The traditional Guardsman and the Army educational system: Convergence of civilian and military -acquired skills within civilian occupational structures

This qualitative case study chronicles the perceptions and experiences of traditional National Guard personnel regarding convergence of military-acquired skills and civilian skills. The study examines soldiers' perspectives regarding the efficacy of the Army Educational System in preparing them for success in the civilian workforce.;Following a phenomenological orientation, data were gathered via three rounds of in-depth, individual, semi-structured interviews with five traditional National Guardsmen from one unit. Traditional Guardsmen are men and women who serve the National Guard and therefore the state to which they are assigned one weekend each month and two weeks each summer. Data from the individual interviews were transcribed in order to facilitate the extrapolation of themes. Two general concepts, Convergence and Conflict, emerged during early analysis. These were subsequently developed into themes, and the themes into sub-themes. Descriptive, pattern, and inferential coding procedures were employed during within-case analysis to develop concepts into an organizational framework, and during cross-case analysis to reveal relationships among the concepts and their themes.;A discussion of the findings in the context of the literature review is presented and is followed by methods to address limitations and implications of the study. Implications for military leadership, educators, and National Guardsmen are addressed as well.