Military Parents and Education Involvement During Deployment

Overview and Research Questions

This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of deployed military parents regarding active involvement in their children's education. 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 capture all the necessary detail required for the best outcomes, three sub-questions were used to narrow the study's findings:

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

2. How do military parents perceive the impact of their deployment on the family and particularly on 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 an introduction and description of the participants who willingly accepted to be part of the study after being given full details about it. It also responds to the research questions above by reflecting on the details provided by the participants. Answers were formulated by analyzing themes using descriptions that observe both structural and textural methodologies. The final section integrates a summary of the key items covered in the chapter.

The research participants were U.S. military parents of school-aged (Pre-K–12) children in the United States. Participants have direct, hands-on experience with deployment and therefore serve as ideal representatives of military personnel deployed in various parts of the world for varying durations. Demographic information was recorded in the table labeled "Data Collection 1," and individual participant details were analyzed to further examine the different outcomes of the collected data.

Participant Profiles and Experiences

As is common in phenomenological studies, data was recorded as given by the participants. Accordingly, some shared information may not meet strict grammatical standards, but the data is sufficiently clear and valid for analysis. For confidentiality, certain details were coded at the participants' request when completing consent forms. This coding did not compromise the quality of the shared data in any way.

[Student] is an Army officer, male, aged 40 years. He holds the rank of LTC and has attained an M.A. education level. He is Caucasian. He had not been deployed and therefore served as a reference point for comparison with those who have been active participants in the deployment process. He has two children within the K–12 bracket. He explains that deployment would be hard for him given the complexity of the process involved in supporting children's education. Despite these challenges, financial stability and family support are crucial during the deployment process.

He shares his experience of the challenges that arise when attempting to participate in a child's education during deployment:

"The biggest challenge I would say is not being able to communicate with my kids at a convenient time. Unfortunately, due to time zone differences, they're normally asleep when I'm up, so in order 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."

Despite these challenges, he explains that military work has been ideal for him, and he has managed to rise through different ranks. He views parental involvement as a scenario that ensures support for everyone, but parents cannot provide this support during deployment, and therefore everything seems to change. Availability allows parents to participate in children's learning by guiding them through homework — opportunities not available for deployed parents.

On the behavior of children during deployment, he explains that "they seemed to be more independent and you feel like you're not really part of that movement or process." Parents are left to use different methods to engage their children: "Internet, email, Instagram, social media, FaceTime, phone calls — all that stuff. Sometimes they like to send letters to keep it fun. When I'm home, I'm just with them as much as possible, going to their school for things, helping with math and reading."

He explains that during deployment, his spouse was instrumental in enhancing children's participation in education, though not without challenges. Children "don't like that I'm away, and I can't be there like I want to be, and they feel that, I think. It's hard for them and they struggle." At times, operational demands made even remote participation impossible: "Being on patrol, it felt like weeks went by without being able to communicate with the family. During those times, I felt I had no idea what was going on back home."

[Student] is an Army officer, male, aged 42 years. He holds the rank of SGM and has attained a B.A. education level. He is African American. He had not been deployed and served as a reference point for comparison with those who have been active participants in the deployment process. He has one child within the K–12 bracket. During data collection, he explained that it is challenging to participate in children's education during deployment, and that teachers often take up the role that parents are supposed to play:

"Teachers were a big factor, especially being in the military. In my personal opinion, I think teachers in military schools tend to be a little more empathetic towards students with deployed parents, because they themselves are in military households or have experienced other students in the same scenario."

The main challenge of absence is the lack of opportunity for physical interaction. Although some things could be communicated by phone, there was a significant difference compared to what face-to-face interaction offers. The situation is further complicated for divorced parents like this participant because of the inability to bring the family together. He loves his job but looks forward to retirement and the chance to spend more time with his son, who is only seven years old.

On his perceptions of parental involvement during deployment, he says:

"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… I would say parental involvement is exactly what it sounds — being involved."

The core meaning of parental involvement does not change whether deployed or not; it simply becomes more challenging during deployment. There is greater reliance on what spouses or family members offer to the children. Children's behavior also changes during deployment, and many things become uncertain: "Everything is kind of upside down after a divorce and even before… so everything is always kind of tense and uncertain, whether I'm deployed or not. In some ways it almost feels like being deployed is easier."

Even when deployed parents return home, ongoing duties mean they are still unable to give their best to the children. The deployment also strains the spousal relationship — the closeness that existed before deployment weakens. When one spouse holds a different view on the value of education, the effects on the child's schooling become even more pronounced. In this participant's case, his spouse did not share his belief in education, and the child lacked consistent guidance, which led to poor performance. "I think just being deployed is a barrier, especially as it relates to staying involved in their education. Every day comes with new challenges and obstacles. You just have to be flexible and tackle them as they come."

He feels that deployment denied him the chance to engage more closely with teachers through alternative means such as email — something that could have been facilitated even during deployment. He reflects: "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 because of the time zone difference, it just wasn't possible." According to this participant, the best solution for deployed parents is to ensure that family support is consistently in place.

[Student] is an Army officer, male, aged 38 years. He holds the rank of ISG and has attained an H.S. education level. He is Hispanic. He had not been deployed and served as a reference point for comparison. He has two children within the K–12 bracket. He explains that his children have a close relationship with their mother, and unlike himself, his wife is highly educated and understands the education system well. This allows her to develop schedules that meet the children's needs and collaborate effectively with teachers during deployment periods.

However, communication was a major challenge in areas with weak signals, and missions did not always allow adequate time to interact with the children. The bond continued to weaken and participation in children's education became minimal — despite his love for the military. "I have a wonderful family, love spending time with them, and love my job in the military. I get to serve my country, travel the world, and experience things I would not have been able to in any other profession."

He perceives parental engagement as parents dedicating enough time to their children's education. This changes during deployment and is analogous to the state of virtual learning that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, he had maintained his role as a father while deployed. He acknowledges the differences in his children's behavior when he is away and worked to stay on top of the main things affecting them. The contrast is most pronounced because at home he actively helps with assignments, whereas during deployment he has to dedicate a different form of energy to supporting his children.

He explains that his wife is dedicated to ensuring the children receive the best even in his absence, though it is never easy to say goodbye. While away, his conversations with the children were primarily supportive — encouraging them and setting expectations. He reports that deployment did not significantly affect the children's performance. The main challenge arose when traveling across different locations made it difficult to maintain consistent communication or review assignments. Though remote communication has some rewards, phone contact does not offer as much as face-to-face interaction. His recommended solution is to maintain constant communication with both spouse and children.

[Student] is an Army officer, male, aged 30 years. He holds the rank of SSG and has attained an H.S. education level. He is Caucasian. He had not been deployed and served as a reference point for comparison. He has two children within the K–12 bracket. He was able to maintain consistent communication with his children for the larger part of the deployment period. Regarding the roles of educators, family, financial support, and community, he says: "I think it's a combination of all the above. Family, educators, and my community all played a major role in assisting my children in their education while I was deployed. I did what I could from afar, but these systems stepped in and filled in where I couldn't, and I'm extremely grateful for that."

He identifies multiple challenges that hindered communication with children during deployment, the most significant being psychological — anxiety and stress. While he believed the children were doing fine, he could not stop thinking about the effects of his absence on their education. He values education highly and hopes to return to school to advance his studies and seek promotion. He loves his job but dislikes deployments.

He defines parental involvement as ensuring that schoolwork is completed. The same definition holds during deployment, though the effects differ as children grow because the degree of involvement decreases. During deployment, most responsibilities were transferred to his wife, though the children were happier when he was home. To maintain involvement during deployment, he kept contact with the children, and his wife briefed him on their progress. He tried to reduce pressure on her by encouraging her to do her best for the children's education.

Deployment made it hard for the children to cope with their education. The presence of their mother and consistent communication helped address daily challenges. Pre-deployment was the most challenging stage overall, but the key is always to balance family and work demands.

[Student] is an Army officer, male, aged 36 years. He holds the rank of Major and has attained an M.A. education level. He is Caucasian. He had not been deployed and served as a reference point for comparison. He has three children within the K–12 bracket. He explains that deployment has both positive and negative effects, but family and church have been instrumental in supporting the children's education. He quotes one of the primary challenges faced during deployment:

"Not being able to communicate as often and as much as I would like was definitely a challenge, not just for me but for them as well. Our family is pretty tight-knit; my wife and I have always encouraged our kids to communicate with us about any and everything. While deployed, I wasn't able to provide my kids that opportunity."

He is a Major in the U.S. Army who aspires to become a pastor after retirement. Despite serving in the military for 18 years, family means everything to him. His goals have evolved from focusing on military benefits to becoming a servant of people and organizations.

He defines parental involvement in children's education as fulfilling the duties of supporting children and overcoming any obstacles that may compromise that involvement. This definition does not change during deployment, as the responsibilities remain the same. He relies on faith to navigate the challenges he faces and has taught his children to accept this aspect of their lives. Even during deployment, the children have stepped up, become more responsible, and have always done what was expected of them.

He uses face-to-face engagement when not deployed but switches to letters and emails during deployment. Whenever he spoke to the children during deployment, he emphasized the importance of education. He reports that deployment did not appear to affect the children, who remained focused and engaged.

During deployment, he faced numerous challenges but used them as learning points, training the children to view challenges as opportunities. He acknowledges that the time devoted to involvement is significantly reduced during deployment, and interactions with educators changed — he relied on his wife to reach teachers rather than contacting them directly. The central principle is ensuring that the family support system is strong enough to guarantee consistent involvement in children's education.

[Student] is an Army officer, male, aged 44 years. He holds the rank of SGM and has attained a B.A. education level. He is African American. He had not been deployed and served as a reference point for comparison. He has three children within the K–12 bracket. According to this participant, deployment is part of the job and should not serve as an excuse for how parents support children's education.

His large extended family provides substantial support for the children's education. He says: "I have a pretty big family, and for the most part, we were in a pretty good financial state, so those two factors definitely played a major role. I would say that the strong bond I share with my wife and kids really made things go smoothly." However, he finds deployment challenging because he cannot offer his wife maximum support while she handles both household responsibilities and an active role in the children's education — effectively serving the mother-father role. Despite his willingness to help, there was little he could do from a distance. He looks forward to a smooth retirement after 20 years of service.

He defines parental involvement as establishing rules, maintaining consistency, and playing an oversight role to ensure children are accountable. This definition does not change during deployment, though it limits what a parent can do to meet those duties. He explains that children understand he is not available to help with schoolwork during deployment, and the best a parent can do in such circumstances is to ensure children are taught to be accountable. He reports no visible behavioral difference in the children because they have been taught to be responsible.

During deployment, the method of involvement changes. Disciplining children becomes more difficult, meaning they must discipline themselves while the mother assumes greater responsibility. His spouse has the skills to handle a wide range of situations relating to the children and only asks for his input when truly necessary. Communication difficulties arising from network issues and extreme time zone differences remain persistent challenges. Interaction with educators is also reduced in frequency. He advises parents to remain flexible and ready for the growing dynamics of family life during deployment.

[Student] is an Army officer, male, aged 34 years. He holds the rank of 1LT and has attained a B.S. education level. He is African American. He had been deployed and served as a primary participant in the study. He has three children within the K–12 bracket. He explains that during deployment he was concerned that his children's education would be significantly affected. Support would come from his wife and relatives, particularly regarding the children's studies. Time differences posed a significant challenge, requiring him to sacrifice sleep to align with his children's time zone. He limits calls to weekend nights so that children are not disrupted before school days.

He views military service like any other profession and believes that his parental responsibilities are largely unchanged by it. To him, parental involvement means being available to children in all respects — moral upbringing, financial support, and emotional support. This definition shifts slightly during deployment because he cannot provide moral support during a mission. He notes:

"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 pandemic, so that does help, because I could access my kids' 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."

He is very active in his children's lives when not deployed, but with distance, face-to-face interactions are replaced by WhatsApp and other social media platforms. His spouse plays a significant role in the children's education. He reflects:

"My first deployment was pretty hard on my wife; it took some time for her to get adjusted 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 definitely better prepared and knew what to expect in terms of having to take on more responsibility in my absence. We also established a network of family and friends that are willing to help out if she gets overwhelmed."

When he first engaged with his children during deployment, he found they were saddened by his absence, and his only wish was that this feeling would not affect their education. Children sometimes struggle to understand that he leaves for work rather than leaving them, and they also struggle to grasp the consequences of his not going to work. Deployment denies him the opportunity to play an active role in many phases of his children's education, and he must fulfill some duties through virtual means. His daughter loves having bedtime stories read to her, and while FaceTime has enabled this, the experience is different. He advises parents to explain the challenges of deployment to their children honestly and to set realistic expectations about communication frequency, as doing so reduces frustration.

[Student] is a Navy officer, male, aged 34 years. He holds the rank of CPT and has attained a B.S. education level. He is African American. He had been deployed and served as a primary participant. He has five children within the K–12 bracket. He explains his uncertainty about the effects of deployment on children's education, especially during the pandemic. Most support comes from his wife, who keeps the family together and allows him to focus on his assignments. He notes:

"Not being able to communicate as often and as much as I would like was definitely a challenge, not just for me but for them as well. Our family is pretty tight-knit; my wife and I have always encouraged our kids to communicate with us about any and everything. While deployed, I wasn't able to provide my kids that opportunity."

These circumstances were especially hard given that he had five children to care for. He defines parental involvement as being available to children whenever they need you: "This includes picking them up from school, supporting their extracurricular activities, and helping them with their school assignments." During deployment, this definition shifts toward greater support for the wife, who manages children's education in multiple ways. His role becomes more passive but still contributes to keeping the education process on track. Children's perceptions have not changed significantly, which he attributes to the strong support provided by his wife. To complement his wife's efforts, he uses Skype and instant messaging, despite the challenges of time differences. He also receives children's assignments and offers guidance where appropriate.

Deployment prompted his wife to become a stay-at-home parent: "My deployment is the major reason why my wife became a stay-at-home mom. We figured it would be much easier and more affordable for her to take care of the kids rather than hiring additional help. Nevertheless, she appreciates being able to play a major role in the children's upbringing." When speaking to the children during deployment, he could feel the educational gap left by his absence — an experience he describes as heartbreaking. With time, however, the children have adapted and can continue with their education with little interruption.

Network failures during deployment make it difficult to stay connected with the family, reinforcing the sense that he could offer more without deployment. Interaction with teachers is similarly affected, and he must reach them through his wife. These challenges are most acutely felt during pre-deployment due to high levels of stress and anxiety. He advises parents to enhance communication especially before deployment and to offer all possible assistance to children's education during that preparatory period.

[Student] is an Air Force officer, female, aged 32 years. She holds the rank of SSG and has attained an MBA. She is African American, married with three children, and was born and raised in Maryland. Both of her parents served in the military, so she grew up in a military family and understands what her children go through when she is deployed. She had been deployed and served as a primary participant. She explains that deployment was challenging because it would separate her from her children and husband. Support came from her husband and relatives, who had also played a crucial role in supporting children's education in the past. The biggest challenge was keeping communication aligned with the children's schedule across time zones.

She loves her job and its benefits, particularly medical coverage, but the enjoyment is diminished when she must spend extended time away from her children. She defines parental involvement as being present for the children at all times. Though physical presence is not possible for military parents, emotional, financial, and spiritual support are essential elements of involvement. She ensures that most of the children's needs are met even without a physical bond.

She found it difficult to monitor the children's education while deployed, as she could not participate in school activities or help with assignments. However, her husband and in-laws were instrumental in supporting the children's education, and their academic progress was not adversely affected. She notes that the COVID-19 pandemic paradoxically offered more opportunities to interact with children and educators compared to pre-pandemic deployment periods. Deployment also placed additional burdens on her husband, who assumed all parental roles, though other family members stepped in to assist.

Upon returning from deployment, she was reassured that the children had progressed as expected. Email exchanges with teachers confirmed impressive performance. The deployment appeared to motivate the children to work even harder to make their mother proud. She reflects:

"When I'm home, I usually prefer to have face-to-face interactions with my children's teachers; however, given the constraints of the pandemic, most schools have limited face-to-face interactions unless absolutely necessary. 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 considers the deployment stage the most challenging due to the lack of physical interactions with the children. She anticipates that the post-deployment stage will also be challenging, given the process of integrating herself back into the routine established during her absence. She advises military parents to be proactive and prepare children to reduce anxiety before leaving for a mission.

[Student] is an Army officer, female, aged 43 years. She holds the rank of CW2 and has attained a B.S. education level. She is Hispanic. She had been deployed and served as a primary participant. She has four children within the K–12 bracket. As a single mother, she is hesitant about deployment and hates leaving her children, though she explains to them that it is part of her work. She says:

"The kids are currently staying with my mother, who 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 grateful for her. I also hire a tutor to help out as well, since my mother isn't always able to understand their school assignments."

She was born in Mexico and migrated to the United States in her early teens. She joined the military because of its opportunities and benefits. She is recently divorced. Communication is one of her biggest challenges because at times the network becomes weak and she cannot use a phone or the internet to communicate with her children. Her experience in the military has been mixed — she loves the job but, as a single parent, bears the full weight of providing for the children.

She defines parental involvement as follows: "Parental involvement is being supportive of your children, particularly as it relates to their education. Parents should play an active role in their children's academics at home by helping with school assignments, but also at school by communicating with educators." This definition does not change with deployment — it is always about giving support. Her family members have been providing this support to the children in her absence. She finds her roles significantly constrained by deployment since she cannot play the active roles she performs when at home.

In terms of the effects on children's behavior, the children have had mixed reactions, and she sometimes feels they are not doing their best due to her absence. She relies heavily on her mother and other relatives for updates on the children's progress. Her first interaction after returning from deployment indicated that the children were doing well under the guidance of her mother and relatives.

[Student] is a Marine officer, male, aged 26 years. He holds the rank of CPL and has attained an H.S. education level. He is Caucasian. He had been deployed and served as a primary participant. He has one child within the K–12 bracket. Being deployed as a young parent scared him that his child's education would be significantly affected. Support was expected to come from his newly wedded wife and relatives. Time differences posed a major challenge and required him to sacrifice sleep to match his child's time zone. He restricts calls to weekend nights so that the child can sleep early on weekdays.

He views military service as any other occupation and believes its requirements have little effect on his responsibilities as a parent. To him, parental involvement means being available to the child in all needs — moral upbringing, financially, and emotionally. This definition shifts slightly during deployment because he cannot provide moral support during a mission. He notes:

"The major challenge is that I find it difficult to engage with teachers and educators as I would like. It is challenging for me because I am still new to 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."

He is very active in his child's life when not deployed, but with distance, face-to-face interactions are replaced by WhatsApp and other social media platforms. His spouse played a significant role in the child's education. He reflects:

"This is my first deployment and it's pretty hard on my wife. It took some time for her to get adjusted to me not being there to help out with the child and their education. I think she was definitely better prepared and knew what to expect in terms of having to take on more responsibility in my absence. We also established a network of family and friends that are willing to help out if she gets overwhelmed."

When he first engaged with his child during deployment, he found that sadness caused by his absence was palpable, and his only wish was that the feeling would not affect the child's education. It was the child's first experience of a parent's absence, which made it extremely challenging. The deployment denies him the opportunity to be active in many phases of his child's education, and he must fulfill some duties through virtual means.

He often feels that he is not giving his best to his child — he would love to bond during crucial developmental stages. While Skype has facilitated some connection, the experience is different from being physically present. Deployment has also made interactions with teachers and educators difficult. He advises parents to prepare both children and spouses thoroughly, inform them about the nature of the upcoming mission, and assure them of their availability to help when needed.

[Student] is an Air Force officer, female, aged 30 years. She holds the rank of TSgt and has attained an H.S. education level. She is African American. She had been deployed and served as a primary participant. She has two children within the K–12 bracket. She explains that deployment was challenging because it separated her from her children and husband. She relied on her husband and relatives for support. The biggest challenge was maintaining communication in areas of poor network connection, and she had to adjust her schedule to align with the children's time zones.

She loves her job, but the enjoyment is diminished when she must spend extended time away from her children — her parental involvement is suppressed. She defines parental involvement as being present for the children at all times. Though physical presence is not possible for military parents, financial and emotional support are essential elements of involvement. She ensures that most of the children's needs are met even without a physical bond.

She found it difficult to monitor the children's education while deployed and was unable to take part in school activities or assist with assignments. However, her husband and in-laws were instrumental in supporting the children's education, and their academic progress was not adversely affected. The pandemic provided her with increased opportunities to interact with children and educators compared to pre-pandemic deployment. The deployment also placed additional burdens on her husband, who assumed all parental roles, though other family members stepped in to assist.

When she interacted with her children after deployment, she was reassured that they were progressing as expected. Communication with teachers confirmed impressive performance. The deployment appeared to motivate the children to work harder to make their mother proud — she had successfully instilled self-motivation in them. She notes:

"When not deployed, I usually prefer to have face-to-face interactions with my kids and also the teachers. I am able to get more from the emotional attachment, and this helps me to serve the kids better. However, given the constraints of the pandemic, most schools have limited face-to-face interactions unless absolutely necessary. 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 considers the pre-deployment stage the most challenging because of the psychological preparations needed to ready both children and family for the absence. She also expects the post-deployment stage to be challenging due to reintegrating herself into the routine established during her absence. She advises military parents to take enough time to prepare children and spouses well before deployment takes place.

The data described above were collected through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, artifact analysis, and focus groups. Three themes emerged from the analysis: interactivity in the military environment, education support, and personal and organizational resolutions. Each major theme yields subthemes essential to the dissertation and the phenomenological questions that aid in answering both the central and sub-questions.

Themes were established by applying Moustakas' (1994) transcendental phenomenological method and coded using NVivo software nodes. Prior to coding, the data were analyzed to create appropriate codes capturing questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, artifact analysis, and focus groups. Data were categorized by theme and coded carefully to avoid bias across all 12 participants. One strategy for reducing bias was the bracketing technique — stating the researcher's expectations upfront and then accepting the data as produced by the research (Smith & McSweeney, 2017, p. 292). Through the primary sub-questions, meaningful statements were developed that later led to patterns guided by shared attributes. Common patterns sharing similar codes were reduced to fit into the three themes. All transcriptions from the 12 participants were subjected to repeated analysis.

The themes with associated coding are as follows: Interactivity in the military environment (36 theme codes) with subthemes of Dependency and Shared Experiences (27 total subtheme codes); Education support (48 theme codes); and Personal and organizational resolutions (12 theme codes). It is important to note that deployment takes three stages — pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment — and the use of NVivo in generating codes utilized nodes that reflected this threefold structure.

During data collection, it was evident that participants were satisfied with the nature of military work. All participants indicated that the work itself was not overly challenging; difficulties arose primarily when deployment occurred. Even in complex deployment environments, participants consistently sought alternative methods to bridge the gap created by separation. Illustrative responses include:

[Student]: "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 the people and the organization."

[Student]: "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 fairly well."

[Student]: "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."

Theme Development and Results

[Student]: "So far it's been good. I enjoy what I do and the benefits are great, especially the medical. The only downfall is having to be away from children for an extended period of time."

It is through this high level of satisfaction that many participants continue pursuing their careers by furthering their education in order to hold higher ranks. The participants provided no negative information about the military environment's structure, implying that the relationship between personnel and their institution is positive. Separation from families is itself the main challenge that leads to reduced participation by military parents in the education life of their children.

Within this theme, the subtheme of dependency is evident in relation to sub-question 3 on the challenges military parents face when trying to remain active in their children's education. Military parents most often address this challenge by relying on their spouses or close relatives. Single or divorced parents apply different techniques to ensure that their interactions with their children remain positive:

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

[Student]: "My wife and relatives have been very supportive in raising and helping the children with their studies."

[Student]: "The kids are currently staying with my mother, who 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 grateful for her. I also hire a tutor to help out as well, since my mother isn't always able to understand their school assignments."

[Student]: "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 share common experiences in establishing involvement in their children's education. They adopt technological methods to bridge the gap created by a lack of physical presence, aspiring to deliver at least a satisfactory level of engagement:

[Student]: "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 learned so far include communicating through FaceTime, WhatsApp, and other social media networks."

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

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

[Student]: "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."

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

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

The correlation derived from the participants reflects the Epoche approach — that is, phenomenological reduction combined with imaginative variation yields the essence of the shared experience.

Under this theme, military parents use all available methods to participate in their children's education. Despite deployment, some receive assignments from their children and help correct them. They also maintain communication with educators to track the correct academic progress of their children. This was particularly evident among five participants:

[Student]: "The experience was reassuring. I got the impression that they were staying on top of their schoolwork. Plus, I've emailed their teachers a couple of times and their feedback was positive."

[Student]: "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 because of the time zone difference, it just wasn't possible."

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

[Student]: "The biggest challenge I would say is not being able to communicate with my kids at a convenient time. Unfortunately, due to time zone differences, they're normally asleep when I'm up, so in order 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."

This theme incorporates attributes discovered during data collection. Participants use different approaches to stay involved in children's education. For example, the question of which deployment stage is most challenging produced varied answers despite the fact that these military parents operate in nearly similar environments. The diversity of responses can be explained by personal resolutions and how different parents prepare to address possible challenges:

[Student]: "All three stages are pretty hard, but I think deployment is definitely the most challenging because I don't get to be around them as much as I would like."

[Student]: "Pre-deployment is definitely the hardest because of all the anxiety and stress of having to mentally prepare to be away from the family. This creates a lot of stress on the family as well, particularly on my younger kids."

[Student]: "I would say the deployment phase, because you're not able to physically be there for your children. I would also imagine that the post-deployment phase will be as challenging because I will have to integrate myself into a routine that was created in my absence."

Similarly, how military parents engage their spouses in planning for children's education varies considerably:

[Student]: "The big challenge for me was not being able to support my spouse as she tackled all the household responsibilities. It was pretty tough because I hate knowing she had to play both roles — mother and father — and although I wanted to help, there was only so much I could have done from afar."

[Student]: "While deployed, I had to rely more on my spouse and other family members to cover the things I would normally do."

[Student]: "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."

[Student]: "My first deployment was pretty hard on my wife. It took some time for her to get adjusted 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 definitely better prepared and knew what to expect in terms of having to take on more responsibility in my absence. We also established a network of family and friends that are willing to help out if she gets overwhelmed."