K-8 Teachers’ Experiences Using Trauma-Informed Strategies

K–8 teachers struggle to implement trauma-informed instructional strategies (TII) in their classrooms. A lack of TII can affect student learning, attendance, disciplinary referrals, and suspension rates and is related to adverse social-emotional and behavioral outcomes. Grounded in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network framework for understanding TII strategies and Bandura's social cognitive learning theory, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore 12 K–8 teachers’ experiences using TII strategies in instruction. Teachers who received TII training and currently use TII in their classrooms in the northeast United States were purposefully selected to participate in semistructured interviews. Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis in a two-cycle coding process to develop themes. Teachers used a variety of TII strategies to build community, develop positive student relationships, create a safe environment for students, and increase students' social-emotional learning using donated resources, collegial and administrative support, and adapting instruction to integrate TII across the curriculum. Participants identified obstacles to student behavior, limited teacher training, an uninformed community of TII, and time constraints in meeting student needs and their academic obligations. This research has implications for mitigating the negative effect of trauma in the K–8 setting. Understanding teachers' experiences can provide school leaders and policymakers with information to determine what TII strategies are useful to reduce student trauma and improve academic, social-emotional, and behavioral outcomes .