Date of Award
2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Schools and Centres
Education
First Supervisor
Professor Dianne Chambers
Second Supervisor
Associate Professor Anne Coffey
Abstract
The research investigates Western Australian (WA) teachers’ understanding of the impact of trauma-informed education practice. The main research question, which forms the basis of the study, is How do the trauma-informed education practices, currently being used in Western Australian public schools, impact the capacity of children to self-regulate their behaviour? The literature examines the impact of unresolved trauma on the developing child and reviews the trauma-informed education practices that are designed to ameliorate the negative effects of trauma. The research also investigates the trauma-informed practices that are currently being used in WA public school classrooms, as described by teachers, and the extent to which Trauma-Informed Educational Practices (TIEP) provide positive classroom experiences and assist students to self-regulate (Brunzell & Norrish, 2021).
The study was conducted using a qualitative approach which enabled the researcher to interpret responses to semi-structured interviews and journal records to identify meaningful patterns and themes (Patton, 2014) and undertake deep analysis of the understandings of the 15 purposively selected participants. Each of the participants was a WA public school teacher who was deemed by their principal to employ effective trauma-informed education practices while teaching students contending with dysregulation.
The key elements of trauma-informed education practice were identified: establishing safety, building relationships with others, increasing self-regulation, building cognitive capacity, making choices, improving communication skills, applying a trauma lens, and developing whole-school trauma-awareness. The participants identified the professional learning opportunities that they had accessed as well as the challenges they experienced around implementing TIEP in their WA schools. The frequency of dysregulated episodes exhibited by students who were trauma-affected was reduced after TIEP according to all participants. The enablers of TIEP employed in some WA schools were identified and their impact on the delivery of TIEP in the classroom was explained. Finally, barriers that impact the implementation of TIEP in WA classrooms were identified as well as their impact on students, teachers, and school systems. The research concluded that when WA public-school teachers employed a range of trauma-informed education practices, the dysregulated behaviour of students decreased.
The overall findings of the study included a recommendation for the development of an assessment tool and four recommendations to support the implementation of TIEP in WA schools. No specific TIEP was identified as the primary driver of student success. Teachers require an assessment tool that measures physiological changes that students experience as a result of specific TIEP. The study identified the need for the development of an assessment tool that could be used by teachers to determine the impact of specific TIEP and in relation to changes to behavioural changes in students who are trauma-affected. Five recommendations were formulated from the current research that could enhance the delivery of TIEP by all WA teachers. Recommendations included the implementation of whole-school trauma awareness in every school ; all staff demonstrate respect for all nationalities and cultures, support is provided for teachers, education assistants and school leaders, and student information is shared between all relevant agencies.
Publication Details
Lane, L. (2024). Teachers’ Perspectives and Practices for Ameliorating Dysregulation in School-Aged Children through Trauma-Informed Education Practice [Doctor of Education]. The University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/450
