| dc.description.abstract | Preservice teacher preparation regarding adolescent trauma and strategies to support student learning are rarely found in educational literature. Studies have shown the substantial and enduring consequences of childhood trauma on students’ classroom conduct and academic success. Secondary preservice teachers confront numerous experiences with adolescents experiencing traumatic events. Notwithstanding this occurrence, teacher preparation programs offer little to address the concern, thereby creating preservice teachers who do not feel self-assured, knowledgeable, and efficient when supporting students who have experienced trauma. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand secondary teachers’ perceptions of their preparedness in supporting students who have experienced trauma in a Midwest school district located in the United States. This narrative research design employed semi-structured interviews with seven secondary preservice teachers who were in their clinical practice during their final semester of undergraduate studies. Participants included four male and three female preservice teachers, six at the high school level and one at the middle school level. Content focus included one band/orchestra, three math, two English, and one social studies preservice teachers. Preservice teachers could define trauma and identify pertinent examples of adolescent classroom behaviors, which might signal a history of trauma. Participants reported empathy and mentor teacher reinforcement as the most useful strategies in supporting students who may have experienced trauma. However, they indicated a lack of preparation regarding trauma-informed practices throughout their university coursework, which impeded their confidence and success in supporting students. Participants suggested potential reform in teacher preparation programs to further assist future educators’ preparedness to support students who may have experienced childhood trauma. The discourse of this dissertation identifies important research concerns found in current education literature associated with trauma, adolescent cognitive, emotional, and social development, and teacher preparation programs. Keywords: childhood trauma, trauma-informed teaching, adolescent cognitive, emotional, and social development, and preservice teacher preparation | |
