Unfolding Untapped Stories: A Narrative Inquiry of Teachers' Experiences of Working With Students Who Have Faced Trauma or Traumatic Events.

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative inquiry is to understand the teachers’ experiences of working with students who have faced trauma or traumatic events. The number of children facing trauma exposures to violence, crime, and abuse in the classroom has increased. The insufficient knowledge among educators about the effect of trauma on students lays the foundation to improve training related to trauma. The following questions are addressed by this narrative study: (1) How do teachers address students’ challenging behavior which is manifested because of trauma or traumatic events? (2) How do teachers describe the feelings of success and failure of working with students who have faced trauma or traumatic events? (3) What stories do teachers talk about experiencing secondary trauma due to working with students who have faced trauma or traumatic events?

The study collected data using surveys, interviews, and journal entries. Surveys and open-ended interviews provided the information of teachers’ experiences, which was used to construct a narrative profile for each participant. One hundred seventeen survey links were sent to teachers, out of which 76 surveys were sent back. The surveys revealed 22 participants who were interested in face-to-face interviews. Twelve of these participants were selected using the maximum variation sampling method, including gender, ethnicity, teaching experience, and area of specialization. The overall findings from this study suggest that with the growing number of Adverse Childhood Experiences, trauma-informed care needs to be woven into the curriculum of teacher programs. Teachers today encounter students who have faced trauma, which puts them at the receiving end of secondary trauma. Hence, mental health needs to be prioritized for the teachers. The findings from this study might be informative for new and experienced teachers, administrators, and teacher preparation institutions.