Date of Award

Fall 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

College of Education

Department

Department of Education

Primary Advisor

Dr. Bethany C. Torres-O'Brien

Second Advisor

Dr. Thomas J. Gollery

Third Advisor

Dr Rosalind S. Goodrich

Abstract

Research suggests that nearly two-thirds of students experience a traumatic event by the age of 16 (Elmore et al, 2023; Wall, 2021). Despite this prevalence, a standardized training module for trauma-informed care (TIC) in K-12 education remains absent. Existing studies primarily focus on school or district-wide implementations (Avery et al, 2020; Champine et al., 2022; Plumb et al., 2016). The quantitative, quasi-experimental within-subjects repeated measures research design was used to address the study’s topic. Two research questions were formally stated to address the study’s purpose. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyze study data. Teachers (N = 12) from K-12 public schools in Virginia participated in self-paced, 3-hour, virtual professional development. The study evaluated the impact of knowledge and application of TIC in response to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). A quantitative survey research approach represented the study’s research methodology. Notably, the data of this study revealed that a simple 3-hour self-paced virtual professional development in TIC produced significant outcomes for the participants. Results indicated statistically significant, large to very large, intervention effects on most survey items, with the most substantial impact observed in Research Question 1. Findings underscore the value of equipping teachers with foundational TIC knowledge and empathetic responsiveness to student needs. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating the efficacy of targeted professional development in enhancing teachers’ trauma-informed awareness, attitudes, and practices.

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