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Mixed Methods Illustration of Teachers’ Trauma-Informed Attitudes and Practice

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Abstract

Traumatic events during childhood are crucial to consider when addressing children’s social and emotional development, as childhood trauma is associated with negative impacts, including academic achievement. Additionally, positive classroom environments and teachers’ trauma-informed attitudes and behavior play a role in supporting recovery from children’s trauma-related experiences. Aspire, Connect, Thrive (ACT) is a trauma-informed school-based intervention that examined students’ Social Emotional Competence (SEC) and resilience for K-8th grade students in a disadvantaged, urban elementary school in Connecticut contending with the effects of students’ exposure to trauma. The present study examines the experience of ACT teachers who received professional development and subsequently implemented learned content in the classroom (N = 17; 70.6% female, mean age = 44 years; 47.1% racial/ethnic minority; mean years teaching = 15.6) through qualitative evidence of trauma sensitivity (observed and self-reported) and clinician-ratings of teachers’ positive classroom environment. Quantitative results indicate significant change over time in teachers’ attitudes and trauma-informed classroom responses. Interview themes suggest (1) teachers learned from and implemented the intervention content in their classrooms dependent upon the support the teacher was given, (2) teachers’ perspectives on the connections between the student-teacher relationship and trauma-informed attitudes or practices influenced teacher behavior, and (3) teachers’ own emotions and experiences implementing trauma-informed practices were key to classroom management.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded in part through a grant awarded to the Village for Children and Families by DHHS Office of Minority Health (AG161220). We offer our deep gratitude to the teachers, program staff, students, and their families who gave their time and effort to support this project. We are also very thankful for the aid of our many research assistants. Lastly, we offer our sincere thanks for our partners at The Village, including Aldwin Allen and Donna Ferguson.

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  1. Department of Human Development & Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, 348 Mansfield Avenue, U-1058, 06269- 1058, Storrs, CT, USA

    Beth S. Russell, Mackenzie N. Wink & Morica Hutchison

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  1. Beth S. Russell
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Correspondence to Beth S. Russell.

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Russell, B.S., Wink, M.N. & Hutchison, M. Mixed Methods Illustration of Teachers’ Trauma-Informed Attitudes and Practice. Journ Child Adol Trauma (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-023-00583-5

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