Welcome to the U.S. Army: A Qualitative Examination of the Army's Reception of New Soldiers.
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| Title: | Welcome to the U.S. Army: A Qualitative Examination of the Army's Reception of New Soldiers. |
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| Authors: | Kintzle, Sara (AUTHOR), Schnyder, Leslie P. (AUTHOR), Alday, Eva (AUTHOR), Gonzalez, Lindsey Alas (AUTHOR), Mor Barak, Michàlle (AUTHOR), Castro, Carl A. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Armed Forces & Society (Sage Publications Inc.). Jan2025, Vol. 51 Issue 1, p337-360. 24p. |
| Subjects: | Military personnel, Semi-structured interviews, Thematic analysis, Time pressure, Focus groups |
| Abstract: | Joining the Army, a new installation or a new unit are times of significant stress for Soldiers. Support provided during these transitions can affect unit cohesion, Soldier well-being, retention, and mission readiness. This research aimed to explore how Soldiers experience the Army onboarding process as well as perceptions of the welcome experience. Nineteen focus groups were conducted with 120 Soldiers using a semistructured interview protocol. Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts revealed two major themes, varied welcome experience and an inconsistent Total Army Sponsorship Program. Soldiers reported varied transition experiences ranging from positive, neutral, nonexistent, to negative. Results indicate that Soldiers welcome experience was dependent on the specific installation, leaders, and unit. Findings demonstrate that at the installation and unit level, the Army currently lacks standardized processes for onboarding new service members. We note the research limitations and offer several recommendations that can be drawn from the present findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Armed Forces & Society (Sage Publications Inc.) is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Joining the Army, a new installation or a new unit are times of significant stress for Soldiers. Support provided during these transitions can affect unit cohesion, Soldier well-being, retention, and mission readiness. This research aimed to explore how Soldiers experience the Army onboarding process as well as perceptions of the welcome experience. Nineteen focus groups were conducted with 120 Soldiers using a semistructured interview protocol. Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts revealed two major themes, varied welcome experience and an inconsistent Total Army Sponsorship Program. Soldiers reported varied transition experiences ranging from positive, neutral, nonexistent, to negative. Results indicate that Soldiers welcome experience was dependent on the specific installation, leaders, and unit. Findings demonstrate that at the installation and unit level, the Army currently lacks standardized processes for onboarding new service members. We note the research limitations and offer several recommendations that can be drawn from the present findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 0095327X |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0095327X231170837 |
