From Pilot to Dissertation Proposal: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of the Professional Role and Boundary Spanning Experiences of VA School Certifying Officials

Authors

• Daina Hunter, Belmont UniversityFollow

Publication Date

2026

Presentation Length

15 minutes

College

College of Education

Department

Education, Department of

Student Level

Graduate

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Ryan Fox

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

The effective support of military-connected students is a vital priority for higher education institutions, and the VA School Certifying Official (SCO) serves as a foundational support role essential to military-connected students’ use of Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits and institutional compliance (Hunter, 2026a; Semer & Harmening, 2015). SCOs’ perception of their professional role and their experiences navigating the complex spaces between regulatory agencies, their own higher education institution, and their students are the focus of this inquiry. This presentation highlights the evolution of a study from a two-participant pilot to a larger dissertation proposal using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Rooted in Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979; Hunter, 2026a) and Symbolic Interactionism (Blumer, 1969; Hunter, 2026a), this study examines the escalating operational burden faced by SCOs as they navigate an increasingly complex role and make meaning through social interactions within the dynamic zones of organizational boundaries (Hunter, 2026a; Star & Griesemer, 1989)

Pilot findings reveal that SCOs identify as a safety net, viewing protective stewardship and high-stakes accuracy as moral imperatives to prevent student debt (Hunter, 2026a). Participants described existing on an institutional island of invisible labor and niche isolation. Operating within friction zones between their educational institution and the federal and state governments that regulate the VA education benefits process, SCOs navigate systemic mismatches between federal laws and regulations and institutional academic policies, a boundary spanning process marked by high tension and potential for role strain (Akkerman & Bakker, 2011; Hunter, 2026a). Through meaning-making and translation, SCOs act as a knowledge broker, treating benefit certifications as boundary objects that bridge institutional silos (Star & Griesemer, 1989; Wenger, 1998).

Specifically, this IPA study aims to explore how SCOs perceive their professional role and experience the spaces between institutions, students, and external organizations (Hunter, 2026b). Building on the two-participant pilot, the larger dissertation study will use an eight-to-twelve participant sample to explore these lived experiences in higher education (Hunter, 2026a; Hunter, 2026b). This presentation details how pilot findings informed the transition to the full study’s proposal.

References

Akkerman, S. F., & Bakker, A. (2011). Boundary crossing and boundary objects. Review of Educational Research, 81(2), 132–169. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311404435

Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. University of California Press.

Hunter, D. (2026a). Exploring the contextual influences on the role of the SCO: A pilot study [Manuscript in preparation]. Belmont University.

Hunter, D. (2026b). An interpretive phenomenological analysis of the professional role and boundary spanning experiences of VA school certifying officials [Unpublished dissertation proposal]. Belmont University.

Semer, C., & Harmening, D. S. (2015). Exploring the needs and service delivery for military-connected students: A qualitative study. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 52(4), 395–406.

Star, S. L., & Griesemer, J. R. (1989). Institutional ecology, translations and boundary objects: Amateurs and professionals in Berkeley's Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, 1907-39. Social Studies of Science, 19(3), 387–420.

Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Brooks/Cole.

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.

Recommended Citation

Hunter, Daina, "From Pilot to Dissertation Proposal: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of the Professional Role and Boundary Spanning Experiences of VA School Certifying Officials" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 1068.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/1068