Assessing Student Veterans’ Academic Outcomes and Wellbeing: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Higher education provides a pathway for military veterans to transition to an engaged civilian life. Veterans can be model students because of their diverse experiences, resilience, and discipline. Yet some veterans are simultaneously "at-risk"; most are nontraditional students and more likely than the general population to face mental/physical health issues. We propose wellbeing might protect student veterans from academic difficulties ensuring positive outcomes. But few studies have investigated the relationship between student veterans' wellbeing and academic outcomes. To guide much-needed research, we mapped how wellbeing and academic outcomes have been assessed in the student veteran literature. We reviewed 96 studies that quantitatively measured student veterans' wellbeing or academic outcomes (databases: PsycINFO, ERIC, Proquest Dissertation/ Theses, PubMed). Wellbeing was conceptualized in several ways, demonstrating lack of uniformity. Academic outcomes predominantly focused on performance, though nonperformance-based measures (e.g., adjustment) were common. We outline existing research limitations and provide future research measurement recommendations.