Presentation Type

Poster

Keywords

Pandemic; COVID-19; trauma; Trauma-Informed Approach; social-emotional learning; home-school partnership; community building; trauma intervention; opportunity gaps

Department

Education

Major

Screen Arts

Abstract

The onset of the COVID-19 health crisis significantly altered the physical and pedagogical structure of schools across the globe. The impact of this drastic shift disproportionately affected economically-challenged and trauma-impacted individuals and communities. The present qualitative study relied on interview and questionnaire data taken from 14 educators at a Title 1 elementary school in order to 1) identify the physical, academic, and social losses experienced by students and families, and 2) examine how the focal school’s Trauma-Informed Approach (TIA) served to support students during the pandemic. Several themes emerged from a content analysis of the data that pointed to common challenges faced by students and families, as well as the effectiveness of the focal school’s TIA in addressing the adverse effects of the pandemic. Educators at the focal school indicated that problems related to physically accessing learning, diminished readiness for grade-level work, and a lack of socialization all affected student engagement with and performance in school. In order to address this shared trauma, the school placed an emphasis on fostering schoolwide relationships, maintaining structure and stability, providing opportunities for shared control and self-regulation, and prioritizing social-emotional learning. The findings from this study suggest that the implementation of a TIA lends itself to the formation of a learning environment that is attuned to the larger community by remaining attentive to the needs of students and families and committing itself to building resilience and promoting recovery.

Faculty Mentor

Carrie Giboney Wall, Ph.D.

Funding Source or Research Program

Academic Year Undergraduate Research Initiative

Location

Waves Cafeteria

Start Date

25-3-2022 2:00 PM

End Date

25-3-2022 3:00 PM

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Mar 25th, 2:00 PM Mar 25th, 3:00 PM

Pandemic Pain, Holistic Help: How One School’s Trauma-Informed Approach (TIA) Provided Support and Expanded Opportunity

Waves Cafeteria

The onset of the COVID-19 health crisis significantly altered the physical and pedagogical structure of schools across the globe. The impact of this drastic shift disproportionately affected economically-challenged and trauma-impacted individuals and communities. The present qualitative study relied on interview and questionnaire data taken from 14 educators at a Title 1 elementary school in order to 1) identify the physical, academic, and social losses experienced by students and families, and 2) examine how the focal school’s Trauma-Informed Approach (TIA) served to support students during the pandemic. Several themes emerged from a content analysis of the data that pointed to common challenges faced by students and families, as well as the effectiveness of the focal school’s TIA in addressing the adverse effects of the pandemic. Educators at the focal school indicated that problems related to physically accessing learning, diminished readiness for grade-level work, and a lack of socialization all affected student engagement with and performance in school. In order to address this shared trauma, the school placed an emphasis on fostering schoolwide relationships, maintaining structure and stability, providing opportunities for shared control and self-regulation, and prioritizing social-emotional learning. The findings from this study suggest that the implementation of a TIA lends itself to the formation of a learning environment that is attuned to the larger community by remaining attentive to the needs of students and families and committing itself to building resilience and promoting recovery.

 

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