Date

5-22-2024

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Meredith Park

Keywords

education, success, military, attachment theory, children

Disciplines

Education | Educational Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand how attachment and loss associated with deployment affect children’s academic performance at Joint Base Lewis McChord. More specifically, the research was centered around a child's attachment to their parent and whether deployment affects that attachment or their academic success. The theory guiding this study was John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth's attachment theory, as it provided a unique framework to examine how the child is affected by the deployment of their parents. The foundational question that drove this study was: What are the experiences of military families, specifically their children’s academic performance during deployment? A total of fourteen families participated in the project. From a series of interviews, panels, and journal prompts, the research discovered three key themes and nine sub-themes. The themes were continuity and stability, separation and adjustment, and educational challenges and support. The findings indicated that deployment did not impact children's academic performance in that there was at least one securely attached relationship within the family. The results from these questions, theories, themes, and recommendations can help to expand internal and external stakeholders' understanding of military life so that they can better support the military family.

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