Evaluating foundational professional development training for trauma-informed approaches in schools

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• School Systems Implementation
• Trauma-Informed Care

Background:

• Trauma-informed schools are part of a national movement to support trauma-exposed individuals through organizational change.
• Implementing trauma-informed approaches requires effective strategies, with foundational professional development (FPD) training being a common method.
• The impact of FPD training on teacher knowledge and acceptability of trauma-informed approaches, and the role of system fit, needs further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a 2-day FPD training's effectiveness in enhancing teacher knowledge of trauma-informed approaches.
• To examine the association between knowledge gains and teacher perceptions of acceptability for these approaches.
• To investigate whether perceived system fit moderates the relationship between knowledge gains and acceptability.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post design study involving 183 teachers from six schools.
• Teachers participated in a 2-day foundational professional development (FPD) training.
• Knowledge was assessed pre- and post-training; acceptability and system fit were assessed post-training.

Main Results:

• Significant growth in teacher knowledge of trauma-informed approaches was observed after the FPD training.
• When teachers perceived a good system fit, knowledge growth was linked to higher acceptability of trauma-informed approaches.
• Conversely, when system fit was perceived as low, knowledge growth was associated with decreased acceptability.

Conclusions:

• Foundational professional development training can effectively increase teacher knowledge regarding trauma-informed approaches.
• The perceived alignment of trauma-informed approaches with existing school norms (system fit) is crucial for translating knowledge into acceptance.
• Implementation strategies must consider system fit to ensure that professional development positively influences the adoption of trauma-informed practices.