Military Boarding School Perspectives of Parent Choice: A Qualitative Inquiry

Amid various educational options, there are certain groups of parents who choose to send their children to military-styled boarding schools. There is abundant scholarly literature addressing traditional boarding schools but a paucity of extant, relevant literature specific to the choice of military boarding schools as an educational option. This qualitative study investigated why parents opt to send their sons to military boarding schools in lieu of traditional boarding schools. A purposeful sample of twelve parents who had sent their sons to military-styled boarding schools participated in the study. Data collection and analysis followed from open-ended, semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that parents had desired outcomes for their sons including discipline, structure, responsibility, self-sufficiency, and college preparation. In addition to self-governance and self-discipline, some parents indicated a desire for their sons to be judged based on their own performance. Some parents stated they felt that traditional boarding schools provided an environment that was too relaxed on a disciplinary and structural level. Includes appendix with interview questions.