| Military veterans, when their service has ended, must readjust to civilian life, including finding suitable employment. However, lingering effects from their military service often complicate the process of doing so; for many, this includes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While this can be a crippling and debilitating condition, many veterans do cope and successfully transition to civilian life. One professional area where veterans are finding employment is within the teaching profession. While it is necessary to assist veterans in making the right career choices, a problem exists involving how PTSD affects veteran teachers' self-efficacy, and thus their performance as teachers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of veterans with PTSD who have chosen the teaching profession and are currently employed as educators. This study consisted of interviews with PTSD-diagnosed veterans who are teachers or plan to enter the teaching profession. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The chosen theoretical framework for the study, Bandura's self-efficacy theory, was a suitable and appropriate lens to view the phenomenon of veterans with PTSD entering the teaching profession. This is because self-efficacy has much to do with PTSD veterans' life outcomes and teachers' effectiveness. The potential societal impact of the results of this study could be significant. The U.S., due in large measure to the recent Middle East wars, has a significant population of veterans, many of whom have developed PTSD as a result. There is an ongoing need for teachers in America society to help PTSD veterans find good careers is congruent with that need. Results of this study will hopefully provide veterans, caregivers, and authorities with the information to fulfill those needs. |
