Date of Award
2021
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
Abstract
The topic of social-emotional learning (SEL) is popular in educational circles. Teachers are faced with students that are dysregulated, and learning instructional methods incorporating neuroscience, a growth mindset, and adopting a trauma-informed care curriculum helps students reach their academic potential. However, teachers require professional development to teach SEL concepts to young children. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether the poverty level of the school and/or the experience level of the teacher impacts their overall implementation of research-based practices in the areas of trauma-informed care, neuroscience, and mindset. A total of 192 Indiana public school teachers in grades pre-school through second grade participated in the study. The trauma-informed survey consisted of 29 questions that were divided between the dependent variables of trauma-informed care, neuroscience, and mindsets. A Qualtrics survey measured statements on a six-point Likert-type scale. The trauma-informed survey is a valid and reliable instrument: Cronbachs Alpha was .73 on neuroscience with item deletion, .81 on mindsets, and .79 on trauma-informed care, which included strong internal reliability. In an effort to ensure the validity of the findings of the inferential data, the assumptions of a one-way ANOVA were tested. The variables of neuroscience, mindsets, and trauma-informed care were utilized to interpret research ramifications. The data suggested three broad conclusions from the trauma-informed composite scores. First, educators indicated a potential need for more professional development in SEL. Second, college pre-service programs may not properly prepare teachers with more than five years of experience with proper self-efficacy and SEL training. Finally, a lack of funding may deny teachers from a proper foundation in child brain development to assist children with self-regulation regardless of their schools poverty level.
Recommended Citation
Alber, Christopher Matthew, "Developing Trauma-Informed Schools: A Needs Assessment Of Social And Emotional Learning, Professional Development, And Implementation For Primary Teachers In Indiana" (2021). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1912.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1912