A Study of Rural and Native-American College Students’ Military Identities, Military Family History, and Reading Interests

Abstract

This study addresses college students in a Southwestern, economically depressed, rural area, with their state of residence having a high number, per capita, of service-members and veterans of recent wars. Additionally, some students identified as Native American. The study's purpose was to investigate within this sociocultural dynamic to what extent students with a military identity, a military family history, and/or no military-related affiliation associate with this background and also enjoy reading and writing about military topics, especially within the composition classroom. The students sampled enrolled in a first-year-composition class based upon an experimental course model formulated to be military-friendly and military-theme focused, which assisted them in reading about military topics connected to their personal family background and writing about their military-related identity. The article discusses a three-year, mixed-methods study and involves the following student types: seven service-members/veterans and 57 nonveterans, with 15 being the child of a parent(s) with military service. As instruments, the author utilized surveys, interviews, and course papers. The study resulted in several findings. A majority of students reported having strong connections to their personal and/or family military history as factors correlating with their enjoyment of reading about military topics and writing about their military-related backgrounds, including those who served as role models. The study's results have implications for teaching students who are service-members/veterans, have a military-affiliated identity, and/or possess a recent military family history within a first-year-writing classroom featuring military-themed readings and writings. Furthermore, in addressing the call to identify and accommodate student groups and their academic needs, this article has implications for instructing Native American students of the geographical area.

College Students Discuss an Important Location to Them During the Pandemic Through Building Websites

“…In a similar study of students writing about sustainable topics, they considered audience, reflected on their assignment, and showed a higher comprehension of both sustainability and writing conversations (Goggin, 2013). Comparatively, in another course, teachers implemented place-based composition to present a unified, pertinent curriculum and assist students in writing about locations connected to their backgrounds and coursework (Hembrough, 2019a). Moreover, in a professional writing class, students generated a website introducing tourists to a natural location to prompt the former to participate in critical thinking, research, peer review, composing, and revision (Hembrough, 2019b).…”

“…Students drew upon a wide range of knowledge and circumstances in conceiving the assignment, providing them with validation in sharing their diverse ideas and attitudes about themselves and their location during the pandemic (see Sybing, 2019). By engaging in place-based writing and formulating a website, students participated in a unified, pertinent curriculum supporting them in portraying locations connected to their backgrounds, coursework, and futures (see Hembrough, 2019a). Because the number of students with environmental concerns during the pandemic also grew, completing the website promoted their conversations about the significance of addressing their location sustainably.…”

“…Moreover, the former process encourages students to understand and undertake the acts connected to producing diverse kinds of digital texts (see Jacobs, 2013). During the assignment, students utilized process writing by deciding upon their website's focus; identifying, drafting, peer reviewing, and revising information about themselves, their place, and the pandemic; presenting their website to their peers and the public; and reflecting upon their outcomes (see Hembrough, 2019a formulated their website by generating and organizing individual sections that, combined together, presented readers with a communication experience including alphabetic written text, pictorial, and audial elements. Indeed, students noted that introducing digital elements to their website, including photos, audio, backgrounds, and color palettes, increased the complexity wrought.…”

“…Beyond this study's scope, writing teachers internationally must search for ways to interact with their students, including low-income and racial minorities; create community; and formulate assignments of interest, especially during hard times (see Kecojevic et al, 2020). As the study indicates, writing teachers, as well as faculty in other disciplines, should consider raising the topic of current events, such as the postpandemic world, in their classrooms in order to establish a unified, pertinent curriculum (Hembrough, 2019a) and promote critical thinking, a comprehension of sustainability conversations, and the potential for community action (see Tanaka & Gilliland, 2017).…”