students and provide an atmosphere in the classroom that is conducive to sharing, responding, and learning (Saifer, 2011). Educational attainment requires that students engage with the information presented to them in their lessons. One of the best ways to get students to want to engage is to connect the lesson to their backgrounds and cultural experience (Kea, Campbell-Whatley, & Richards, 2006).

The role of culturally responsive teaching in educational attainment is to be the pathway towards cultural diversity. The teacher helps students define the learning goals, question traditional concepts, understand student diversity, engage with the material, and effectively work towards knowledge acquisition through participation (Kea et al., 2006). Numerous factors can affect the educational attainment of students. The culturally responsive teacher must address these factors so that all the issues that might affect a student’s learning capacity are removed. It is important to note that developing cross-cultural competency and sensitivity is a continuous rather than a static enterprise that demands ongoing commitment on the part of teachers (Dahlman, 2014).

Three factors that can affect the child of the deployed parent’s educational attainment are (1) socio-economic background, (2) parental involvement, and (3) school structure (Thompson, Corsello, McReynolds, & Conklin-Powers, 2013). These factors can influence students in various ways. First, as each student is different, teachers will need to get to know their students and understand their own unique, personal needs.One way to do this is to make “home visits,” which can facilitate and foster strong relationships between and among students, their families, and the teacher (Stetson et al., 2012). By making such visits, the teacher can also develop a better sense of the student’s socio-economic background and the level of parental involvement. The third factor (school structure) may be outside the teacher's control but will impact, nonetheless.

Socio-economic status can affect educational attainment by causing stress for students if the socio-economic life of the student is subpar (Thompson et al., 2013). This factor can be determined by the neighborhood in which the student lives, the student's family status, the family's income, and the family's social status in the community. These elements contribute positively to the student's life by providing stability and support, and can benefit educational attainment. Conversely, if they are lacking, these same factors may serve as obstacles.

Parental involvement is another factor that can affect educational attainment. The level to which parents involve themselves in their child's life will affect their success in school (Perna & Finney, 2014). Involvement can range from listening to the child, offering advice or guidance, helping with development issues, teaching the child to have an ethical base or moral sense, and being emotionally supportive.. Parental involvement could also be assessed via parental attendance of PTA meetings, class or school events, responses to teacher emails or notes, and so forth. Further, as Vijaya, Vijaya, and Rajeshkumar (2016) observe, parental involvement in education could take the form of "providing encouragement, arranging for appropriate study time and space, modeling desired behavior (such as reading for pleasure), monitoring homework, and actively tutoring their children at home” (p. 11). It is important to note that when a parent is actively involved in the school's school and class-work undertakings, student achievement is further promoted due to the impact of the said involvement on students' classroom behavior and self-concept and attitude.

Educational attainment affects students in the long term because education sets the stage for the student's future life. A student who fails to achieve academic success will find it harder to obtain a good-paying career in the future because not having an education limits one’s opportunities and choices when it comes to finding a job (Perna & Finney, 2014). A student’s human and social capital might suffer as a result. The student could be caught in a poor socio-economic state with no way out because education was never achieved. This suboptimal outcome can have corresponding social, economic, and psychological effects on the student over the long-term.

The teacher should be viewed as a pillar, not only in the classroom but also in the community. For that reason, the teacher should be willing to make home visits to establish batteries that are needed to foster good and healthy relationships. These relationships are required to ensure that educational attainment is possible (Perna & Finney, 2014). It is about investing in one another, giving time to one another so that students can realize their potential and see that they have a strong support system in place that will help them to overcome whatever obstacles they may be facin (Perna & Finney, 2014). The teacher can make this happen by being visible support for students and connecting to their families to establish a bond. The relationship of trust is very important in education because it sets the tone for students and gives them a way to open and engage with the material that they might otherwise never fully engage with in the first place. In other words, establishing a meaningful rapport with parents can help teachers provide them with the guidance and feedback they need to participate in their children’s education actively.

Today's teacher should use scaffolding to build on what the learners have learned in the past, as this is the most natural and effective way to continue and promote the learning process. Yet students need to know that what they have already inside them supports moving forward and obtaining new knowledge. One might encounter implementing this approach because not all students in a classroom will be at the same level internally. Some will require more imaginative play than others, and some will be ready to process more information more quickly than others. In addition, each student may require a degree of individual attention or special instruction—but having a studio-style classroom, for instance, can help to overcome this challenge.

As Rosa and Montero show, Vygotsky claimed that “development occurs through equilibrium with the environment” (Moll, 1990, p. 71). This claim also got him into trouble with the Soviets, who believed that “the individual capacity for autonomous action [was] independent of environmental influence” (Moll, 1990, p. 71). Vygotsky certainly made the case that “psychological processes have a cultural origin” (Moll, 1990, p. 79). In other words, there is no way to divorce or separate the cognitive development of the individual from the environment. To argue that such was possible was to ignore the social character of human nature and to imagine that human beings could simply be programmed like computers and not rely upon interaction with the environment in any way.

Teachers should permit students to interact with one another to help each other to learn and process information . In this manner, they share ideas and get on the same page more quickly, naturally, and effectively. Again, it is part of the normal socialization process, which, as Vygotsky points out in the zone of proximal development, allows children to learn and develop. This supports Epstein et al.’s (2018) theory of the parent-teacher-community relationship in helping students reach their academic goals: they need community life to grow and develop.

Learners can do a great deal of developing independently and rather rapidly, as long as they are provided the time and space to engage with one another and with the materials on their own.The teacher should always be there to guide and support when necessary. As Cole points out, cultural mediation can play here; cultural mediation alters the structure of human psychological functions (Moll, 1990). Thus, in formal schooling, the challenge is that it takes individuals out of their natural habitat and places them in an artificial setting, which essentially requires them to navigate two worlds simultaneously.

Summary

In summation, the military family is likely to suffer from a parent’s deployment, especially as children are concerned. Children’s academic life will face disturbances, and as Epstein (2011) indicates, the best way to examine this type of situation is through the three-fold relationship of parents, school, and community. This literature review has examined those three fields in detail to show how each one plays a role in advancing the student's concerns when a deployment disrupts home life. The research offers a variety of options and opinions on the matter. Some researchers believe that a little adversity is good for the child and can teach the child to develop grit and resilience (Tough, 2013). Others believe adversity itself is not educative by itself. For resiliency to be developed, the child needs a strong support system, whether from peers, groups, or others in his life (Webster & Rivers, 2018).The implication is that there should be a balance between allowing the child to face the challenge of parental deployment and leaving the child to face it independently (Theron et al., 2015). Shielding the child should not be the aim, but rather inviting the community to provide support for the child will positively impact helping the child realize he has a support system.

Some of the possible scenario’s researchers have identified includes the role of the teacher in the student's life being enhanced through connectivity outside the classroom (Epstein et al., 2018). Another is the role of the community being enhanced by filling gaps in the learner's life that would be otherwise filled by a parent who is deployed (Alfano, Lau, Balderas, & Beidel, 2016). Additionally, the parent's role is to use some of the training in positive psychology picked up in the military and apply it in the child's life to keep the child-focused and upbeat about options for the child's future (Alfano et al., 2016).

Most of the research to date has focused primarily on the child, the non-deployed parent, and the community to identify support strategies for the children with a deployed military parent (Alfano et al., 2016). Research on military deployment has not effectively or adequately addressed the aspect of the parent, even though the effects of deployment in the military affects not just the children and the family members left behind, but also the service member on duty. Each parent's desire, including the military parent in deployment, to undertake their parental roles, including being involved in their children's education (Turner et al., 2017).

There are various ways, especially in the age of technology, for parents from regardless of their location in the world, to get in touch with their children. Enhancing the child's positive self-image is something that teachers can also do as they work with parents to coordinate a possible strategy to help them think about long-term ideas for the future. Using technology to help students access more learning options, such as online schooling or connectivity with deployed parents, is another possibility. The deployed parents are not always aware of these options and need to be better educated about them. In the final analysis, therefore, the deployment of parents effectively creates a void in the familial setting

This study explored the perceptions of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education. Education happens to withstand the worst of the resulting disruptions. In addition to shedding more light on the perceptions of deployed parents concerning their influence on their children's academic achievement, the present study provides a useful assessment of the effects of military deployment on parental involvement. This is important because the absence of a parental sense of a child's academic performance is likely to harm parental participation in the learning process. Indeed, as it has been pointed out elsewhere in this text, the relevance of parental involvement in a child's academic life cannot be overstated.

The overall approach of positive psychology runs through much of the literature on this subject, for keeping a positive attitude towards the challenge of diversity and using a model like PERMA can help to keep all stakeholders focused on where they need to be mentally and emotionally to provide the best level of support for the child. . Whether deployed or not, the more positive parents, teachers, coaches, ministers, community members, peers, and groups can be, the more likely the child is to develop a sense of grit and determination and face academic challenges and overcome (Seligman, 2018).

The next chapter discusses the methodology used for this study by describing the design, research questions, the setting, and the participants; the procedures for collecting data; role of the researcher; what data collection instruments were developed or utilized; how the data was analyzed and how trustworthy the study was. The following chapter also provides ethical considerations

CHAPTER THREE: METHODS

Overview

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education. This chapter presents the procedures, research design, and data analysis of the research study. This chapter also discusses the research design, research questions, setting, participants, procedures, the role of the researcher, data collection methods and instruments, data analysis, the trustworthiness of the study, and ethical considerations.

Design

This study utilized a qualitative research methodology. Qualitative research design is ideal when the research seeks to answer “how” and “why” research questions (McMillan, 2012). Qualitative research facilitates the exploration of a problem and allows the researcher to work towards a hypothesis. As this study was concerned with exploring perceptions, the qualitative method was most appropriate. Additionally, a transcendental phenomenological design/approach is ideal when the researcher seeks to obtain an in-depth understanding of a subject who has experienced a phenomenon, which allows the researcher to arrive at a socially constructed meaning (McMillan, 2012; Yazan, 2015). The justification for this design can be found in the positivist doctrine, which posits that research cannot be objectively conducted from the outside, but rather only from the inside (Husserl, 1999). The objective is to see, understand, explain, and clarify the reality faced by military parents deployed and their experiences as they attempt to stay involved in their child’s education.

To see what the participant sees and understand what the subject understands, one has to stand where the subject stands and experience what the participant experiences; the researcher, in a sense, must become the subject—not literally—but rather figuratively. As the researcher places themselves in the subject's shoes, they can see the participant’s experience more clearly and objectively (Husserl, 1999). Thus, the metaphysical approach is the most valid way of conducting qualitative research, according to the phenomenological discourse.

Phenomenology is a natural fit with qualitative research when the focus is on individual perceptions that the researcher can experience directly. Creswell (2007) stated that the “basic purpose of phenomenology is to reduce individual experiences with a phenomenon to a description of the universal essence” (p. 58). From this perspective, the main focus of the phenomenological approach is to have an appropriate method for seeing more clearly how the particular relates to the general; it is about coming to an understanding of the universals by way of the personal and the particular.

The universal essence that describes the general common experience of human beings can be distilled through an in-depth examination of the lived experience of one’s subject, which in turn can best be done by way of the phenomenological research design (Creswell, 2007). For this study, the more the researcher immersed himself into the world of the military deployed parent, the more ability he had to gather all the relevant data that determines the parameters of the participant’s experience. To discern these parameters from abroad, the researcher must see closely and be close-by and be exposed to the same experiences that are being researched. Thus, the researcher can understand what the participants feel because the researcher has felt the same things.

Moustakas (1990) noted that to research the essence of things fairly, the research design must center on a simple inquiry or question. The phenomenological design facilitates this inquiry by planting a sense of inquiry in the experience of the participants. At the same time, an understanding of the inquiry must be maintained by adhering to the research question. The question serves as the guiding hand through phenomenology, while the researcher immerses himself in the participants' world (Moustakas, 1990). To keep from becoming lost in countless sensations and the world of the subject, the researcher maintains tethered to the research question by way of the research question; everything becomes oriented towards answering that question in the end.

Silverman (2016) has shown the purpose of such research is to provide precise information on a specific situation to help others understand what is taking place, without relying on statistical data. In addition, the phenomenological approach allows the researcher to uncover universal themes that can facilitate future research and understand the participants' experience better as seen, felt, and expressed through their own eyes and words (Silverman, 2016). These themes can also be used to help promote greater understanding among stakeholders.

As the situation under question is specific and focused, the transcendental phenomenological approach fits best as it provides a focused example of the phenomenon. Thus, this study provided military parents who are or have been deployed the opportunity to express and describe their experiences in their children’s education (Lester et al., 2012). This qualitative design was intended to provide the framework in which several data collection methods could be applied, including semi-structured interviews. In addition, questionnaires, focus groups, and artifact analysis were used to develop informed answers to the study’s central and sub research questions.

Research Questions

The focus of this study centered around one research question. The central research question was: What are the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education? To interpret future the perception of the military deployed parents, the researcher used the following three sub-questions:

1. How do military parents perceive their involvement in their children’s education while deployed?

1. How do military parents describe the impact of their deployment on the family and particularly on their child’s academic performance?

1. What challenges do military parents who are deployed face from their communities while trying to stay involved in their children’s education?

Setting

The setting for this study was U.S. Army installation, Fort Rapture (pseudonym), which is located in the northeastern part of the United States. At the time of the study, the installation had an estimated population of 71,000, of which almost 42,000 were active-duty soldiers. The rest were family members, Army employees, Air Force Exchange Service, volunteers, and other employees (Powers, 2018). The percentage of the 42,000 active-duty service members at Fort Rapture that were deployable at any given point in time was classified. Still, they all had access to the family support services that were provided by the U.S. military for deployed parents.

There were 27 elementary schools, eight middle schools, four high schools, and four special campuses on Fort Rapture. This selection site was suitable because it was the participants’ permanent duty station when not deployed. The organization here was of hierarchical structure and provided safety and order for the participants. A select location and time were chosen for conducting interviews and focus groups after securing permission from participants.

Participants

The population of this research study was U.S. military parents of schooled-aged (Pre-K-12) children who resided in the United States and were in school. According to Creswell (2003), “long interviews with up to 10 people” (p. 65) is appropriate for a phenomenological study. As such, a sample size between 12 to 15 respondents was utilized for this research. A combination of criterion-based, snowball sampling methods, and purposeful sampling was used to recruit study participants. Criterion-based sampling was used to identify prospective participants based on specific criteria. Snowball sampling was used to recruit additional participants based on referrals by individuals who enrolled in the study. To become a study participant, the prospect had to be deployed or previously deployed within the past two years; anytime longer, their memories may have begun to fade (Gardner, 2001).

Additionally, they were required to have pre-K-12 school-aged children in a school outside of the home.Other criteria included a willingness to participate in an interview and online focus group, consent to the use of an audio recording of the interview and focus group, and willingness to share journals, letters, and email correspondence with teachers about their children while deployed.

According to Kuper, Lingard, and Levinson (2008), purposeful sampling methods are useful in research, as only specific individuals with the phenomenon under study are appropriate participants for this research. Recruitment began by contacting the Fort Rapture public affairs offices regarding the policies and procedures for placing recruitment flyers on bulletin boards across the installation (Appendix B). The same flyer was posted on Facebook and other online networks such as LinkedIn and Instagram. Prospective participants were provided an Informed Consent letter that explained the purpose of the study and participation requirements (Appendix C). Additionally, participants were asked to refer other potential participants if the desired sample size was not reached. A recruitment letter was emailed or mailed directly to each referral (Appendix D).

Procedures

The first step in conducting this research was to obtain IRB approval from Liberty University (see Appendix A). Once IRB approval was granted, the next step was to recruit participants, using the methods previously discussed actively. Before participating in interviews, participants were required to review and sign an informed consent form (Appendix C) that details the nature of the study, purpose, risks, and withdrawal rights. The next step was to collect data.

Four methods were used to collect data: Questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and artifact analysis. Once I received participant’s consent to participate in the study, a questionnaire was sent to gather preliminary demographic data, such as age, race, military affiliation, and years of service (see Appendix E). Additionally, the questionnaire consisted of three open-ended questions that allowed participants to prepare and reflect on their thoughts and feelings about the research question. Once questionnaires were returned, I then contacted each participant to schedule an interview (see Appendix F), which was conducted in a predesignated location chosen by the interviewee.

Each interview lasted for approximately 45-60 minutes. Each interview was conducted using semi-structured interview questions. In case of any arising issues, follow up questions were used for clarification.During the interview, I took notes to document appearance, gestures, and unspoken communication that could help understand the meaning of the participants’ responses (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Each interview session was audio-recorded, professionally transcribed, and sent to participants for member-checking purposes to validate or clarify responses if needed (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Additionally, before attending the interview session, interviewees were asked to carry any artifacts representing or signifying their experiences as a deployed military parent.

Requested artifacts included participants’ journals, letters, and email correspondence with teachers about their children while deployed. During the interview, participants had an opportunity to explain their artifact. This process helped provide insight into the interactions between parents and teachers and supported or challenged what the participant remembered or recalled during the focus group. The last data collection method used focus groups (see Appendix G). Selected participants were gathered in an online forum for 45-60 minutes using videoconferencing software (Zoom).

The researcher recorded, downloaded, and professionally transcribed the online session. After transcription, participants were allowed to participate in member checking to verify the accuracy of their responses (Marshall & Rossman, 2014). In all four methods used for data collection, no identifying elements were collected, and only pseudonyms were used to protect the identity of participants. Before conducting each interview and the focus group, I introduced myself, greeted, and welcomed the interviewee(s) and stated the purpose of the study.

The Researcher’s Role

As the human instrument in this study, the researcher’s role is vital towards ensuring that the quality of data collected and the collection procedure is ethical (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Therefore, my relationship to the participants was explained to be completely transparent and bracket out bias (Allen, 2015). One way to reduce the risk of bias is to use the bracketing technique by stating upfront the researcher's expectations and then accepting the research produced by the research (Smith & McSweeney, 2017, p. 292). Therefore, participants stated that I am a United States Army officer and an instructor with the United States Army Recruiting and Retention College. In addition, I told them that I had over 13 years of military service in various positions and assignments.

Although I did not have direct authority over the participants, I did point out that I could be considered a member of the population that I was studying based on my experiences and knowledge of the issues. I noted that improved solutions could be devised by better allowing the deployed parent's perspective to be understood. I assumed that deployed parents perceive themselves as having a minimal impact in their child's life. They view their deployment, job, and distance as the main obstacles in assisting their child's educative process.Reliability of the study was predicated on participant’s honesty as possible in their responses to the questionnaire, interview, and focus group questions; however, this assumption did come with limits. The memory of the events may have differed from the actual event, making a participant's responses unreliable. The study reviewed one side of the story and one perspective. However, each individual's encounter was unique.

Data Collection

The data collection methods used for this study were questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and artifact analysis. This section describes the procedures for these four methods in detail.

Questionnaire

The questionnaire was the first data collection method and was designed to obtain demographic information and capture the perceptions and experiences of participants using open-ended questions (Dalati & Gomez, 2018). Questionnaires are helpful as a data collection instrument, especially when used alongside other instruments, such as artifact analysis, which was case with this study (Giordano, Piras, Boschini & Falasconi, 2018). This questionnaire focused on what it is like for the participant to be a parent while being deployed overseas in the military.

Table 1:

Participant Questionnaire

Questions

Demographic Information

1. Name:

1. Age:

1. Ethnicity:

1. Branch of Service

1. Rank:

1. Age of spouse:

1. Spouse current profession:

1. Highest degree earned:

1. How many school age children currently in your household?

1. How many times have you been deployed?

1. If currently deployed, what is the duration of your deployment?

1. If not currently deployed: When was your last deployment and how long?

Written Refection of experiences

1. Reflect on your experiences of being a parent while deployed in the military. Please provide a brief written response to each question:

1. What word best describes your initial thought about deployment as it relates to your ability to be involved in your child’s education. Please explain?

1. What support (familial, financial, experience) has aided in maintaining a sense of involvement in your child’s education?

1. What is the number one challenge (aside from a distance) that hinders your ability to participate in a child’s education?

This questionnaire was employed through Survey Monkey after participants signed a consent form. Questions 1-12 were used to gather necessary demographic information and military affiliation. Question 13 consisted of three sub questions. In addition, participants were asked to provide written reflections on their experiences, thoughts, and family situations concerning being a deployed parent in the military.

Interviews

The interview method is particularly well suited for qualitative research because it allows the subject to provide answers organically (Turner, 2010). The interview protocol comprises a set of questions that the researcher could ask participants in a structured or semi-structured manner; it helps to probe the participants' experiences to find answers to the research questions, which have to be developed ahead of time.One way to develop an effective interview protocol is to pilot the interview questions first (Neuman, 2008). This way, one can ensure the questions asked help to obtain the required data. Piloting a protocol involves testing the interview questions on an individual before employing them in the study. For example, the interview protocol was piloted with two individuals who had experience with the phenomenon but were not included in the study. Based on information gathered from the pilot, the researcher revised interview questions to develop more in-depth, rich responses by the participants.

Table 2

Standardized Open-Ended Interview Questions

Questions

Opening Questions

1. Please introduce yourself, describe yourself and your family

1. How long have you been serving in the military?

1. In the past two years, how many times and for how long were you deployed?

1. What is the age and gender of your school-age child or children?

1. Please explain your experience in the military thus far

Questions relating to participants perceptions

1. What is your definition of parental involvement, particularly as it relates to education?

1. In what way (if any) does your definition of parental involvement change while deployed?

1. How would you compare and contrast your role in your child’s education when not deployed and while deployed?

1. What changes have you experienced in your child’s behavior, focus, and attitude towards learning while deployed?

1. What methods or methods are used to participate in your child’s education while deployed, and how do they differ from the technique used when not deployed?

1. How has your deployment impacted your spouse, particularly related to his/her ability to be involved in your child’s education?

1. Reflect on the first time you spoke with your child about their education when you were deployed. What was that experience like?

1. Reflect on your child’s education. What is your perception of your child’s sense of how your deployment impacts his or her learning?

Questions relating to participants’ perceptions of challenges

1. Describe a time (while deployed) when you encountered a barrier or challenge that prevented you from being involved in their education?

1. Describe a time when you felt that you could be more involved in your children’s education while deployed. Were you able to come up with a solution? If so, please describe it.

1. How does being deployed alters your interactions with your child’s teachers and other educators?

1. What stage of deployment (pre-deployment, deployment, post-deployment) do you believe creates the most challenges in attempting to stay involved in your child’s education? Please explain

1. What advice would you give a military parent who is deployed or may deploy in the future?

The interview protocol was constructed as follows: Questions one through five were knowledge questions used to obtain information about the participant. Questions six through 13 were designed to elicit the interviewee's perspective on the topic of the research questions. Questions 14 through 18 were used to gain insight into the participants’ perceptions of the problem, i.e., the challenges faced by deployed parents as they attempted to assist in their children's education. As Rosenthal (2016) noted, getting the interviewee’s perspective is essential in qualitative research. The way to do that is to ask direct, open-ended questions that relate to the research question.

Artifact Analysis

Artifact analysis was limited to documents used and in possession of the participants (Peters et al., 2015). The specific artifacts collected were participants’ journals, letters, and email correspondence with spouses or teachers about their children. In-lieu of such artifacts, participants were also given the option to choose an artifact representing their experience as a military deployed parent. Such options included photographs, written recollections of conversations with spouses during deployment, videos that the participant watched, or books that the participant read relevant to the research topic.

Artifacts were obtained, with permission from the participants and were observed as a whole or as a larger part of a total experience or situation. The purpose was to make sense of what the artifact represented for the individual, both historically and socially. It was assumed that these artifacts would provide further insight into the experiences of deployed military members concerning their child’s education or, at the very least, what their thoughts were at the time and what they were focusing on as a deployed parent. This information was used to help guide the focus group discussion.

Participants, who could not produce artifacts that fit previously stated categories, had the option to provide artifacts, so long as it related to their time spent as a deployed parent. Artifacts, no matter their kind, help reveal information about people, places, and times and allow for a deeper understanding of a phenomenon that cannot be obtained solely through interview analysis (Merriam & Grenier, 2019; Shankar, Hakken & Osterlund, 2017). These artifacts also helped to show the recurring themes in the messages sent by the parents and the frequency of these themes in the various correspondences.

In addition, in case the correspondence originated from the teachers, it was important for these artifacts. They showed the concerns and the needs for parent participation from the teacher's perspective. By interacting with these artifacts, it was found helpful for enhancing the researcher’s perspective because it helps bring the researcher into the context and real-life status of a military parent. The essence of these artifacts was to assist in contextualizing the parent’s frustrations, if any, emotions, if any, and their desires and goals within the various artifacts.

Focus Group

A focus group is a vital qualitative data collection method as it provides the researcher the opportunity to pose a series of questions that help gain insight. The focus group used hereto to gain information about military parents' perceptions of their involvement in their children's education while deployed. Because a focus group represents the target population, it provides consistent insights with the broader population (O Niemba et al., 2018). The focus group adds to the quality of the data collected, as the researcher can obtain clear ideas and feelings that might not be typical in an interview setting (Carey & Asbury, 2016). Moreover, a focus group allows the moderator (who, in this case, was also the principal researcher) to observe the raw dynamic among the group members as they express their opinions.

Table 4

Standardized Open-Ended Focus Group Questions

Questions

Opening Questions:

1. Will each individual please state your name, your military branch, and length of service?

Questions Relating to Challenges Parents experience while Deployed:

1. As a parent, how would you describe your overall experience of being separated from your family while deployed?

1. What would you identify as the most challenging aspect of being a military deployed parent?

1. From a parental standpoint, what are some examples of challenges you encountered while deployed, and how have you overcome them?

Questions Relating to Participants involvement:

1. How has your deployment affected your child’s performance in school?

1. How often and in what way do you interact with your child’s teachers or educator, what types of feedback have you received?

These questions were oriented towards opening a new perspective on the matter, which is essential to gain insight as Hoffding and Martiny (2016) show. The questions were geared towards getting the focus group to discuss these issues and pull information from one another. They engaged in group thinking to arrive at new ideas that helped answer the research questions.

Data Analysis

Data analysis was conducted using Moustakas’ (1994) seven-step process for phenomenological reduction. The interviews and focus groups were recorded and transcribed. By disassembling the data through phenomenological reduction and then using imaginative variation and intuition to construct the meaning, the data was interpreted with less noise interference and more objective scrutiny (Neuendorf, 2016). Interpreting the data included conducting imaginative variation, which was used to identify key themes, correlate the key themes to the literature, and construct them within the conceptual framework (Gandy, 2015). Themes were entered into Excel for easier categorizing.

Moustakas’ (1994) seven-step process for phenomenological reduction was also used. Before initiating this process, the researcher had to “bracket” ideas. The purpose here was to remove as much individual bias from the research as possible; thus, the researcher stated any preconceived notions in this step (Creswell, 2018). The basic framework for the Moustakas (1994) model is to follow a strategy that starts with immersion and ends with creative synthesis. Immersion is the stage wherein the researcher immerses himself in the subject's world and the participants' experiences.

Incubation is the stage wherein the researcher takes time to allow himself space for understanding what he has collected from the immersion stage. Illumination occurs when the researcher actively engages the material to deepen and expand his knowledge and understanding of the subject. Explication is the stage wherein the researcher reflects on the experience and allows patterns to emerge. Creative synthesis is the stage wherein the researcher identifies the patterns that emerge from the reflection process and describes the patterns to show how relationships between variables are formed within the overall phenomenon of experience.This entire process is what Moustakas (1994) refers to as Epoche: phenomenological reduction plus imaginative variation results in the derivation of the essence. The steps of this process are described in the figure below.

Figure 1. Theoretical Frameworks, Methods, and Procedures (adapted fromY?ld?r?m & Yüksel, 2015).

Horizonalizing

Horizonalizing was the process of listing all relevant statements and grouping according to qualities they possess (Moustakas, 1994). Reduction and Elimination—i.e., the process of eradicating the noise (also known as eidetic reduction)—is where the experiences are reduced to their invariant constituents. Clustering like invariant constituents into themes, i.e., creating clusters of meanings, is where the basic core data points are categorized thematically. During this process, I used the qualitative data analysis software, NVivo, to help develop a coding system to make the transcribed data more manageable. Statements were clustered into categories based on their relevance to the research questions. This produced a framework for organizing and describing what was collected (Patton, 2002). Creating individual textural descriptions for each participant was the final step in this process.

Imagination Variation

Constructing individual structural descriptions was the process where imaginative variation is operationalized. Eidetic reduction is used again to distill the essence of meaning for the individual participants and help distill the meanings that are communicated (Katsirikou & Lin, 2017). Creating the composite is where reassembling the data can be conducted. During this step of the analysis, I identified structural qualities within the textural themes of the phenomenon. By using imagination, rather than using software, I could describe how the phenomenon's experience came to be (Moustakas, 1994). As synthesis occurred, meaning and theory began to take shape in a holistic manner (Rule and John, 2015).

Essence

The essence was distilled when the texture and structure were described and synthesized into one whole organic product. Patton (2015) stated textural descriptions describe what the participants experienced, and structural descriptions describe how they experienced the phenomenon. The essence clarified and made plain the holistic meaning produced by considering the various parts of the data and the associated context. This consideration provided an understanding of the phenomenon, supported by critical thought, to identify the fundamental meaning of the analysis (Katsirikou & Lin, 2017).Once both descriptions were complete, I synthesized the meanings and essences of the phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994).

Trustworthiness

Variability and reliability are two important concepts when it comes to establishing several critical factors in qualitative studies. Analyzing the themes that emerge is essential to attaining trustworthiness (Nowell, Norris, White, & Moules, 2017). The relevant factors, which were addressed individually below, included credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability.

Credibility

Member checking is the best way to ensure the credibility of qualitative research (Marshall & Rossman, 2014). This technique allowed interpretive and descriptive validity to be a part of the study; it called for the participants to check the researcher's report to check for the authenticity of the work (Creswell & Poth, 2018). The members’ feedback served as a check of the viability of the interpretation (Creswell & Poth, 2018). Following the constant comparison analysis, participants were asked to review the study's findings before completion to enhance credibility.

Dependability and Confirmability

Data triangulation helped to ensure dependability (Yin, 2014). A triangulation of data sources was used to ensure the data is rich. Data sources included questionnaires, interviews, artifact analysis, and focus group data. The researcher had another researcher with no connection to the project examine the process and product to gain their view of the credibility of the findings and interpretations (Creswell & Poth, 2018). This process increased the reliability of the study because an external auditor looked at the study with fresh eyes not slanted by involvement in the research or relationships formed with the participants.

Transferability

As it relates to this study, transferability refers to whether or not the findings of this study were used to assist other studies that are similar (Marshall & Rossman, 2014). The researcher described in detail the perceptions of the military deployed parents concerning their involvement in the educative process of their children. A thick description technique was used to give rich, concrete details about how data was collected, describing the setting, the social contexts, and anything else that could help a reader understand the experience, which Anney (2014) shows is most helpful in ensuring transferability.

Ethical Considerations

IRB approval was obtained before data collection. Participants' anonymity was maintained at all times. In this case, pseudonyms were utilized on data artifacts to protect the participant’s identity. Information obtained by the researcher was obtained only for research, and participation was voluntary. By signing the consent form, participants proved their voluntary participation in the research, and participants were informed that they could refuse to participate or withdraw at any time without consequence. Consent forms were stored in a locked office only accessible to the researcher.Upon completing the research project, all data was transferred to an external hard drive and stored in a locked file cabinet for five years. After five years, all data and associated documents are permanently destroyed or deleted.

Summary

This qualitative research design used questionnaires, interviews, artifact analysis, and focus groups as the primary means of collecting data. The transcendental phenomenological approach was utilized, as the researcher sought to obtain an in-depth understanding of deployed military members involved in their child’s education while deployed. Data was analyzed using the phenomenological reduction approach. The interview and focus group questions were used to gain perspective to answer the research questions. The trustworthiness of data was ensured using member checking, external auditing, and a detailed description technique. In addition, the research sought to adhere to all ethical issues by obtaining informed consent and ensuring participants’ anonymity.

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS

Overview

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child’s education. It begins with examining the experiences of the 12 participants as revealed through questionnaires, interviews, artifacts and focus groups. Identifies the three themes that emerged through analysis of the data collected. These themes are developed with references to the participating sources, aiming to answer the central question and the three sub-questions of this study. The main question was: What are the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child's education? The three sub-questions were:

1. How do military parents describe their involvement in their children's education while in deployment?

2. How do military parents perceive the impact of their deployment on the family and their child's academic performance?

3. What challenges do military parents who are deployed face while trying to stay involved in their children's education?

This chapter provides a brief description of the participants and STUDY the findings.

Participants

The participants' demographics were as follows: of the 12 participants, half were deployed, and the other half was not. Nine of the participants were male and three were females. The median age of the participants was 35.75. The average number of children per adult participant was 2.5. Four participants were Caucasian, six were African American, and two were Hispanic. In terms of education, four had attained only a high school diploma, five had attained a bachelor’s and three had attained a Master’s. Eight participants were in the Army, one was in the Navy, one was in the Marines, and two were in the Air Force. Participants rank ranged from Corporal to Major. The sample of participants demonstrated suitable diversity reflective of the overall character of the military in terms of race, gender, rank, and branch. However, with the median age of participants being 35.75, the sample did skew towards older service members.

For confidentiality reasons, the names of the participants have been changed to protect their identity. In the following section, a brief description of each participant, identified by pseudonym, is given based on the data collected.

Mike

At the time of this study, Mike was a 40-year-old, Caucasian, male Army officer. He holds M.A. degree and had obtained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC). Mike was married with two children, one in high school and one in middle school. He perceived being involved in his children’s education while deployed as a challenge for logistical reasons:

The biggest challenge I would say is not communicating with my kids at a convenient time. Unfortunately, due to time zone difference, they're normally asleep when I am up, so to communicate I would have to stay up late or ask them to stay up late, neither was ideal, but I think we did our best to make it work.

To overcoming the challenge of distance, Mike felt it was important to have a strong support system in place. He viewed financial and social support systems to reduce tension and anxiety that might otherwise arise for his family during his deployment.

On the behavior of children, Mike explained that “they seemed to be more independent, and you feel like you’re not a part of that movement or process.” By viewing his children as increasingly autonomous, Mike reduced his sense of anxiety concerning being there for their educational needs during deployment. He identified different means of communication as crucial for staying in touch and keeping channels of dialogue open: “Internet, email, Instagram, social media. Face Time. Phone calls. All that stuff. Sometimes they like to send letters to keep it fun.”

Mike explained that during deployment he relied on the support of his wife to help the children with academic work. At the same time, he admitted this was no replacement for him being away because the kids "don't like that I am away, and I don’t like that I can't be there for them, I think it makes it hard for all of us."

Christopher

Christopher was a 42-year-old, African American, male, Army enlisted service member. He holds B.A. degree and had obtained the rank of Sergeant Major (SGM). Christopher was recently divorced, and he shares custody of his only child with his ex-wife. While being interviewed, Christopher noted he is a very “hands-on,” person. One of the challenges he encountered while deployed was not being able to interact with his son physically. Being divorced also adds certain limitations to when and how often he could interact through other means. As it relates to the educative process while deployed, Christopher explained that he relies a great deal on his child’s teachers for guidance and support, stating, “I think teachers in military schools tend to be a little more empathic towards students with deployed parents.” On the perceptions that parents have regarding deployment, Christopher stated:

Just trying to have the time to sit down and be there for the kid. It makes it hard when one person doesn't want to help, and then if you're deployed, it's like you don't even have that opportunity, so…I would say parental involvement is exactly what it sounds—being involved.

Christopher also noted that because of the unstable nature of home life when one parent is deployed, the child inadvertently ends up relying on the non-deployed parent, which sometimes undermines or take away opportunities for the deployed parent to be involved. “being divorce only compounds these issues. Since my divorce, everything seems kind of upside down in terms of being involved in my son’s life…things are always tense and uncertain, whether I'm deployed or not. In some ways it almost feels like being deployed is easier.”

Overall, Christopher felt that deployment denied him a chance to participate in his child’s education in a close manner. He described his effort at communicating with his child’s teachers as minimal: “My interaction went from one to two times a month to zero…because of the time zone difference, it just wasn't possible.” According to Christopher, the best solution for deployed parents concerned about their child’s education is to ensure that they have the support of families and educators.

Johnathon

Jonathon was an Army officer, male, Hispanic, 38, holding First Sergeant (ISG) with a high school diploma and two children, ages 6 and 10. For him, the main challenge of deployment was the lack of constant communication. Although he had nearly two decades in the military, he stated that it’s always challenging for him to leave his family due to deployments. However, he had complete faith and trust in his wife, who he stated had more education than he did, so he did not feel too overwhelmed or concerned by his children’s education during deployment. Overall, he felt fortunate to have his wife there at home to support his children educational process.

In terms of the effects on the spouse and how his relationship with his wife was impacted, Jonathon explained that their relationship was good no matter what because they had been through it all and knew how to handle the ups and downs of deployment. He pointed out that his wife was dedicated to ensuring that the children received the best education even in his absence. He noted, that when away, speaking to the children via phone or Instant Messaging could encourage them because it let them know he was still involved in their lives, thinking of them, and that he expected great things from them. He emphasized the importance of constant communication to support his children's education and proactively address issues that could surface due to his physical absence.

Overall, because he trusted a supportive wife at home, he felt that deployment did not significantly affect his children's academic performance. The only challenge he observed was traveling across different locations where it becomes a problem of maintaining constant communication with the children and checking their assignments. Although distant communication has some rewards, Jonathon explained that phone communication is less ideal than face-to-face time. Jonathon explained that the best way to stay involve, is just to maintain constant communication with your spouse and children, as best as possible.

Zac

Zac was an Army officer, male, Caucasian, 30, married, holding Sergeant (SSG), with a high school diploma and two children, ages 12 and 15. While deployed, Zac stated he was able to communicate fairly often with his children. Overall, he felt satisfied with the role that everyone played in helping in the education of his children during his deployment: “I think it’s a combination of all of the above. Family, educators, and selected members within my community played a major role in assisting my children in their education while I was deployed. I did what I could from a far, but these key players stepped in and filled in where I couldn't, and I'm extremely grateful for that.”

Zac relied on his wife for information about his children’s academic progress during his absence. At the same time, he also noted that it was not easy for his wife to handle parenting responsibilities on her own, he felt she endured enormous pressure, particularly as it related to overseeing the children’s progress in school. For that reason, Zac stated he was grateful that the teachers and people in the community were there to help give a positive example to the children. He indicated a strong believe in having a support system of teachers, community and family as critical to mitigating potential issues that could lead to a child’s regress in their academics. Zac felt his children understood the challenges of his deployment, in the sense that “it makes it hard for everyone to cope, and that they too have to increase their focus on their education”.

The presence of a supportive wife and mother, coupled with his efforts to communicate constantly, was the biggest advantage that helped to address daily challenges and sustained his efforts in staying connected. Overall, Zac explained that the major challenges throughout his deployment process, came mostly in the pre-deployment stage, which resulted from anxiety about not knowing what’s to come—but once it arrives, it didn’t seemed as bad, because everyone found a way to work though the challenges as they occur.

James

James was an Army officer, male, Caucasian, 36, married, holding the rank of Major, with an M.A. degree and three children. James stated he relied heavily on his faith in God to cope with deployment challenges and ensure his children stayed focused on their education. He explained that his experience throughout deployment had been both good and bad; however, his family and church community played a crucial part in his ability to put things in perspective, which helped him establish and maintain a balance between all aspects of his life. Upon reflecting on the challenges of deployment, James stated, communication was a major challenge for him:

Not being able to communicate as often and as much as I would like was a challenge, not just for me but also for us. Our family is pretty tight knit, my wife and I have always encouraged our kids to communicate with us about anything. Unfortunately, while deployed, I was unable to provide my kids that opportunity.

Despite not being able to communicate as often as preferred, James found ways to adjust to the new conditions, he did what he could, whenever possible. Although he preferers being physically present and involved with his children, he acknowledged that “parental involvement in children’s education does not mean having to be there at all times. A parent can provide care through other means such as financial, spiritual, and emotional support. From a spiritual standpoint, James noted that he leaves everything to God, making it easy for him to address multiple challenges. Thus, whether deployed or not, he has taught his children to find solutions to challenges by turning to God for support. For that reason, he noted that despite his deployment, his children seemed to be more responsible and continued to accomplish the expected things.

Throughout the interview, it was clear that being away from his family was the biggest challenge for James; however, he didn’t allow it to deter him from staying connected or from playing apart in his children’s educative process. He did this by having conversations with his wife about how their children were doing in school. These conversations often took place after engagements with educators or receipt of quarterly report cards. The overarching point James wanted to relay was that, “a strong family support system, grounded in faith, and enforce through constant communication, is very important to coping with the challenges of deployment, particularly as it relates to being away from the family and staying involve in children’s education.”

Billy

Billy was an Army officer, male, African American, 44, holding Sergeant Major (SGM) with a B.A. degree and three children. Billy had no complaints about deployment, stating “it is part of the job.” He did not believe one should view it as an excuse not to be engaged in the education of one’s children. At the same time, he noted that he had a large extended family that he could rely on for support: “I have a pretty big family, and for the most part, we were in a pretty good financial state, so those two factors played a major role. I would say that the strong bond I share with my wife and kids made things go smoothly.”

Billy noted that the main challenge was that more was expected of his wife while he was away: she had to serve as both mother and father for the children, i.e., act as nurturer and as disciplinarian (a role he typically plays filled when at home). For Billy, parental involvement in his children’s education involved, establishing rules, attaining consistency, and providing oversight to hold the kids accountable. Personal accountability was the number one lesson Billy aimed to teach his children to know to manage their affairs at school without being prodded by a parent.

During deployment, Billy explained that the method of parental involvement in a child’s education changes. Disciplining them becomes challenging, and it only means that they have to hold themselves and equally, rely on his wife to step in when they fail to do so. Fortunately, Billy's stating his wife has all the skills to handle numerous situations relating to the children and rarely ask for his assistance or input. Challenges set in due to communication difficulties due to the network, and when deployed in regions that have extremely different time zones, communication is affected. The deployment also affects the frequency of interacting with educators. According to Billy, parents need to be flexible and be ready for the growing dynamics.

Tim

Tim was an Army officer, male, African American, 34, married, holding First Lieutenant (1LT) with a B.S. degree and three children. While being interviewed, Tim explained that, during his deployment, he was concerned about his children’s education, in terms of his ability to assist, when needed. Tim’s concerns originated from feeling overwhelmed with deployment task, coupled with the geographical distance and difference in time zone between him and his family, which he stated made it difficult to communicate. To alleviate some of the commination challenges, , Tim only made calls during the weekends, that way he did not interfere with his children school requirements during the week.

For Tim, parental involvement did not just focus on academic development but also moral development. He viewed it as his duty to provide moral, emotional, and financial support. His stated his definition of parental involvement did not change while he was deployed; however, he acknowledged that deployment does create some limitations, especially as it relates to being able to interact with his children’s teachers:

The biggest difference so far is not being able to check in with teachers as much as I would like. Most schools are now virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so that does help, because I could access my kid's progress online, but if I have any questions, I'm not always able to contact the teachers for a quick response because of the time zone difference.

To cope with the limitations in communication, Tim utilized WhatsApp and other social media platforms to enhance interactions. By connecting in this way, he stated he could reduce anxiety, which would often result from being apart from his children and not knowing what was happening back home. Staying in touch was seen by him as very important for everyone, especially when maintaining a sense of normalcy. Tim emphasized that, for deployed parents to maintain a sense of balance and involvement in their children education, they must create schedules for predictability and set expectations that are both flexible and realistic.

Brian

Brian was a Navy officer, male, African American, 34, married, holding the rank of CPT with a B.S. degree and four children. While being interviewed, Brian express uncertainty about the effects of deployment on his children’s education, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that while deployed, his wife played the role of keeping the family together, which subsequently allowed him to focus almost entirely on his deployment task.In terms of his role in his children’s education while deployed, he stated it was minimal at best, but alluded to geographical separation as a major contributing factor:

My biggest challenge thus far is being in different time zones form my children. This has prevented me from corresponding with teachers in person and attending school functions, such parent-teacher engagements. Coincidentally, due to the ongoing pandemic, the option for face-to-face interactions have been deferred.

Additionally, Brian revealed that his deployment has created several inconveniences, especially in network communication failures, making it difficult for him to maintain an open dialogue with his children. Despite these inconveniences, Brian took solace in knowing that his wife was there to keep everyone together. This gave him a sense that his children would continue to fulfill their academic obligations. According to Brian, “maintaining an open line of communication with your children” is the most important thing a deployed parent could do to stay involved, while separated.

Janice

Janice was an Air Force officer, female, African American, 32, married, holding SSG rank with an MBA and three children. As a former military child, Janice had a great deal of understanding of what it is like for a child to have a deployed parent. For that reason, she didn’t attempt to do too much on her own: instead, she relied upon her husband and other relatives, to play a crucial role in supporting her children’s education. The biggest challenge for Janice was maintaining communication, because it required her to align her schedule with that of her children. This was important to her because in her view, parental involvement includes, being present at all times. Though physical presence was not possible during deployment, she recognized that children still need emotional, financial, and spiritual support. Thus, she focused on ensuring that these needs were met even in times of physical separation.

Janice explained that it was difficult to monitor the education of her children while deployed. Still, she had confidence that her husband and in-laws would make up for the roles she could not fulfill while deployed. She could trust them to do so because her family knew how important her children academic progression meant to her. Additionally, She noted that she felt the deployment positively affected her children because it made them work even harder to make her proud.

For Janice, the deployment stage was the most challenging because of her children's lack of physical interactions. She viewed the post-deployment stage to be challenging as well, due to the process of having reintegrate herself into a new routine, created in her absence. Her advice to military parents, is to be proactive and prepare children for what things will be like during deployment, to reduce anxiety.

Tammy

Tammy was an Army officer, female, Hispanic, single mother, 43, holding Chief Warrant Officer (CW2) with a B.S. degree and four children. Being a single mother made deployment difficult for Tammy because she had to seek help outside the normal support channels. Tammy was deployed during the time of this study and stated:

The kids are currently staying with my mother, she has been a huge help and support system for us over the years. I’m not sure how I would be able to do what I do without her help. I'm extremely greatly for her. I also hire a tutor to assist, being that my mother isn't always able to understand their school assignments.

For Tammy, the major obstacle to her children’s education was distance and the barriers it created in communication. In her view, she would like to be more actively involved in her children’s education, but deployment made it nearly impossible. In terms of the effects of deployment on children's behavior, the children demonstrated mixed reactions, and sometimes Tammy felt that her children were not doing their best because of her absence. She stated her communication options were limited, which made her relied even more on the inputs of her mother and other relatives.

Without a full support system in place, Tammy had no choice but to take the children outside of their normal approach to life and school. This disruption prevented them from focusing on school the way she would have preferred. However, as a single mother, she stated she did the best she could, under deployment conditions, but was grateful that her mother was there to compensate in the areas she couldn’t.

Thomas

Thomas was a Marine officer, male, Caucasian, married, 26, holding Corporal (CPL) with a H.S. diploma and one child. According to Thomas, being deployed as a young parent scared him: he worried that his child’s education would be significantly affected. For Thomas, the only support in his absence came from his newly wedded wife and relatives, especially concerning their studies. This made it difficult for him to know what to do, as he lacked experience in helping his child with education while being deployed. Deployed at the time of this study, he noted:

The major challenge is that I find it difficult to engage with teachers and educators as I would love to. It is bad for me because I am still new in parenting and now, the pandemic has hit the world. Most schools are now virtual because of the pandemic, so that does help, because I could access my kid's progress online, but if I have any questions, I'm not always able to contact the teachers for a quick response because of the time zone difference.

However, Thomas also explained that he wanted to believe that the process would go on as best as possible. He did not want to be negative about any of it because that might make it harder for his family at home. He believed that so long as everyone was accepting of the situation, it would work out in the end. He stated: “I just wish we had more understanding of how to do this—but we are both new to this, so we are kind of learning on the go.” Having the help and understanding of teachers from his perspective was crucial: without their help, he did not think it would go well for his child to make academic progress. For that, he was grateful.

Terry

Terry was an Air Force officer, female, married, African American, 30, holding Tech Sergeant (TSgt) with a H.S. diploma and two children. At the time of this study, Terry was anticipating deployment. Her main concerns were that she would need to rely on support from her husband and relatives to help make certain the children were staying focused on schoolwork. She also anticipated the communication and distance barriers as a problem, but she hoped to maintain an open line of communication with her children via social media. One of the main reasons she was hopeful was that she had taught the children to be self-motivated and knew that they could be trusted to stay the course.

However, with one parent away for a sustained time, anything can happen—that was her fear. With changes in schooling due to pandemic constraints, Terry pointed out that “given these new changes, I would say my interaction with teachers has been altered but more so because of the pandemic and not necessarily because of deployment.” She noted that she trusted the system and the process, and stated that in her absence the school, her husband, the children themselves, and relatives in the community would all have to be accommodating. This made it difficult for him to know what to do, as he lacked experience in helping his child with education while being deployed. Family support from the school and home and the community was sufficient to ensure that help would come as needed.

RESULTS

The data described above were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, artifact analysis, and focus groups. Analysis of the data led to the generation of three themes that could consistently explain the experiences of deployed parents concerning their children’s education: job satisfaction, the importance of communication with one’s family/social support system, and the need for trustworthy teacher/school support. Each of these major themes also contained subthemes essential in understanding the experiences of the participants.

Theme Development

Themes were established by applying Moustakas' (1994) transcendental phenomenological method and coded using NVivo software nodes. The main themes and subthemes with associated coding are tabulated below.

Theme

Theme Codes

Subtheme

Total Subtheme codes

Job satisfaction

Dependency

Shared Experiences

Education support

N/A

N/A

Communication/social support system

N/A

N/A

Important note: The aspect of deployment takes three stages (Pre-deployment, Deployment and Post-deployment). In this regard, the use of NVivo in the generation of codes utilized three nodes or nodes that obeyed the multiplicity of 3.

Job Satisfaction. In the data collection phase, it was evident that the participants were satisfied with the nature of their military jobs. All the participants indicated that the nature of their work was not challenging, but that difficulties arose when deployment took place. However, when deployment occurred, the parents looked for ways to address issues. This became difficult only when support systems were not in place. Those participants who were divorced or single parents expressed high levels of anxiety about deployment. Those with support systems expressed less anxiety and maintained an overall positive view of their work. The following responses illustrate some of their perspectives:

Brian: I really enjoy my experiences in the military thus far, I don't think there's any other career field with the same amount of opportunities as the military. I initially joined for the benefits, but I continue to serve because of people and the organization.

Billy: For me, it's like any other job, you can complain about it, or embrace it. So far, I've embraced it, and that seems to work well.

Christopher: Overall, my experience in the military thus far has been good, but sometimes challenging, especially in moments like this, when I'm deployed and away from my family.

Janice: So far, it's been good. I enjoy what I do, and the benefits are great, especially the medical. The only down fall is having to be away from children for an extended period.

High level of satisfaction that many participants continue to pursue their careers by furthering their education to hold higher ranks. By furthering their education, they felt better situated to tend to the needs of their children even if they did not have a clear plan in mind.

Zac: I'm a Staff Sergeant in the Army and I'm looking forward to being promoted soon. My goal is to go back to school in order to continue my education, not sure for what yet. I'm married and I have two amazing children, who I would do anything for.

Despite Zac’s lack of certainty about his educational plans, he made a clear association between getting back to school and his own children’s happiness. Like Zac, the overwhelming majority of the participants did not give any negative information about their military environment regarding how they were structured. Thus, negative views of the military were not an apparent reason for why children's education might be negatively affected. Participants instead observed that separation from families was itself the main challenge that leads to reduced participation on military parents in the education life of their children. Billy, for instance, maintained that he loves the soldiers that he interacts with during different missions and that they have become like family to him.

His positive regard for his work gave him an upbeat view of the challenges that resulted from parenting and guiding his children through school from a distance. Christopher on the other hand was dealing with divorce and felt that his relationship at home impacted everything else around him in a negative way. He felt generally unhappy no matter the situation or environment. In this respect, Christopher’s situation stands out as an outlier among the rest of the participants and suggests that family bond may be the most significant factor.

Within the theme of job satisfaction, multiple subthemes help to answer the research questions. For instance, on sub-question 3 on the challenges that military parents face when trying to remain active in the education life of their children, the sub-theme of dependency became evident. It was clear that military parents mostly addressed the challenge by relying upon their spouses or close relatives. It was also clear that for this reason, military parents who were single or divorced applied different techniques to ensure that their interaction with their children remained positive—even if this was easier said than done. The following responses from participants support these observations.

Billy: I have a pretty big family, and for the most part, we were in a pretty good financial state, so those two factors played a major role. I would say that the strong bond I share with my wife and kids made things go smoothly.

Tim: My wife and relatives have supported raising and helping the children with their studies.

Tammy: The kids are currently staying with my mother; she has been a huge help and support system for us over the years. Not sure how I would be able to do what I do without her help. I'm extremely greatly for her. I also hire a tutor to help out because my mother cannot understand their school assignments.

Christopher: I am divorced. Just had some hard times being deployed and keeping the family together. We weren't on the same page.

Military parents also have shared experiences regarding how they proceeded in establishing involvement in their children's education. They adopted technological methods that aided in sealing the gap created by a lack of physical presence and distance (often turning to social media). They aspired to deliver affection and support in the same amount as they did when not deployed, regardless of how that affection and support were achieved. The following participants and their responses show a high degree of correlation in terms of shared experience:

Bill Schneider: I'm usually pretty active and engaged with my kids' education while not deployed. Unfortunately, due to the distance between us, things have changed slightly. Some methods I've learn so far is communicating through FaceTime, WhatsApp and other social media networks.

Billy Mathews: I can't think of a specific time, but generally, communication, network issues and time zone differences made it hard to communicate.

Tim: There was a time recently when network connections were down and we could hardly communicate with our families back home.

Johnathon: I tried to communicate as much as possible through phone and FaceTime. But that wasn't always enough, so at times I would also send emails or mail letters home.

Christopher: I'm a very hands-on person, so not being there to demonstrate certain things is very frustrating physically. There are certain things I was able teach or instruct over the phone or through face-time, but it wasn't the same as being there in person, so that was a challenge for me.

Zac: When I'm not deployed, I am talking to them about everything, and when I am deployed, I am communicating to them with emails and letters because that contact has to be maintained.

The correlation derived from the participants was consistent the Epoche approach, i.e., the method by which phenomenological reduction plus imaginative variation results in the derivation of the essence.

Education Support. On this theme, military parents used all the available methods to ensure that they could participate in their children's education. Despite their deployment, some parents reviewed assignments with their children, while others maintained constant communication with educators to ensure that their children demonstrated the appropriate education progress. This was very conspicuous in five of the participants as supported in the following quotes.

Janice Idris: The experience was reassuring; I understood that they stayed on top of their schoolwork. Plus, I've emailed their teachers a couple of time and their feedback was positive.

Christopher: I felt I could have done more when it came to communicating with teachers. In retrospect, I probably should have emailed them more often, but at the time it just didn't seem very personal…I would probably say my interaction went from one to two times a month to zero. I tried a couple of times to touch base with a few of their teachers, but it just wasn't possible because of the time zone difference.

Tim: The biggest way I participate in their education is through Skype, instant messages, or sometimes when unable to synchronize our times, I ask them to email me their assignments to review it for errors. When not deployed, this would be done in person.

Tammy: The kids are currently staying with my mother; she has been a huge help and support system for us over the years. Not sure how I would be able to do what I do without her help. I'm extremely greatly for her. I also hire a tutor to assist because my mother cannot understand their school assignments.

Mike: The biggest challenge I would say is not communicating with my kids at a convenient time. Unfortunately, due to time zone difference, they're normally asleep when I'm up, so to communicate I would have to stay up late or ask them stay up late, neither was ideal, but I think we did our best to make it work.

Communication /Social Support System. This theme incorporated attributes that revealed how participants use different ways to stay involved in their children's education. For example, during deployment, the most challenging stage resulted in various answers even though these military parents operated in nearly similar environments. The only explanation for such diversity is personal resolutions and how different parents prepare to address possible challenges. The following quote from 3 participants verify this conclusion.

Bill: All three stages of deployment are pretty hard, but I think deployment phase is the most challenging because I don't get to be around them as much as I would like.

Chris Brian: Pre-deployment is the hardest because of all the anxiety and stress of mentally preparing to be away from the family. This creates a lot of stress on the family as well, particularly my younger kids.

Janice: I would say deployment phase, because you cannot physically be there for your children. I would also imagine that the post deployment phase will be just as challenging because I will have to integrate myself into a routine created in my absence.

A similar assessment on how military parents engaged their spouses also illustrated the diversity in how parents approached family/social support systems. Some of the parents had more interactions with their spouses concerning their children's education than others. The statements from 4 participants below support this interpretation of the data.

Billy: The big challenge was not supporting my spouse as she tackled all the household responsibility. It was tough because I hate knowing she had to play both roles (mother and father). Although I wanted to help, there was only so much I could have done from a far.

Christopher: While deployed, I had to rely more on my spouse and other family members to cover things I normally do.

Zac: I think it's hard for my spouse but it all takes time to figure out. I tried not to put a lot of pressure on her, I just told her to do the best she could and let me know how I could help.

Thomas: My first deployment was pretty hard on my wife; it took some time for her to adjust to me not being there to help out with the kids and their education. But my current deployment hasn't been too bad, I think she was better prepared and knew what to expect, in terms of taking on more responsibility in my absence. We also established a network of family and friends that are willing to help if she gets overwhelmed.

Research Question Responses

In answer to the central research question—What are the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child's education? participants’ data revealed that they perceive the journey in their children's education as challenging because of deployment. They play other roles just like a general parent, but they are often separated, and they have to look for alternative methods that would help strengthen the level of interactions. However, the exact response and descriptions derived from the phenomenological studies can only be presented by responding to the sub-questions.

Sub-question one: How do military parents describe their involvement in their children's education while deployed? The involvement took a mixed direction based on the participant. Still, correlation was common among 8 participants who explained that the journey was sometimes challenging and that they felt as if they were not giving the best to the children:

Janice: I would say deployment phase, because you cannot physically be there for your children. I would also imagine that the post deployment phase will be just as challenging because I will have to integrate myself into a routine created in my absence.

Christopher: Not being able to be there for my son physically is hard. It makes it even more difficult when you’re divorce and don’t have a supportive partner.

Tim: Overall, my experience in the military thus far has been good, but sometimes challenging, especially in moments like this, when I'm deployed and away from my family.

Tammy: My experiences have been mixed. I generally enjoy the military, but as a single parent, it could be quite challenging you have to deployed. Luckily, my children are a little older now, and a little more self-sufficient.

Thomas: All three stages of deployment are pretty hard, but I think deployment phase is the most challenging because I don't get to be around them as much as I would like…I’m always anxious that my kids' education will decline due to my deployments.

Zac: They seem happy when I'm home. We're all happy to be back together obviously. Being apart is hard.

Mike: being deployed is a challenge. They don't like that I'm away, and I can't be there like I want to be and they feel that I think. So it's hard for them and they struggle.

Johnathon: Occasionally we had to travel to different locations across the battlespace. So, it was particularly hard to consistently communicate with the kids during those times, much less checking in with their assignments.

Although some of the participants had the challenging effects significantly reduced, assistance was brought by relatives and spouses' involvement in their children's education. Without this assistance, the challenges likely would not have been overcome to the extent that they were. Thus, using the synthesis approach and borrowing from Moustakas’ methods, it is viable to conclude that military parent involvement would be an extremely daunting task (Moustakas, 1994; Rule and John, 2015).

Sub-question 2: How do military parents perceive the impact of their deployment on the family and particularly on their child's academic performance?

Many military parents acknowledge that deployment can have detrimental effects on their children's education, especially when no support is given to families. In addition, if the parent fails to make prior preparation, children are likely to face psychological problems that can lead to poor grades—and participants generally seemed aware of this. The advice given by the participants on how military parents should address the challenges provides a clear illustration of their perceptions as shown in the following quotes.

Johnathon: Communicate with your spouse and children as often as possible. No exceptions.

Christopher: Ensure you have a family support system that supports you and is on the same page.

Zac: Learn how to balance both work and family obligation before being deployed

Tim: Try to find consistencies, develop a schedule for phone calls and video chat.

Billy: Be flexible, expect things to change often, but keep everyone inform as changes occur.

Thomas: I would advise them to talk to their kids about potential deployment challenges before deploying. Also, set realistic expectations on when and how often you'll be able to communicate.

James: I would advise them to communicate as much as possible, especially prior and during the deployment. Also, continue to show interest in children's education, even though they may not help.

Janice: I would advise parents to be proactive in figuring out ways to stay involved with their children before being deployed. Having a plan gives predictability and reduces some of the initial anxiety before leaving.

Tammy: Be involved as much as you can, set realistic expectations, and focus on your control things.

Sub-question 3: What challenges do military parents who are deployed face while trying to stay involved in their children's education?

One of the major challenges that all the 12 participants shared was communication. Military parents were deployed in different regions, across many time zones, and this affected communication. They also failed to offer some available support forms when not deployed, such as physical contact and face-to-face engagement. The words of the following participants best illustrate the nature of this difficulty that all participants recognized:

Christopher: I'm a very hands-on person, so not being there to demonstrate certain things is very frustrating physically. There are certain things I was able teach or instruct over the phone or through facetime, but it wasn't the same as being there in person, so that was a challenge for me.

Mike: The biggest challenge I would say is not communicating with my kids at a convenient time. Unfortunately, due to time zone difference, they’re normally asleep when I’m up, so to communicate I would have to stay up late or ask them stay up late, neither was ideal. The available time is during late hours for them or me when everyone is exhausted. So the communication can only be superficial, limiting the extent to which I can participate as a parent in the academic life of my kids.

Johnathon: Communication was a challenge. The network signals were always unreliable, and mission requirements sometimes prioritized calling home to chat with the kids about their schooling. The challenges of network connectivity, priority of duty, and working in different time zones leave little time for exploring the nature of my kids’ academic life in depth. While I would love to explore what their life at school is like and contribute to solving some of the challenges they encounter daily; my hands are tied by the circumstances under which I work at times more often than not.

Janice: Communication is one of the biggest challenges I’ve experience so far. It’s not always possible to align my schedule with my children schedules. A lot of this is due to being in different time zones. Being , and mission requirements sometimes prioritizedime difference makes it difficult to reconcile my work schedules with my children. As a result, the minimal time that we get to share, we dwell on family matters and very little, just how school is going, making delving into their academic progress difficult

Summary

The chapter provided brief descriptions of the participants and findings obtained through analysis of the collected data. Then, it described the role of military parents in their children's education through results as categorized by the nature of the three major themes: job satisfaction, education support, and communication with family/social support. The conclusion involved fielding the central and the sub-questions that formed the basis of this phenomenological research.

Throughout the study, it was clear that being away from his family was the biggest challenge for deployed military parents. However, deployment did not limit them from staying connected or playing a part in their children’s educative process. One way through which they were actively involved was by having conversations with his wife about how their children were doing in school. These conversations often took place after engagements with educators or receipt of quarterly report cards. The overarching similarity in their experiences was that a robust family support system, grounded in faith, and enforce through constant communication, was very important to coping with deployment challenges, particularly related to being away from the family and staying involved in children’s education.

Parental involvement in their children’s education was described as establishing rules, attaining consistency, and providing oversight to hold the kids accountable. Personal accountability was emphasized as an essential measure to teach his children to manage their school life. However, the respondents observe parental involvement in a child’s education changes after deployment. Disciplining children becomes challenging, and it only means that they have to hold themselves responsible just as much as their spouses and relatives to perform their parental duties.

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION

Overview

This transcendental phenomenological research aimed to assess deployed military parents' perceptions and lived experiences regarding active involvement in their child's education. This chapter discusses the findings described in the previous chapter and summarizes what has been understood. It also discusses both practical and empirical implications of the research. In addition, it identifies both the limitations and delimitations of the research, provides recommendations, and concludes with a final summation.

Summary of the Findings

Data collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, artifact analysis, and focus groups provided the basis for identifying and developing the three themes: job satisfaction, education support, and the need for communication with one’s family/social support system. Each of these major themes contained subthemes essential in answering both the central and sub-questions.

In my response to the central question, which is, "What are the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child's education?" I explained that the participants perceived the journey in their children's education as challenging because of deployment. This was primarily because they played other roles just like a general parent, but they were often separated. As a result, they had to look for alternative methods that would help strengthen interactions. At the same time, participants did not view the challenge as stemming directly from the nature of their jobs in the military. Participants generally had favorable views of their job and elected not to correlate Job satisfaction as a factor in their perception of deployment related to its challenges. Equally, all 12 participants acknowledged that a military parent faces challenges when addressing their children's educational needs. To better understand these challenges, the sub-questions of this study provide the best starting place for discussion.

In response to the first question "How do military parents describe their involvement in their children's education while deployed?" I explained that the involvement takes a mixed direction based on the participant. Still, correlation was common among 8 participants who explained that the journey was sometimes challenging, and they felt as if they were not giving the best to their children. Although the responses had some variation depending on how the military parents viewed their education role in their children's lives, it was clear that they acknowledged that they had a role to play in their children's lives, even while deployed. This role was just as important to them as the job they performed during deployment. Thus, the main challenge was not that they were deployed but rather that they had to do two jobs at once, one of which was made more difficult because of distance.

In response to the second question, “How do military parents perceive the impact of their deployment on the family and particularly on their child's academic performance?" I indicated that many military parents appreciate that deployment has detrimental effects on their children's education, especially when no support is given to families. In addition, the parent fails to make prior preparation, children are likely to face psychological problems that can lead to poor grades. The advice given by the participants on how military parents should address the challenges gives a clear illustration of their perceptions. All the participants agreed that deployment has some effect on the academic performance of children. However, the effect varies based on the measures that parents put into reducing the ripple effects of the deployment. In particular, spouses and relatives were instrumental in determining the performance of children during the deployment period.

To the third sub-question "What challenges do military parents who are deployed face while trying to stay involved in their children's education," I responded by indicating that one of the major challenges that all 12 participants shared was communication. Military parents were deployed to different parts of the world, affecting the viability of normal communication channels. In response to this challenge, parents sought other possible alternative methods to connect with their children to engage in their educative process. Unfortunately, this was never an easy task for them, and they were forced to use spouses, teachers, or educators to learn more about their children's performance.

Discussion

This discussion section aimed to examine the findings by reflecting on the theoretical concepts in chapter 2. First, the study's basis was inspired by theoretical concepts in the literature review that offered insights into the existing research and possible bridges to close research gaps. Overall, the research was found to support the discussion on the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their child's education

Theoretical Literature

The theoretical literature that formed this study's basis was informed by the theory of parental involvement supplied by Epstein (2011) regarding parents, school, and community. According to the theory, parents play a crucial role in providing the guidance and support children need to achieve their academic goals. The six kinds of involvement identified by Epstein (2011) are parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community. These six kinds of involvement formed the basis of designing the research questions to ensure that all the aspects were incorporated in the research.