Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Australian Educators’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards a Trauma-Responsive School-Wide Approach

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Staff perceptions and attitudes regarding the introduction of the Reframing Learning and Teaching Environments (ReLATE) trauma-responsive school-wide approach were investigated in three Catholic primary schools in Victoria, Australia. School leaders, teachers, and support staff were interviewed regarding their experiences of the approach either individually or in focus groups. Educator attitudes towards trauma-responsive education was evaluated using the ARTIC–ED Scale, prior to and after participating in the six-month intervention. Qualitative data were interpreted using ecological analysis of the themes arising guided by the trauma informed principles and frameworks of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Trauma Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI). Findings indicated significant shifts towards trauma-responsive practice following the introduction of ReLATE. Strong themes emerged relating to the influence of improved trauma knowledge on perceptions of student behavior, consequent reported adaptations to behavior management practices, strengthened sense of trust and respect in the school climate, the centrality of leadership to effect change, and importance of school-fit to program uptake. Strengths and limitations of ReLATE are considered, along with implications for teacher professional learning, the role of leadership in effecting change and significance of perceived school-fit and collaboration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AIHW, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2015). The health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: 2015. Cat. no. IHW 147. Canberra: AIHW. Retrieved August 8, 2020 from https://doi.org/10.25816/5ebcbd26fa7e4

  • Albers, B., & Pattuwage, L. (2017). Implementation in education: Findings from a scoping review. Melbourne: Evidence for Learning. Retrieved November 30, 2020 from http://www.evidenceforlearning.org.au/evidence-informed-educators/implementation-in-education

  • Alisic, E., Bus, M., Dulack, W., Pennings, L., & Splinter, J. (2012). Teachers’ experiences supporting children after traumatic exposure. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25, 98–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20709

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Anda, R. F., Butchart, A., Felitti, V. J., & Brown, D. W. (2010). Building a framework for global surveillance of the public health implications of adverse childhood experiences. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 39(1), 93–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Artman-Meeker, K., Hemmeter, M. L., & Snyder, P. (2014). Effects of distance coaching on teachers’ use of pyramid model practices: A pilot study. Infants & Young Children, 27(4), 325–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atallah, D. G., Koslouski, J. B., Perkins, K. N., Marsico, C., & Porche, M. V. (2019). An Evaluation of Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative’s (TLPI) Inquiry-Based Process: Year Three. Boston University, Wheelock College of Education and Human Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Avery, J. C., Morris, H., Galvin, E., Misso, M., Savaglio, M. & Skouteris, H. (2020). Systematic Review of School-Wide Trauma-Informed Approaches. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-020-00321-1

  • Baez, J. C., Renshaw, K. J., Bachman, L. E. M., Kim, D., Smith, V. D., & Stafford, R. E. (2019). Understanding the necessity of trauma-informed care in community schools: A mixed-methods program evaluation. Children in Schools, 41, 101–110. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdz007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, C. N., Brown, S., Wilcox, P., Overstreet, S., & Arora, P. (2016). Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) Scale. School Mental Health, 8(1), 61–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-015-9161-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bazeley, P. (2013). Qualitative Data Analysis: Practical Strategies. SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger, E. (2019). Multi-tiered Approaches to Trauma-Informed Care in Schools: A Systematic Review. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-019-09326-0

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Blaustein, M., & Kinniburgh, K. (2018). Treating traumatic stress in children and adolescents: How to foster resilience through attachment, self-regulation, and competency (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Publications. ISBN 978–1–4625–3704–4.

  • Blodgett, C., & Lanigan, J. D. (2018). The association between adverse childhood experience (ACE) and school success in elementary school children. School Psychology Quarterly, 33(1), 137–146. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000256

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, S. L. (1995). Creating Sanctuary in the School. Journal for a Just & Caring Education, 1(4), 403–433.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, S. L. (2019). Trauma theory. In B. Richard, J. Haliburn, & S. King (Eds.), Humanising mental health care in Australia: A guide to trauma-informed approaches (pp. 3–30). Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. London, UK: SAGE.

  • Briggs, A. R. J., Coleman, M., & Morrison, M. (2016). Research Methods in Educational Leadership and management. Sage Publications Ltd. L.A. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473957695

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. In T. Husen, & T.N. Postlethwaite (Eds.), The international encyclopaedia of education (pp. 1643–1647). (2nd ed.). New York: Elsevier Sciences.

  • Chafouleas, S., Johnson, A., Overstreet, S., & Santos, N. (2016). Toward a blueprint for trauma-informed service delivery in schools. School Mental Health, 8, 144–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chafouleas, S. M., Koriakin, T. A., Roundfield, K. D., & Overstreet, S. (2019). Addressing childhood trauma in school settings: A framework for evidence-based practice. School Mental Health, 11, 40–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-018-9256-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, S. F., Eisner, A., Gregory, M., & Ristuccia, J. (2013). Helping traumatized children learn: Creating and advocating for trauma-sensitive schools. Massachusetts Advocates for Children.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole, S. (2019). How Can Educators Create Safe and Supportive School Cultures? Massachusetts Advocates for Children.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2012). 2013 CASEL guide: Effective social and emotional learning programs (Preschool and elementary school edition). Chicago, IL: CASEL.

  • Courtois, C., & Ford, J. (2013). Treating complex trauma: A sequenced relationship-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford.

  • Crosby, S. D. (2015). An ecological perspective on emerging trauma-informed teaching practices. Children and Schools, 37(4), 223–230. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdv027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DuPaul, G. J., Reid, R., Anastopoulos, A. D., & Power, T. J. (2014). Assessing ADHD symptomatic behaviors and functional impairment in school settings: Impact of student and teacher characteristics. School Psychology Quarterly, 29(4), 409–421.

  • Emerging Minds. (2020). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES): Summary of evidence and impact. National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health. Retrieved November 21, 2020 from: https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/background-to-aces-and-impacts/

  • Finkelhor, D., Turner, H. A., Shattuck, A., & Hamby, S. L. (2015). Prevalence of childhood exposure to violence and crime and abuse: Results from the National survey of children’s exposure to violence, 169(8), 746-54. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.0676

  • Fixsen, D. L., Blase, K., Duda, M., Naoom, S., & Van Dyke, M. (2010). Implementation of evidence-based treatments for children and adolescents: Research findings and their implications for the future. In J. Weisz & A. Kazdin (Eds.), Implementation and dissemination: Extending treatments to new populations and new settings (2nd ed., pp. 435–450). Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fonagy, P., Target, M., Gergely, G., et al. (2013). The developmental roots of borderline personality disorder in early attachment relationships: A theory and some evidence. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 23(3), 412–459.

  • Gee, G., Dudgeon, P., Schultz, C., Hart, A. & Kelly, K. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing. In: Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., Walker, R. (eds). Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice. (2nd ed). Canberra: Department of The Prime Minister and Cabinet, 55–68.

  • Goodman, R. (2001). Psychometric properties of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1337–1345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goss, P., Sonnemann, J., & Griffiths, K. (2017). Engaging students: creating classrooms that improve learning. Grattan Institute. Victoria, Australia. ISBN: 978–1–925015–98–0.

  • Gray, H. L., Contento, I. R., & Koch, P. A. (2015). Linking implementation process to intervention outcomes in a middle school obesity prevention curriculum, ‘Choice Control and Change.’ Health Education Research, 30(2), 248–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gudmunson, C. G., Ryherd, L. M., Bougher, K., Downey, J. C., & Zhang, D. (2013). Adverse childhood experiences inIowa: A new way of understanding lifelong health. Findings from the 2012 Iowa behavioral risk factor surveillance system. Commissioned by the Central Iowa ACEs Steering Committee. Retrieved Nov. 27, 2020 from http://www.iowaaces360.org

  • Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haas, L. (2018). Trauma-informed practice: The impact of professional development on school staff. (Doctoral Thesis) University of St. Francis. Retrieved November 10, 2020 from https://search.proquest.com/docview/2101893622?accountid=12528

  • Hattie, J., Donoghue, G. (2016). Learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model. npj Science Learn, 1(16013). Retrieved October 30, 2020 from https://doi.org/10.1038/npjscilearn.2016.13

  • Hitt, D. H., & Tucker, P. D. (2016). Systematic Review of Key Leader Practices Found to Influence Student Achievement: A Unified. Review of Educational Research, 86(2), 513–569. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315614911

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Husabo, E., Haugland, B. S. M., Wergland, G. J., & Maeland, S. (2020). Providers’ Experiences with Delivering School-Based Targeted Prevention for Adolescents with Anxiety Symptoms: A Qualitative Study. School Mental Health, 12, 757–770. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-020-09382-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ICSEA. (2021). Guide to Understanding the Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. https://www.myschool.edu.au/media/1820/guide-to-understanding-icsea-values.pdf

  • Jones, W., Berg, J., & Osher, D. (2018). Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI): Trauma-Sensitive Schools descriptive study: Final report. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research.

  • Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects on Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Job Satisfaction: Teacher Gender, Years of Experience, and Job Stress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 741–756. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuypers, L. (2011). ZONES of Regulation. Think Social Publishing. Available at http://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html

  • Lawrence, D., Johnson, S., Hafekost, J., Boterhoven De Haan, K., Sawyer, M., Ainley, J. et al. (2015). The mental health of children and adolescents. Report on the second Australian child and adolescent survey of mental health and wellbeing. Canberra: Department of Health. Viewed 25 August 2020, https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/9DA8CA21306FE6EDCA257E2700016945/%24File/child2.pdf

  • Listenbee, R. L., & Torre, J. (2012). Report of the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence. Washington, D.C.: Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence. Retrieved January 19, 2020 from https://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/handle/1903/24586/Children_and_exposure_to_violence.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

  • Luthar, S. S., & Mendes, S. H. (2020). Trauma-informed schools: Supporting educators as they support the children. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 8(2), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2020.1721385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madigan, K., Cross, R. W., Smolkowski, K., & Strycker, L. A. (2016). Association between schoolwide positive behavioural interventions and supports and academic achievement: A 9-year evaluation. Educational Research and Evaluation, 22(7–8), 402–421. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2016.1256783

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masters, G. N. (2018, October). Gonski, learning and the case for change. Teacher. Retrieved November 10, 2020 from https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/columnists/geoff-masters/gonski-learning-and-the-case-for-change

  • McIntyre, E. M., Baker, C. N., Overstreet, S., & The New Orleans Trauma-Informed Schools Learning Collaborative. (2019). Evaluating foundational professional development training for trauma-informed approaches in schools. Psychological Services, 16(1), 95–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000312

  • McLaughlin, K. A., Koenen, K. C., Hill, E. D., Petukhova, M., Sampson, N. A., Zaslaysky, A. M., & Kessler, R. C. (2013). Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder in a national sample of adolescents. Journal of American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(8), 815–830. e14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2013.05.011

  • Mendis, K., Gardner, F., & Lehmann, J. (2015). The education of children in out-of-home care. Australian Social Work, 68(4).

  • Metz, A. J., Blasé, K., & Bowie, L. (Eds.). (2007). Implementing evidence based practices: Six ‘“drivers”’ of success. Child trends: Research-to-results brief. The Atlantic Philanthropies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nathanson, D., & Tzioumi, D. (2007). Health needs of Australian children living in out-of-home care. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 43(10), 695–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owen, S. (2016). Professional learning communities: Building skills, reinvigorating the passion, and nurturing teacher wellbeing and “flourishing” within significantly innovative schooling contexts. Educational Review, 68(4), 403–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2015.1119101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perfect, M. M., Turley, M. R., Carlson, J. S., Yohanna, J., & Saint Gilles, M. P. (2016). School related outcomes of traumatic event exposure and traumatic stress symptoms in students: A systematic review of research from 1990–2015. School Mental Health, 8, 7–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-016-9175-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perkins, S., & Graham-Bermann, S. (2012). Violence exposure and the development of school-related functioning: Mental health, neurocognition, and learning. Aggression & Violent Behavior, 17(1), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2011.10.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Proctor, E. (2012). Implementation science and child maltreatment. Child Maltreatment, 17(1), 107–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559512437034

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • QUALRIS. (2018). Qualitative research in implementation science. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute.

  • ReLATE. (2020). An Introduction to ReLATE: Reframing Learning & Teaching Environments. The MacKillop Institute. Retieved November 10, 2020 from https://www.mackillop.org.au/institute/relate

  • Shore, A. N. (2009). Relational trauma and the developing right brain: An interface of psychoanalytic self-psychology and neuroscience. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1159, 189–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, D. J. (2012). The developing mind: how relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. (2nd ed.) New York. NY. Guilford.

  • Stokes, H., & Turnbull, M. (2016). Evaluation of the Berry Street Education Model: Trauma informed positive education enacted in mainstream schools. University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoll, L., & Seashore Louis, K. (Eds.). (2007). Professional learning communities: Divergence, Depth, & Dilemmas. Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stratford, B., Cook, E., Hanneke, R., Katz, E., Seok, D., Steed, H., Fulks, E., Lessans, A., & Temkin, D. (2020). A scoping review of school-based efforts to support students who have experienced trauma. School Mental Health, 12, 442–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-020-09368-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14–4884. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

  • Taylor, M. J., McNicholas, C., Nicolay, C., Darzi, A., Bell, D., & Reed, J. (2014). Systematic review of the application of the plan–do–study–act method to improve quality in healthcare. BMJ Quality & Safety, 23, 290–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teicher, M. H., & Khan, A. (2019). Childhood Maltreatment, Cortical and Amygdala Morphometry, Functional Connectivity, Laterality, and Psychopathology. Child Maltreatment, 24(4), 458–465.

  • Tobin, M. (2016). Childhood trauma: Developmental pathways and implications for the classroom. Retrieved August 8, 2020 from http://research.acer.edu.au/learning_processes/20/

  • Tschannen-Moran, M., & McMaster, P. (2009). Sources of self-efficacy: Four professional development formats and their relationship to self-efficacy and implementation of a new teaching strategy. The Elementary School Journal, 110(2), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.1086/605771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Kolk, B. A. (2007). The developmental impact of childhood trauma. In L. J. Kirmayer, R. Lemelson, & M. Barad (Eds.), Understanding trauma: Integrating biological, clinical and cultural perspectives (pp. 224–241). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511500008

  • Zimmerman, E. B., Woolf, S. H., & Haley, A. (2015). Population Health: Behavioral and Social Science Insights: Understanding the Relationship Between Education and Health: A Review of the Evidence and an Examination of Community Perspectives. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. Retrieved January, 29, 2020 from http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/education/curriculumtools/populationhealth/zimmerman.html

Download references

Funding

This research received no specific funding from any public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health and Social Care Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia

    Julie Avery, Heather Morris & Helen Skouteris

  2. School of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia

    Joanne Deppeler

  3. School of Business, Warwick University, Coventry, UK

    Helen Skouteris

  4. MacKillop Institute, Melbourne, Australia

    Annemarie Jones

Authors
  1. Julie Avery
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Heather Morris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Annemarie Jones
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Helen Skouteris
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Joanne Deppeler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julie Avery.

Ethics declarations

Informed Consent

The study was approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (Project ID: 17826). We confirm that the ethical standard of informed consent was followed in all matters.

Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 14 KB)

Supplementary file2 (DOCX 18 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Avery, J., Morris, H., Jones, A. et al. Australian Educators’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards a Trauma-Responsive School-Wide Approach. Journ Child Adol Trauma 15, 771–785 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00394-6

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00394-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation