Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Trauma-Informed Practices

The impact of complex childhood trauma can interfere with students' personal and academic development. Although many studies suggest the vital role of educators in supporting trauma-impacted students, research on this topic is minimal. This study investigates teachers’ knowledge and attitudes towards trauma-informed practices in school. Data was collected from the 32-hour workshop on trauma-informed practices, and a quantitative analysis was conducted to compare teachers’ knowledge of trauma-informed practices before and after the workshop. Then, teachers’ attitudes toward implementing this approach were analysed. A Wilcoxon test result shows significant differences in teachers’ knowledge before and after the workshop (p<0.001). Findings also indicate a positive attitude towards trauma-informed practices in school, where most participants (n=66, 85%) indicated that they want to implement trauma-informed practices in school. Therefore, occupying teachers with trauma-informed practice skills can be potentially helpful in supporting students who show challenging behaviours due to disruption caused by adverse childhood experiences.