Military members have a strong cultural identity, one that distinguishes them from civilians. This qualitative study sought to identify the cultural competencies needed for educators to better understand an American military constituency. Data were obtained through semistructured interviews, collection of documents, and observations of public meetings. The results of this study appropriately extend and support the concept of cultural competency by focusing on a population not ordinarily viewed as a minority culture. Participants identified domains of the concept specific to military culture: duty versus job, moving, deployment, demanding schedules, living in a foreign country, availability of leave and support networks. They expected civilian educators to view the military positively, to be sensitive to the circumstances of their dependents, and to have the communication skills to build educational partnerships.
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