Date of Award

Fall 12-1-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

Abstract

Lasting effects of childhood trauma manifest themselves in a variety of problem behaviors witnessed in classrooms across the nation. School staff would benefit from background knowledge to understand students who have experienced trauma and interventions to respond appropriately and positively to behaviors. As a school leader, the purpose of this cross-case qualitative design was twofold. First, I hoped to understand the perceptions of school staff members regarding trauma-informed interventions in elementary public schools. Second, this study explored the infrastructure of select schools that enable principals and staff members to view its students through a trauma lens. Literature on successful interventions for mitigating the effects of childhood trauma were reviewed. I facilitated six, semi-structured interviews virtually with three participating schools that demonstrated experience and competence most relevant to this study. Interviews were transcribed for coding purposes and thematic development. The following four themes emerged: 1. School staff, to develop a trauma lens, intentionally engaged in ongoing professional development to respond more appropriately to students impacted by childhood trauma in a gradual process. 2. Through ongoing and shared professional development rooted in neuroscience, school staff developed an adult-first mindset to prioritize their own regulation to address student behaviors more appropriately. v 3. To encourage and develop the capacity for connectedness, school staff, in addressing students impacted by trauma, prioritized building healthy, human connections with students and between students. 4. To develop prosocial behaviors, school staff prioritized students’ brain states by developing school-wide interventions to regulate students and building social emotional skills. This study provides practitioners, policy makers, and researchers information about this important topic.

Download

Share

COinS