Elementary educators' perspectives on trauma-informed practice
Abstract
While all children enter their schools carrying the weight of their young life experiences, some
children carry the extra baggage of developmental trauma and the impacts of toxic stress. These
children present educators with a responsibility to address their social, emotional, and mental
well-being at school. Trauma-informed approaches offer teachers a lens through which to
recognize and support students’ needs. This qualitative study investigates elementary educators’
perspectives on trauma-informed practice in order to better understand educators’ knowledge,
experiences, and perceived needs to foster a trauma-informed practice. A needs assessment
methodology was used to identify the gaps between educators’ existing knowledge, practices,
and support provisions and evidence-based practices from the existing field of research. Data
was collected through semi-structured interviews with nine participants and thematic analysis
was used to identify emergent themes from the data. Theme 1, educators need an understanding
and acceptance of their changing role, highlights the evolving complexity of teachers’ roles in
addressing students’ social, emotional, and mental health needs. Theme 2, educators need
professional development to understand trauma-informed practice, calls for training in order to
be responsive to students impacted by the effects of trauma or toxic stress. Theme 3, educators
need acknowledgment of how their current practice aligns with trauma-informed practice,
discusses how many teachers’ practices are already somewhat aligned within trauma-informed
practice. Theme 4, educators need supports for their own well-being, discusses the impacts of
secondary traumatic stress. Theme 5, educators need a team approach, highlights practical
supports for educators.