ACADEMIC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING FEMALE CADETS' INTENT TO PERSIST IN RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS (ROTC) AND COMMISSION IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE OR ARMY

Amy Theresa Shannon, ACADEMIC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING FEMALE CADETS’ INTENT TO PERSIST IN RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS (ROTC) AND COMMISSION IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE OR ARMY (Under the direction of Dr. Cheryl McFadden). Department of Educational Leadership, June 2013. In spite of representation in enlisted ranks, women are underrepresented among top leadership positions within the military. As the largest commissioning source, ROTC plays a vital role in increasing the number of female military officers. There is substantial evidence that female cadets are retained at lower levels than male cadets during their first two years in the program. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of academic and psychosocial factors on female cadets’ intent to persist in ROTC and commission in the United States Air Force or Army. The study was predicated on Tinto’s student integration theory and Maddi and Kobasa’s theory of psychological hardiness. The Institutional Integration Scale and the Dispositional Resilience Scale-15 (version 3) were used to assess the effect of the predictor variables on cadets’ intent to persist in ROTC towards commissioning. The research participants were freshmen and sophomore Army and Air Force ROTC cadets who had not accepted scholarships from the United States military in exchange for commissioning as officers after graduation or had a pre-existing service agreement with the military. Data were gathered from 280 ROTC cadets (89 of whom were female) enrolled at five public universities in spring 2013. After controlling for gender, the institutional and goal commitment variable had a statistically significant effect on cadets’ intent to persist in ROTC towards commissioning. When cadets were separated by gender, male cadets’ intentions to persist in ROTC towards commissioning were influenced by their academic and intellectual development, while female cadets were influenced by their institutional and goal commitments. Results indicated that cadets’ gender did not influence their intent to persist in ROTC towards commissioning. However, cadets’ chosen military branch was found to influence their intent to persist in ROTC towards commissioning. The study included various implications for ROTC personnel and college administrators. Some recommendations included assisting female cadets with the identification of academic and career goals, publicizing and encouraging male cadets to use academic services, and fostering partnerships between ROTC personnel and college administrators to promote student development and success. The study concluded with recommendations for future research. ACADEMIC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING FEMALE CADETS’ INTENT TO PERSIST IN RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS (ROTC) AND COMMISSION IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE OR ARMY A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership East Carolina University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Amy Theresa Shannon June, 2013 ACADEMIC AND PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCING FEMALE CADETS’ INTENT TO PERSIST IN RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS (ROTC) AND COMMISSION IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE OR ARMY by Amy Theresa Shannon APPROVED BY: DIRECTOR OF DISSERTATION:_________________________________________________ Cheryl McFadden COMMITTEE MEMBER:________________________________________________________ Michael Brown COMMITTEE MEMBER:________________________________________________________ C. Steve Duncan COMMITTEE MEMBER:________________________________________________________ David Siegel INTERIM CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP: _________________________________________________________ William Rouse, Jr. DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL: _________________________________________________________ Paul Gemperline ©Copyright 2013 Amy Theresa Shannon DEDICATION To Evan Joseph Shannon, who’s been making the world a better, brighter, and funnier place since 2010. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Cheryl McFadden for her unwavering support, encouragement, guidance, and feedback. Thank you for sharing my passion for my research topic--that had a profound effect on my confidence and motivation. I absolutely, unequivocally, and thankfully picked the right person as my dissertation chair! I would like to thank Dr. Brown for always having an open-door policy, ample patience, and honest feedback. Thank you for not giving me the answers, but challenging me to find the right path on my own. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Duncan for his insightful comments and expertise about the United States military. I admire your strength of character and thank you for your service to our country. Lastly, I would like to express thanks to Dr. Siegel for his attention to details, for asking probing questions, and for being a walking encyclopedia on higher education. You are the committee member who never failed to stump me on a question--but made me a better researcher by asking. To my entire committee, thank you for tolerating my nervousness during my dissertation proposal, believing in me, and making this entire process so rewarding. I would like to thank Dr. Andrada Ivanescu for meeting with me several times and providing guidance through the difficult world of statistics. Your expertise and help was invaluable. I would also like to extend my thanks to Ms. Joyce Joines Newman who proofread my dissertation and caught so many mistakes that I overlooked. If any typos remain, I undoubtedly wrote them after Joyce’s final edits. I would like to thank my family for their love, encouragement, and support. To my parents, Wayne and Marty Miller, thank you for instilling in me the value of education at a young age and for challenging me always to do my best. I love you very much. To my in-laws, Gene and Ann Shannon, thank you for loving me like one of your own children and for always being so gracious. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. I was fortunate to be a part of the program in 1996, and through the McNair program I realized my academic potential and set my sights on one day obtaining my doctorate degree. Thank you McNair for helping me realize that before I could make a dream come true, I must first have one. To all of the cadets who participated in my study, thank you for your honest feedback and consummate professionalism. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. I would like to thank my best friend and husband, Brian, for being my biggest supporter. I could not have done this without his encouragement, support, love, patience, and faith. He believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. I would like to thank my son, Evan, for his love and for helping me realize what is important in life. Also, thank you for keeping me awake in statistics by kicking me when in utero. I dedicate this all to you. Lastly, I would like to thank God for the many blessings in my life. Through Him all things are possible. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES . xiii LIST OF FIGURES . xiv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 Background of Problem . 5 Statement of Problem . 9 Purpose of Study . 12 Conceptual Framework . 14 Research Questions . 16 Significance of Study . 19 Definition of Terms.19 Assumptions . 21 Scope and Delimitations . 22 Limitations . 22 Organization of Study . 23 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . 24 Student Persistence in Higher Education . 24 Academic Performance . 25 Student Engagement . 28 Interactions with Faculty Members and Peers . 29 Student Motivation and Commitment . 31 Psychological Hardiness . 33 Retention of Women in Higher Education . 36 Self-Beliefs . 38 Social Support .