Abstract:
This study explored (a) how teachers describe trauma and adverse childhood experiences and the impact of trauma and adverse childhood experiences on students, based on their preservice experiences, and (b) how teachers perceive their preservice experiences informed how they support students who display trauma-related indicators. Participants for both phases of the study were graduates from a state university’s college of education located in Middle Tennessee and had at least 1 year of teaching experience. Of the 52 survey participants, 39 earned a bachelor’s degree and 13 had earned their master’s degree; most had less than 5 years of experience. The six semistructured interview participants were White female elementary school teachers with 1–8 years of teaching experience. This mixed methods study utilized an explanatory sequential design. Surveys were completed online and analyzed using descriptive analysis. Interviews were conducted using videoconferencing technology and analyzed using in vivo coding. Findings indicated that teachers had received little to no exposure to trauma or adverse childhood experiences in their preservice programs and had difficulty defining trauma, but could identify some indicators of trauma. Participants indicated that they felt underprepared for meeting the needs of students who had experienced trauma and would have liked more training on trauma, trauma-informed care, and adverse childhood experiences during their preservice experience. Implications for practice include embedding a comprehensive trauma-informed care approach into all components of the preservice experience (e.g., coursework, field experience). Implications for research include evaluating preservice education courses to determine inclusion of trauma-informed practices and replicating the current study in other universities, both locally and nationally.
