Early Childhood Teachers Perspectives Regarding Training to Add

Chapter 1: Introduction

In-service training provides educators with opportunities to learn new teaching

strategies, meet new people, and grow professionally. In order for educators to keep their

teaching certificates up to date, they are required to attend a certain number of training

sessions each year (State Requirements, 2023). According to State Requirements (2023),

the requirement to keep a teacher’s license valid varies from state to state. However,

research shows that a large majority of educators believe that the training provided to

them is not helpful when it comes to meeting the needs of children that have experienced

trauma (Holland & Tate, 2022). The lack of awareness about building a social connection

with children due to the lack of knowledge about how to help them through social

situations is specifically addressed (Holland & Tate, 2022).

According to recent studies, the current practices around trauma informed

teaching and the education provided to educators is considered to be less established

(Almeida et al, 2022; Bright et al., 2022; Pierce et al., 2022; Thomas et al., 2019,). The

literature states the importance of changing practices within schools in order to better

understand and serve traumatized children (Herrenkohl, 2019). Despite the fact that

literature states the importance of changing practices, schools remain poorly prepared to

address the needs of these children (Herrenkohl, 2019; Holland &Tate, 2022). Changing

practices within schools so that vulnerable and traumatized children are better understood

and more compassionately served is a goal shared by many school professionals, yet

schools remain poorly equipped to address the needs of these children (Thomas et al.,

2019). The problem or situation that prompted me to search the literature is the lack of

effective training provided to early childhood educators regarding children who have

faced traumatic events.

This study could inform positive societal changes within the field of education.

Understanding the perspectives of early childhood educators regarding training on

children who have faced traumatic events could be beneficial to both educators and

children by informing the field about possible additional training needed, the quality of

current training, and possible ways to improve it.

Background

In 2001, President George Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, which

began to hold schools more accountable for their performance on standardized

assessments (Moyer, 2020). As a result, classroom strategies began to focus more on

things such as standardized testing and test taking strategies (Shin, 2022). Teachers are

expected to spend more time on instruction rather than attending the emotional well-

being of their students even though literature appears to provide differing evidence on the

effects it has on the overall educational performance of students (Diorio, 2020, Moyer,

2020). In 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds which

preserved state mandated testing, but eliminated consequences for school districts and

states that do not perform as well on the assessments and allows for accountability goals

to be set by individual states (Baskin, 2022).

As numbers continue to increase for students impacted by trauma, there is an

increase need for trauma informed education, (L’Estrange & Howard, 2022). According

to the National Council of State Education Associations, there is not very much reliable

data to measure the problem of trauma in schools; however, educators are aware of the

rise in trauma and trauma related behavior issues, (Fujara, 2019). Adverse childhood

experiences (ACEs) are identified as factors that contributed to having long-term social

and emotional effects on children (Koball et al., 2021).

This basic qualitative research study addressed the gap of lack of effective

training for early childhood educators with regard to children who have faced traumatic

events. Despite the knowledge of this issue, educators may not be provided with

applicable, authentic trainings that can be applied in a 21st century classroom (Rishel et

al., 2019). This study examined the perspectives of early childhood educators regarding

the possible lack of training with regard to children who have faced traumatic events and

determined what steps may need to be taken next. An understanding of early childhood

educator perspectives regarding training provide a positive impact on society.

Problem Statement

The problem is the potential lack of effective training provided to early childhood

educators with regards to children who have faced trauma.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of

early childhood educators on the possible lack of training provided to early childhood

educators with regard to children who have faced traumatic events.

Research Questions

These two research questions that informed this basic qualitative study.

RQ1: What are ECEs' perspectives regarding training to address the needs of

children who experience trauma?

RQ2: What are ECEs' perspectives regarding support systems needed to address

the needs of children who experience trauma?

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the basic qualitative study was obtained from

Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy (1989) and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory (1994).

Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy can be applied when attempting to determine how to

feel about a situation. (Bandura, 1989). An individual’s belief in their ability to execute

appropriate behaviors is self-efficacy. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy can potentially be

used to inform the development of an interview protocol and analyses of transcribed

interviews about the possible lack of training received in regard to children who have

faced trauma. In this study, I will examine early childhood education teachers’

perspectives of early childhood educators regarding training to address the needs of

children who experience trauma.

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory can be considered when determining the

influence the environment can have on an individual. The environment in which an early

childhood teacher works has the potential to impact the strategies and methods that are

used in the classroom setting. For example, if working in a high stress environment with

little to no resources may impact the way the early childhood educator behaves. These

theories will help me determine the perspectives of early childhood educators on the lack

of training they receive with regard to children who have faced traumatic issues.

Nature of the Study

In this study, I adopted a basic qualitative design. I utilized semistructured

interview questions in order to gather the perspectives of 12-15 early childhood educators

in regard to the lack of training and support systems to best address the needs of children

who experience trauma. This methodology allowed for a greater understanding of this

gap. The gap in the literature was the possible lack of effective training to address the

needs of children who experience trauma. The semi-structured interviews allowed the

researcher to gather the perspectives of 12-15 early childhood educators on the possible

lack of training with regard to children who have experienced trauma.

Definitions

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE): ACEs are considered to be a group of

childhood conditions that have been associated with various long-term effects such as

physical health problems, substance abuse, incarceration, and more (Finkelhor, 2020).

Trauma informed care: is designed to treat individuals that are survivors of

physical, mental, and emotional trauma. Trauma informed care is meant to provide

survivors with a type of treatment for their trauma (Dziak, 2020).

Assumptions

One assumption is that participants were honest and forthcoming with their

opinions. Another assumption is that participants answered each semi-structured open-

ended interview question to the best of their ability. I assumed they did not withhold

information because they trust that their identity will be protected. I also assumed that I

will be able to gather 12-15 participants for this study. Another assumption was that

participants will see effective training with regard to children who have faced traumatic

issues as an important topic of discussion

Scope and Delimitations

The study’s purpose was to determine the perspectives of early childhood

educators on the lack of effective training with regard to children who have faced

traumatic events. For this reason, the scope of the study will only include early childhood

educators. The study included 12 early childhood educators selected from elementary

schools in Central Georgia. These semi-structured interviews took place through a virtual

platform.

This study was designed only to determine the perspectives of existing educators.

From that point, next steps can be determined. However, this study will not solve the

potential issue of lack of training only call further attention to it. The purpose was to

determine whether or not a problem exists. The study can be limited by the number of

participants and their willingness to be honest and forthcoming about their experiences.

The results of this study may inform local policy change and require the

implementation of a mandatory trauma professional development for all early childhood

educators. This trauma professional development should be detailed and specific for each

type of adverse childhood experience. Some form of annual survey should be

implemented in order to determine the emotional state of children. The training could be

based on the survey data that are collected.

Limitations

During the implementation of this study, there are several potential limitations.

One limitation is sample size. In order to get accurate results there needs to be enough

data in order to ensure that the information gathered is reliable. The goal was to interview

between 12-15 early childhood educators or until data saturation occurred. Twelve early

childhood educators were interviewed.

Another possible limitation of this study was bias. As an individual that

experienced various forms of trauma throughout childhood, it is important that I took

steps to be unbiased throughout the study. During the research process, I followed

interview protocols. I asked open ended and follow up questions throughout the interview

process. This allowed me to remain unbiased throughout the research process. I followed

an interview protocol and ask open ended questions in order to limit bias. I will also keep

a reflective journal throughout the process in order to keep recorder of any potential bias.

Significance

A general survey given to the U.S. population in 2020 showed that over 80% of

adults feel that the well-being of children has decreased over time (Finkelhor, 2020).

According to this study, this is a result of the lack of awareness on how to handle the

serious challenges that children face (Finkelhor, 2020). This qualitative study would be

significant if it reveals data that can be used to inform future teacher training. By

completing this qualitative study, research will be gathered on the perspectives of early

childhood educators on the possible lack of effective training in regards to children who

have faced traumatic events. The study will reveal the perspectives of a group of early

childhood educators in Middle Georgia.

There is the possibility for policy changes at a local level. For example, an

implementation of a mandatory training for early childhood educators in regard to various

forms of trauma training could be contemplated. The success of the training could be

piloted in various elementary schools. The ultimate goal will be to understand the

perspectives of a small group of educators on this topic.

Summary

Research showed that in recent years’ adverse childhood experiences are having

an increased impact on the development of children (Bryant et al., 2020, Merrick et al.,

2020, Sahle et at., 2021). For this reason, it was important to study the possible lack of

effective training for early childhood educators with regard to children who have faced

trauma. As these experiences are becoming more frequent and present it is crucial that

individuals that encounter these children on a daily basis know how to best guide them.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

As children continue to be influenced by adverse childhood experiences, the need

for exposure to adequate training programs becomes pertinent (L’Estrange & Howard,

2022). The problem addressed in this study was the lack of effective training provided to

early childhood educators with regard to children who have faced traumatic events.

Currently, literature primarily focuses on the need for some form of trauma informed care

as a result of the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences (Almeida et al, 2022,

Bright et al., 2022, Pierce et al., 2022). Furthermore, while literature also shows that

trauma informed care programs do exist and are being used (Bailey 2022, Gavin et al.,

2022) it is clear that not all education programs take advantage of existing training

programs (Berger, 2019 & McIntrye et al., 2019). For this reason, it is necessary to

determine the perspectives of early childhood educators regarding training to address the

needs of children who experience trauma.

For this literature review, I included studies in which the definition of trauma was

explored, information on children exposed to traumatic events, children suffering from

traumatic events, the lasting effect trauma may have on them, and the lack of training

provided to early childhood educators and existing systems that are in place. The

literature review also includes an explanation of the conceptual framework and an

overview of Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological systems theory and Bandura’s (1989)

theory of self-efficacy.

Literature Search Strategy

To find the appropriate resources, I accessed the following databases: Educational

Psychology, Science Direct, APA Psych Net, and ERIC. I accessed these databases

through Walden University’s Library Portal. In order to find these resources, I completed

an advanced search for resources that were published within the last five years. These are

peer reviewed journals that are relevant to my topic of study. I also used Google Scholar

as a resource. I grouped my research into three subtopics that are relevant to my research

question. I then searched the database using the keywords: adverse childhood

experiences, trauma, early childhood educators, trauma, impact, effect, presence, lack of

training, professional development, definition of trauma, trauma informed care,

maltreatment, and adolescents. The keywords were grouped into three subtopics that are

listed below:

 The definition of trauma as it relates to early childhood educators.

 The presence of trauma within children and the lasting effect it may have on

them.

 The lack of training provided to early childhood educators and existing

systems that are in place.

The first group of studies included various definitions of trauma as it relates to

early childhood educators. Trauma is defined as a response to stressful events (Ryder,

2022). Trauma can also be defined as a response to a deeply disturbing event (Onderko,

2018).

These studies were found using the following key words trauma, adverse

childhood experiences, maltreatment, educators, instructors, teachers, define, meaning,

and explain. The second group of studies included the presence of trauma within children

and the lasting effect it may have on them. These studies were found using the following

key words trauma, adverse childhood experiences, impact, influence, or effect. The third

group of studies included the lack of training provided to early childhood educators and

existing systems that are in place. These studies were found using the following key

words: lack, insufficient, early childhood educators, instructors, teachers, training, and

development.

I utilized a literature review matrix to organize the studies I gathered for each

subtopic. The literature review matrix allowed for easy organization of research

questions, methodology, results, limitations, and more. To keep track of my different

subtopics, I color coded the literature review matrix. The literature review matrix allowed

me to see common key words. Those were the key words that were ultimately used when

searching the databases. This is how I grouped the key words for each of those subtopics;

1. The definition of trauma as it relates to early childhood educators.

a. Trauma informed care or trauma informed practice or trauma or trauma

informed approach

b. Educators or instructors or teachers

c. Definition or define or meaning or description

2. The presence of trauma within children and the lasting effect it may have on

them.

a. Trauma or abuse or adverse childhood experiences or childhood trauma or

maltreatment

b. Children or adolescents or youth or child or teenager

c. Impact or effect or influence

3. The lack of training provided to early childhood educators and existing systems

that are in place.

a. Training or education or development or learning

b. Early childhood educators or teachers or educators

c. Trauma informed care or trauma informed practice or trauma or trauma

informed approach

Results of the literature search varied based on the addition or substitution of

various words to the search box. During the search process, I discovered how many

various terms are utilized for the academic language applicable to my study. For

example, instead of just using the word trauma, I also used words such as adverse

childhood experiences and maltreatment. The addition of these synonyms by adding the

word “or” increased the amount of research that I was able to find on each topic. I also

did this for the word educator and children.

Due to the large amount of research present, I felt it was necessary for each of my

categories to have subcategories. By including subcategories, I was able to represent a

major portion of the present research. The first category is the definition of trauma as it

relates to early childhood educators. The subcategories would include Trauma Informed

Care and Desire to Learn about Trauma. The second category is the presence of trauma

within children and the lasting effect it may have on them. The subcategories will include

trauma experienced by a certain race, gender, or ethnicity, and trauma experienced by

teachers. The third category is the lack of training provided to early childhood educators

and existing systems that are in place. The subcategories will include trauma practices

that exist, lack of training programs, and perceptions of teachers regarding trauma

programs. The theories that ground this basic qualitative study are Bronfenbrenner’s

ecological systems theory and Bandura’s self-efficacy theory. The table below is a visual

representation of literature search process.

Table 1

Organization of Literature Review

1st Category

2nd Category

3rd Category

The definition of trauma

as it relates to early

childhood educators.

Presence of trauma

within children and the

lasting effect it may

have on them.

Lack of Training provided to

early childhood educators and

existing systems in place

 aTrauma Informed

Care (TIC)

 Desire to Learn

about Trauma

 Race

 Gender

 Ethnicity

 Trauma

experienced by

teachers

 Trauma practices that

exist

 Lack of training

programs

 Perceptions of teachers

regarding trauma

programs

Note. Subcategories are bulleted in the table above

aTrauma Informed Care is used to recognize, understand, and empathize the impact of

trauma (O'Connor & Sievers, 2023).

Chapter 2 begins with a thorough explanation of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological

theory (1977) and Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory. These are the theories used to

guide this basic qualitative study. An explanation of how these theories will connect to

this study is also included. As the chapter continues, the literature review begins. The

literature review is divided into three sections. Those sections are: (a) the definition of

trauma as it relates to early childhood educators, (b) the presence of trauma within

children and the lasting effect it may have on them, and (c) the potential lack of training

provided to early childhood educators and existing systems that are in place. Each of

those sections are organized into subcategories and discussed further.

Conceptual Framework

Both Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) ecological systems theory and Bandura’s (1997)

self-efficacy theory were used as a guide when finding the appropriate literature.

Bandura’s self-efficacy theory shows an individual’s awareness about their beliefs and

their own achievement. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory describes the

relationship between each ecological level and how those levels are impacted by the

environment.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) ecological systems theory considers the multiple levels

of child development and how those levels are impacted by the environment, which

surrounds them. According to Bronfenbrenner, there are five interrelated systems that

effect a child’s development. Each system impacts the other system. Those systems are

the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.

Microsystem

All things that can be found within the microsystem are those things that have

direct contact with children. For example, parents, teachers, peers, and siblings. It is said

that children that have nurturing relationships with their parents or guardians show

positive effects (Guy-Evans, 2020).

Mesosystem

The mesosystem is the second system of Bronfenbrenner’s five systems. This

system includes interactions amongst anything in the microsystem. For example, parents

communicating with the child’s teacher. When the interactions within the mesosystem are

positive, the effects on children are positive (Guy-Evans, 2020).

Exosystem

The next system is the exosystem. This system includes components that

indirectly impact the life a child. Such as the media or their parent’s economic situation.

For example, a child’s development may be effected their parent after they have had a

bad day after work.

Macrosystem

The next system is the macrosystem. This system includes cultural elements such

socioeconomic status, wealth, geographic location, and how those components impact

students. If a child lives in poverty, it is likely that this will impact their well-being (Guy-

Evans, 2020). According to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system’s theory economic stress

and geographic location have the potential to impact a child’s macrosystem (Guy-Evans,

2020).

Chronosystem

The final system is referred to as the chronosystem. This level refers to

environmental changes that occur throughout a child’s lifetime that have a potential that

impact their development. An example might be divorce. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological

systems theory is a framework utilized by professionals studying child development.

Since its original proposal in the 1970s, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems

theory has been through considerable changes (Lukasik, 2021). As a result of these

changes, it is hypothesized that many professional ignore changes that have been made to

this theory over the years (Lukasik, 2021). Lukasik (2021) believed that professionals

only consider the context of a situation when determining its influence on a child. For

example, focusing only on the setting of an event rather than the individual’s personal

characteristics and how those influence the event. The changes in Bronfenbrenner’s

ecological systems theory make the connection between the environment and the

influence it has on a child.

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory is important to consider when

addressing the lack of effective training provided to early childhood educators with

regard to children who have faced traumatic events. Early childhood educators play a role

within the ecological system. Early childhood educators have direct contact with children.

Therefore, educators have the potential to impact children, their families, their

environment, and more.

Bandura’s Self Efficacy Theory

Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory is considered to be related to an

individual’s awareness and their beliefs about their own achievement and performance.

This theory can be applied to an educator’s ability to achieve despite the lack of effective

training provided to early childhood educators with regard to children who have faced

traumatic events. Rahami (2021) pointed out that there is a clear need for trauma

informed care in schools. The authors also stated that there is an awareness amongst

educators that there is a need for it.

One major hypothesis of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory is that self-efficacy

influences an individual’s persistence, effort, and choice when it comes to activities. This

theory is said to be connected to Bandura’s larger broader Social cognitive theory

(Schunk & Dibenedetto, 2020). Social cognitive theory (2020) explores an individual’s

experiences, the influence of the environment on a person’s behavior, and the actions of

others. Another hypothesis is that these factors impact self-efficacy. For example, an

educator’s personal experiences might impact their perception of personal capabilities.

Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory is important to consider when addressing

the lack of effective training provided to early childhood educators with regard to

children who have faced traumatic events. It is important to consider because some early

childhood educators may feel they can be successful despite the lack of training. They

may also feel a lack of self-efficiency due to a lack of training. This theory can inform the

development of the interview protocol as well as the analyses the transcription of open

ended interviews. It will inform the study by creating an understanding of early childhood

educator perspectives after transcripts have been transcribed and analyzed.

Literature Review

The literature section discusses three different concepts that are related the

research questions of this study: (a) the definition of trauma as it relates to early

childhood educators, (b) the presence of trauma within children and the lasting effect it

may have on them, and (c) the potential lack of training provided to early childhood

educators and existing systems that are in place. The literature is discussed within each

group using the conceptual framework of Bandura’s (1997) self-efficacy theory and

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory.

Definitions of Trauma

Tappan (2022) defined trauma as an adverse experience, violation, or persistent

stress in one’s life. Trauma can overwhelm an individual’s capacity to cope, and has the

potential to have long-term emotional, psychological, and physical consequences.

(Tappan, 2022). When studying trauma in the United States, it seems as if professionals

are approaching the topic from a few different points of view (Christian et al., 2020;

Thomas et al., 2019). Those points of view are trauma informed care (TIC), adverse

childhood experiences, and an individual’s desire or lack thereof to further their

understanding of trauma (Christian et al., 2020; Thomas et al., 2019). These are some of

the different terms used to define trauma.

Trauma Informed Care

TIC was originally introduced in the 1970s as a way to meet the needs of Vietnam

War veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Thomas et al., 2019).

As the awareness of trauma increased, Trauma Informed Care became more widely

studied (Thomas et al., 2019). As a result, in 2001, the Unites States Congress and the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHA) established the

Donald J. Cohen National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, and the National Child

Traumatic Stress Network (Thomas et al., 2019). Due to these initiatives, the nation

began to focus more on trauma informed care in both pediatrics and education (Thomas

et al., 2019).

Although, the impact of trauma appears to be clear, the approach to implementing

trauma informed care systems is not as clear (Berger, 2019; Racine et al., 2020).

Professionals have identified five themes found within trauma informed care (Wassink-de

Stigter et al., 2022). Those themes are professional development, implementation

planning, leadership support, engaging stakeholders, and community buy in (Wassink-de

Stiger et al., 2022). A combined use of these five themes helps to manage the

implementation process of trauma-informed approaches in schools (Wassink-de Stigter et

al., 2022).

TIC is something that is recommended, but not required (Thomas et al., 2019).

Research was completed in order to show what types of resources already exist (Thomas

et al., 2019). State Department of Education (DOE) websites were analyzed for tools,

relevant resources, and information. (Maynard et al., 2019) Some DOE websites

contained very little information pertaining to trauma informed care. While other

websites contain information on the partnerships they have with universities, nonprofit

organizations, and state and federal grant programs (Grossman, 2020). It is clear that

some State Departments of Education are making genuine efforts towards the

implementation of trauma informed practices (Grossman, 2020).

Trauma can come in various different forms. Trauma informed care can be

approached differently within different school systems (Fondren et al. 2020). Researchers

do seem to agree on the fact that schools are integral parts of a child’s success (Baez et

al., 2019; Maynard et al., 2019; Thomas et al., 2019). Trauma informed care exists as a

current resource, but it is not used by all (Grossman, 2020, Maynard et al., 2019; Thomas

et al., 2019). This addresses the potential lack of training regarding children who have

experienced trauma.

Desire to Learn about Trauma

Approximately 45% of the United States population of children have experienced

at least one adverse childhood experience (Murphey & Sacks, 2019). Although this is

almost half of the population of children, educators are still not provided with the

appropriate strategies or trainings needed in order to help these children (Burkhardt,

2022). Research shows that trauma informed care has a high impact on the social skills of

both educators and students (Carter & Blanch, 2019). For this reason, there has been an

increased desire from educators to learn about trauma (Carter & Blanch, 2019). This can

be done through a universal screener (Pataky et al., 2019). Universal screeners are brief

assessments often used to provide educators with quick information (Pataky et al., 2019).

These were developed in an effort to treat and help prevent trauma in children. These are

recommended when implementing trauma informed care in school (Pataky et al., 2019).

Current research identifies techniques utilized to respond to and identify trauma

within children (Thomas et al., 2019, Berger, 2019). Children who have experienced

trauma often times struggle academically (Hanlon, 2022) They also struggle with areas

such as emotion control, problem solving, memory, and more (Hanlon, 2022). In some

cases, the social problems presented by these children are misdiagnosed (Carter &

Blanch, 2019). These incorrect diagnosis lead to ineffective interventions (Carter &

Blanch, 2019). Ultimately, it appears that many researchers and educators believe that

there would be some benefit from embed trauma informed practices within schools that

focus on modeling adaptive behaviors (Crosby et al., 2020).

ACEs

ACEs are defined as any traumatic events that occur before a child reaches the

age of 18 (Finkelhor, 2020). Some examples of ACEs are parental separation or

incarceration, alcohol or drug use within the home, mental health issues, or being

subjected to any form of abuse (Walensky, 2022). ACEs are considered to be widespread

and have long lasting effects (Zhang et al., 2023). This is even more likely if multiple

ACEs are experienced. According to literature, most individuals have experienced at least

one ACEs in their life (Merrick et al., 2020). Research is conflicting on whether or not

women or men are more likely to experience an ACE (Chang et al., 2019, Merrick et al.,

2020). Multiracial individuals have an increased chance of experiencing ACEs (Merrick

et al., 2020). The literature also states that those with a higher income and education level

have a lower ACE score (Merrick et al., 2020). Ultimately, it is clear that socioeconomic

status plays a role when it comes to ACEs.

ACE’s are a factor that impact the healthy development of a child (Scully et al.,

2020). ACEs are said to be associated with stress, lack of sleep, and depression (Chang et

al., 2019). ACEs contribute to a variety of diseases and a range of mental health disorders

(Change at al., 2019). For example, an ACE could possibly lead to illicit drug use or

addiction, mental illness, suicidal tendencies, or kidney disease (Anda et al., 2020).

Literature shows that individuals who report experiencing three or more ACEs have an

increased chance of using opioids without a prescription, for the feeling they may cause,

or more than prescribed (Merrick et al., 2020). Ultimately, risks are dependent on the

ACE that an individual may have experienced (Merrick et al., 2020). For example,

exposure to domestic and family violence as a child increase the likelihood that the

individual will have severe health and development issues (Noble-Carr et al., 2020).

ACEs have the ability to effect an individual into their adult life. They are known

to impact the physical, psychological, and socioeconomic well-being of an adult

(Downing et al., 2021). If a child comes from a lower socioeconomic position, then they

are more likely to experience ACEs (Misiak et al., 2019; Schuler et al., 2021; Walsh et

al., 2019). Socioeconomic status is said to predict a family’s access to certain resources,

such as education and proper healthcare (Anderson et al., 2022). It is believed that given

the advantages of someone from a higher economic class (i.e. education, income,

healthcare), the chances of exposure to ACEs are not as likely (Anderson et al., 2022;

Lacey et al., 2022). The cumulative effect of ACEs has the likelihood of altering an

individual’s life course (Bryce et al., 2023).

Presence of Trauma

Trauma is an emotional reaction to life threatening or dangerous event (Krupnik,

2019). As a result of these events, lasting adverse effects on the individuals mental,

physical, social, emotional and/or spiritual well-being may occur (Krupnik, 2019). There

are several types of trauma. Those types of trauma are acute, chronic, and complex.

Acute Trauma

Acute trauma usually occurs as a result of one event. This event is extraordinary

enough to cause an individual to feel threatened. (Allarakha, 2021). A natural disaster,

rape, and/or assault would qualify as acute trauma. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can

occur as a result of acute trauma (Meiser-Stedman et al., 2019). PTSD is not always

persistent in victims of acute trauma (Meiser-Stedman et al., 2019). Some victims go on

to recover from the trauma naturally (Meiser-Stedman et al., 2019). Meiser-Stedman et

al., (2019) study notated that life stressors, social support, self-blame, and other

psychosocial factors were not related to individuals that appear to have PTSD.

Chronic Trauma

The next type of trauma is chronic trauma. Chronic trauma refers to repeated or

prolonged trauma (Bence, 2021). Chronic trauma is said to have a deeper hold than acute

trauma (Allarakha, 2021). Chronic trauma can occur as a result of early life stressors

(Motsan et al., 2022). Physical symptoms such as headaches, nausea, fatigue, and body

aches can occur as a result of chronic trauma (Leonard, 2020). Emotional or

psychological symptoms such as anger, anxiety, outbursts, and addictive behaviors can

occur as a result of chronic trauma. According to studies, children that are exposed to

chronic trauma have a higher risk of mental health disorders, poor academic achievement,

and becoming a juvenile offender (Bence, 2021). Chronic trauma has a lasting effect on

children, (Motsan et al., 2022).

Complex Trauma

Complex trauma happens when individuals are exposed to multiple traumatic

events (Bence, 2021). Individuals that have experienced complex trauma may have

experienced childhood abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and other repetitive situations

(Bence, 2021). Complex trauma reports behavioral and emotional symptoms (Motsan et

al., 2022). Those symptoms include impulsivity, acting out sexually, aggressiveness,

rage, depression, and self-destructive behavior (Motsan et al., 2022). According to

Watson et al., (2022) life altering traumatic experiences can be dealt with when properly

addressed by mental health professional.

Symptoms of Trauma

Trauma symptoms can present themselves in a variety of different ways. The

symptoms can be emotional, psychological, and physical. These symptoms present

themselves differently depending on the victim (Leonard, 2020).

Emotional or Psychological Symptoms

Emotional or psychological symptoms include anger, confusion, anxiety,

depression, fear, denial, and difficulty concentrating (Leonard, 2020). Victims who

present symptoms of emotional and psychological trauma may internalize those

symptoms (Yang et al., 2022). Yang et al., (2022) states that internalizing symptoms

decreases that chances of acceptance. Emotional trauma can be acute, chronic, or

complex (Allarakha, 2021).

Physical Symptoms

Physical symptoms could include headaches, fatigue, sweating, digestive

symptoms, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Leonard, 2020). PTSD is a psychological

disorder that can be experienced by children, adolescents or adults. It usually occurs after

a stressful experience such as accidents, sexual or nonsexual violence, or natural disasters

(Steil & Rosner, 2022). It is not very common for trauma victims to have persistent

PTSD (Meisser-Stedman et al., 2019). Unlike emotional or psychological trauma,

physical trauma is usually just defined as serious bodily harmed (Allarakha, 2021).

Frequency, is not included in the definition. Trauma does not always present itself in the

same way within the same individuals. Age and the type of trauma has to be considered

when it comes to trauma. For example, childhood trauma can disrupt the natural brain

development (Leonard, 2020). Therefore, a child’s long-term emotional, mental,

physical, and behavioral development can be impacted (Leonard, 2020).

Trauma may also lead to certain coping strategies. Childhood trauma survivors

report using alcohol and drugs as ways to cope with the negative impact their trauma has

had on them (Downey & Crummy, 2022). Birkeland et al. (2022) believes that

understanding the type of trauma that an individual is exposed to and the different

symptom frequencies will help to design an evidence-based personalized psychological

treatment for that individual.

Who Experiences Trauma

Trauma is something that can be experienced by anyone. However, it finds itself

to be more common amongst certain individuals. Individuals that experience substance

abuse, homelessness, are members of the LGBTQ community, individuals who have

intellectual or development disabilities, individuals that experience economic stress, or

are members of the military or have veteran family members are found to be more likely

to experience trauma (Peterson, 2023). These various individuals are all individuals that

have the potential to interact with children on a daily basis.

Substance Abuse

Research exists on the connection between substance abuse and trauma (Cicchetti

& Handley, 2019 & Somer et al., 2019). Schimmenti et al., (2022) believes that

substance abuse occurs because an individual has difficulty processing childhood neglect

or abuse. Substance abuse is considered to be an epidemic within the United States

(Mansoor et al., 2023). If a child is growing up in a home where substance abuse is taking

place, there is a chance that neglect is occurring (Winstanley & Stover, 2019).

Trauma within the Homeless Population

The United States has a homeless population greater than 550,000 people (Skicki

et al., 2022). Not much research has been done on the connection between the homeless

population and trauma (Skicki et al., 2022). Individuals who experience homelessness

have often experienced some form of trauma. The process of losing your home in itself is

a traumatic experience (Pope et al., 2020) Pope et al., (2020) describes the process of

living on the streets or in a homeless shelter as traumatic. Individuals who have

experienced homelessness often experience reoccurring homelessness (Pope et al., 2020).

Pope et al., (2020) describes the need for supportive services regarding homelessness

(Pope et al., 2020).

Covid-19 Pandemic Victims

The Covid-19 pandemic led to a period of economic stress for a variety of

individuals (Bountress et al., 2021). This period of time led to physical distancing, job

loss, food insecurity, and housing challenges (Bountress et al., 2021). Those demands

increased economic stress on individuals throughout the world. The Covid-19 pandemic

created a fear of death amongst individuals (Kira et al., 2021). This fear increased

isolation and economic hardships (Kira et al., 2021) The study completed by Kira et al.,

(2021) showed increased levels of trauma, anxiety, depression, and PTSD amongst the

individuals that were experiencing these economic hardships as a result of the Covid -19

pandemic. The Covid- 19 pandemic led to a rise in trauma amongst adults and children

(Bountress et al., 2021).

LGBTQ Community

Another group of people that seems to experience trauma as a community is the

LGBTQ community. Research states that the trauma inflicted on the community can be

self-inflicted, hate crime related, or as a result of political battles over hate crimes (Kelly

et al., 2020). Dym et al., (2019) describes the recovery process for individuals of this

community after the trauma they are exposed to when coming out as lesbian,

homosexual, etc.

Veterans and Family Members

Veterans and their family members are another group of people that often

experience trauma. Families might experience trauma when they experience the loss or

grief of losing a loved one as a result of them being a member of the military (Chin et al.,

2020) In some cases this feeling, can turn into a misunderstanding or a rational of “why

me.” (Chin et al., 2020) Veterans themselves are prone to various forms of trauma such

as traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and other deployment stressors (Paige et al., 2019). It is

common for service members to seek help for their stressors (Paige et al., 2019). The

study completed by Paige et al., (2019) showed that service members who reported

greater traumatic experiences were less likely to seek treatment.

All of the individuals listed above are examples of people that may experience

trauma. They are examples of individuals that experience trauma, and they have potential

to be changed by the trauma they experience. It can either affect them negatively or

positively. Some are examples of how trauma can affect you negatively are chronic

severe stress and PTSD (Ali et al., 2023). Some examples of the positive outcomes as a

result of trauma is resilience and growth (Ali et al., 2023). The information provide

shows the variation of trauma victims that exist.

Trauma Biases within a Certain Race, Gender, or Ethnicity

Trauma is something that has the potential to impact all individuals, however

studies show that African Americans are disproportionately impacted by adverse

childhood experiences (Pumariega et al., 2022 & Hampton-Anderson et al., 2021).

Apparently, this occurs as a result of historical systematic oppression (Pumariega et al.,

2022). Some researchers believe that race is something that needs to be considered when

approaching trauma informed care (Dutil, 2020; Joseph et al., 2020; Quiros et al., 2020).

Research shows that there is a generational trauma that occurs among African Americans

(Hampton-Anderson et al., 2021). These experiences might include family and

community violence and discrimination (Hampton-Anderson et al., 2021). Not only are

they more likely to experience it, they are effected by negative consequences (Saleem et

al., 2022). One of the place where children frequent is school. Research exists on the

importance of addressing trauma, but less is known about racism related trauma and

systemic racism (Adames et al., 2022).

Trauma is something that can also occur in educators. Educator stress is a

prominent issue in today’s educational climate (Eyal et al., 2019) According to Eyal et

al., (2019) some of this stress stems from trauma-related behaviors in the classroom.

Educators that work with children who have traumatic histories are at risk for

experiencing negative outcomes (Heck et al., 2023). Those negative outcomes include

chronic emotional exhaustion, teacher burnout, and leaving the profession within the first

five years (Kim et al., 2021). This emotional exhaustion threatens the quality of the

instruction provided to students (Kim et al., 2021). Due to the increase in childhood

trauma combined with the potential lack of effective trauma-informed training available

to teachers, high stress on educators is created (Heck et al., 2023 & Kim et al., 2021).

This can be even more likely to occur when educators work in schools where students

experience poverty or low achievement is common (Loomis & Felt, 2021). Educators

report increased stress as a result of helping children through their trauma related stress

(Barrett & Berger, 2021). Educators report a lack of training regrading trauma (Heck et

al., 2023). In order to decrease the amount of stressed placed on educators’ further focus

on training could prove to be beneficial (Mayor, 2019).

Trauma Training

Attention has focused on the need for trauma-informed care and recognizing

childhood trauma within school systems (Thomas et al., 2019). The attention on these

subjects has increased the discourse of overall school climate, teaching practices, and the

way trauma-related education is delivered. However, these subjects are not fully

established (Thomas et al., 2019). Although not fully established some schools have

attempted to implement trauma informed care and teacher education is desired. Currently,

within the education field educators are experiencing a lack of training, a variety of

systems in place, and various forms of trauma treatment (Garay et al., 2022, Heck et al.,

2023, Mayor, 2019, Loomis & Felt, 2021, Berger et al., 2022, and Thomas, 2019).

Lack of Training

The terms used to address children who have experienced adverse experiences are

“trauma-aware” and “trauma-informed” (Garay et al., 2022). The same study that

identified those terms determined that there is a lack of practical training for teachers

regarding childhood trauma (Garay et al., 2022). Teachers have reported that there is

limited training and school-wide policies on student trauma (Heck et al., 2023). Although

the need for trauma informed learning has rapidly grown in North America, teachers are

not recognized as individuals that need information on trauma informed interventions

(Mayor, 2019). Researchers focus on understanding the perspective of psychologists

rather than educators. Instead of educators being trained on how to support students that

have been traumatized, training primarily focuses on the process of mandated reporting.

The individuals that are often responsible for training and the resources allocated

to schools are the school leaders (Berger et al., 2022). School leaders include the

principal, assistant principal, or program director. The success of the resources and

trainings also often falls back on the support provided by leadership. School leaders

report mental restrain as a result due to inadequate training despite being the individuals

often responsible to determining those trainings. High expectations are placed on leaders

of schools by both the community and society to meet the demanding needs of students

who have experienced trauma.

Due to the restricted amount of training and policies, students report an

unwillingness to trust school staff members (Heck et al., 2023) As a result, students don’t

express their emotions in a healthy way. They often express emotions through aggression,

avoidance, shutting down, or other behaviors that can be considered off-putting by

educators (Minahan, 2019). These behaviors can feel especially hostile when the root

cause is not understood. This can lead to misunderstandings between the educator and

students, missed educational opportunities, and ineffective interventions.

Systems in Place

There are some systems in place designed to help children with trauma. Trauma-

Informed Elementary Schools (TIES) exist in order to service elementary schools (Rishel

et al., 2019). However, not all elementary schools are identified as TIES. TIES promote

and practice trauma informed care (Thomas, 2019). Trauma sensitive schools are another

system that are in place in order to help schools become more trauma aware. Trauma

sensitive schools are based on an understanding of trauma and the impact it has on

children (Rishel et al., 2019). Trauma sensitive school training packages are available

for purchase. These packages offer administrators a framework for adopting a trauma

sensitive approach. The package includes a variety of resources that can be used to

educate staff members on the step-by-step process of implementing a universal trauma

informed approach. Schools are encouraged to purchase these packages, but not required.

The Department of Education websites provides educators with answers to

frequently asked questions. It also lists strategies and resources that can be used to help

children that have experienced trauma (Grossman, 2020). There are district and educator

specific resources and strategies available. The website places a focus on the Covid-19

pandemic and the impacts it had on the social and emotional well-being of students. The

website describes resources used to support social emotional learning. It also describes

grant opportunities that are available for educators to further the quality of themselves as

educators. The U.S. Department of Education contains reports of funded programs and

initiatives being utilized by various elementary schools (Maynard, 2019). However,

trauma informed programs are not mandatory do to the lack of research that has been

collected regarding them.

Treatment of Trauma

Educators report a lack of training on the effective ways to support the needs of

children that have experienced trauma (Loomis & Felt, 2021). When students experience

poverty or low achievement, they are reported to be more likely to experience at least one

adverse childhood experience. When educators work with the students that experience

low achievement and poverty, they are at risk for feeling more stressed. This has a

tendency to impact an educator’s overall opinion about trauma informed care. Therefore,

impacting the desire to use the strategies, if they have been taught the strategies.

Trauma is often misdiagnosed; therefore, it is mistreated. When students’ express

aggression, avoidance, or other misbehaviors educators do not always know what to do

(Mayor, 2019). Students are regularly punished or ignored by the school system when

displaying signs of trauma (Mayor, 2019). As a result, tension can grow between

educators and students creating a mistrust and impacting treatment (Heck et al., 2023).

This tension between educators and students can be connected to

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1977). Educators and

children interact within the Microsystem of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems.

Children can be impacted by the characteristics of caregivers during school settings

(Bronfenbrenner, 1977). Confidence and competence can also affect the quality of an

interaction with a caregiver. This can be connected to the Mesosystem of

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems. Guy- Evans (2020) states that when the

interactions are positive the effects are positive. Tension can also be connected to

Bandura’s self-efficacy theory because tension shows an individual’s awareness of their

beliefs (Bandura, 1997).

Summary and Conclusions

By examining how Early Childhood Educators view the potential inadequacy of

training offered to educators regarding children who have experienced traumatic events

aligns with an exploration of trauma’s definition, its occurrence in children, the enduring

impact it has on them, and the existing training deficiencies and systems in place.

Literature shows that most individuals have experienced at least one adverse childhood

experience during their life (Giano et al., 2020). Giano et al., (2020) believes that

individuals with a high income and educational attainment have a lower chance of

experiencing ACEs. Whereas lower income and educational attainment have a higher

chance of experiencing ACEs. Ultimately, it has been determined that identifying adverse

childhood experiences is essential to improving the overall health and life of individuals.

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of

Early Childhood Educators on the possible lack of effective training provided to Early

Childhood Educators with regard to children who have faced traumatic events. Research

places a large amount of attention on the need for recognizing trauma within school

(Thomas et al., 2019). Educators all over the United States report a lack of practical

training for teachers regarding childhood trauma (Garay et al., 2022). However, there was

a lack of existing literature on the various types of training utilized.

This study was designed as a basic qualitative study that will allow teachers to

answer questions about their perspectives regarding the lack of effective training

provided to early childhood educators with regard to children who have faced trauma.

The semi-structured interview questions were open-ended questions. In the following

Chapter 3, I explained in detail the methodology for this research.

Chapter 3: Research Method

Introduction

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of

early childhood educators on the possible lack of training provided to early childhood

educators with regard to children who have faced traumatic events. In Chapter 2, I

provided a review of the literature regarding existing training, adverse childhood

experiences, and the impact of trauma on children. My review of the literature has

established a large amount of existing literature on the presence of trauma within children

(Anda et al., 2020; Anderson et al., 2022; Bright et al., 2022; Downing et al., 2021;

Finkelhor, 2020; Koball et al., 2021). My review of the literature has also established a

restricted amount of training and policies regarding children who have faced trauma

(Heck et al., 2023). This chapter outlines the research design for my basic qualitative

study. It also outlines the reasoning for my methodology.

Research Design and Rational

To explore the perspectives of early childhood educators on the possible lack of

effective training provided to early childhood educators with regard to children who have

faced traumatic events, the following research questions were developed:

RQ1 What are ECEs' perspectives regarding training to address the needs of children who

experience trauma?

RQ2 What are ECEs' perspectives regarding support systems needed to address the needs

of children who experience trauma?

The gap of this study was the potential lack of effective training provided to early

childhood educators with regard to children who have experienced trauma. These

concerns were indicated in the literature review, as well as the large presence of trauma

within children (Anda et al., 2020; Anderson et al., 2022; Bright et al., 2022; Downing et

al., 2021; Finkelhor, 2020; Koball et al., 2021). The research tradition that was used is a

basic qualitative study. Basic qualitative studies strive to fully understand the question,

(Tomaszewski et al., 2020). The other qualitative research approaches are bounded case

study, grounded theory, and phenomenology. A basic qualitative case study best meets

the needs of my study.

Role of the Researcher

As the researcher, I played a significant role in all stages throughout the research

process. I selected the participants and then interviewed those participants. The

interviews were transcribed using MAXQDA. I coded and analyzed the data. Once

approved by the Monroe County Superintendent, the participants were recruited from

Monroe county elementary schools in that district. There are three elementary schools in

Monroe County School district. Participants were recruited through email. The

participants must have at least a year worth of experience, teach kindergarten-third grade,

and have some form of experience teaching children that have been exposed to trauma.

The goal was to interview 12-15 educators or interview until I reached data saturation. As

an employee of Monroe County Schools, it was important for me to maintain

professionalism throughout the study. This study was completed within my own work

environment. It is possible that I would interview individuals that work in the same

school with me. This is a school system that I have worked in for approximately two

years. Therefore, I am not very familiar with any of the potential participants because I

teach an upper grade level. However, just in case I managed my biases by allowing the

interviewees to control the interview. When I say that I mean, allowing the interviewees

to do most of the talking during the interview. I kept my personal experiences as an

educator and a victim of trauma to myself. I used the interview questions as a guide. I

asked clarifying probes when need be. I refrained from stating my opinion or sharing

stories throughout the interview process. By allowing the interviewees to select how they

would like to complete the interview, I put the interview in their control. I used a

reflective journal in order express my emotions and opinions after each interview. As the

researcher, it was critical that I maintained neutral throughout this basic qualitative study.

Methodology

Participant Selection

A basic qualitative design was used for this research study. Participants were

selected for this study through email. The participants were early child educators with

experience teaching kindergarten through third grade. The early childhood educators

were selected from a district located in the South Central portion of Georgia. Early

childhood education is the period of education that takes place from birth to age eight

(Lauricella et al., 2020). The participants were familiar with the school’s or district’s

policies when it comes to training with regard to children who have experienced trauma.

The participants were able to identify any classroom programs or aides that are provided

to them. They were able to describe training they have attended with regard to child who

have experienced trauma.

In order to gather participants, I emailed the superintendent of the Monroe County

school district to gain permission to conduct my research. Once I was given permission

from the superintendent, I reached out to the three elementary schools in the district in

order to recruit participants. In order to participate in this study, the participants must be

an early childhood teacher or have experience teaching kindergarten, first, second, or

third grade. Participants should also have some experience teaching children who have

experienced trauma. The early childhood educator should have at least one year of

experience in the classroom. I sent emails to the potential participants stating the purpose

of the research study, the criteria to participate, and my contact information. I asked

interested participants to respond to the email. This continued until I gathered 12-15

participants or until data saturation occurred. I will know that data saturation has occurred

once I begin hearing similar comments repeatedly. If I could not gather all participants

through e-mail, then I would have used snowball sampling. Snowball sampling is a

technique used in which participants will help the researchers (Ravitch & Carl, 2021). If I

could not gather all the participants I needed through email, then I would have asked my

participants if they know of educators who meet the criteria that work in the Monroe

County district. I will make sure participants understand that they will be participating in

a semi-structured interview that will be audio recorded. I informed the participants of

their rights to confidentiality. Their names and exact location of employment were kept

confidential. If they still wish to participate, we will move forward with the process.

Instrumentation

The interview protocol utilized in this study is self-designed. I used semi-

structured interviews to collect data for my basic qualitative study. Semi-structured

interviews can evolve based on the participants that are completing them (Magaldi &

Berler, 2020). As the researcher, one of my roles was to collect data through the

completion of these semi-structured interviews. I created an interview protocol (see

Appendix A) that was used to guide the interviews. The interview protocol contains a

welcome message and it is followed by the details of the study. Once the welcome

message and purpose of the study has been read, the question process will begin. The

interview questions that are used are open ended. Open ended questions allow for

stimulating conversation lead by an individual’s concerns (Roberts, 2020). These

questions allowed the researcher to gather as much data as possible. Clarifying probes

were used if they were needed at any point. The interview protocol in Appendix A

identifies some clarifying probes that could be used. After the interview process has

concluded, I will read a concluding statement from the interview protocol. The

concluding statement states that the interview process has come to an end. It also states

that the interview will be transcribed and a summary will be sent to the participants. The

participant should review the summary and make sure their thoughts have been

accurately and adequately recorded. The interview protocol lets participants know that

they will receive a summary of the findings from the study. All interviews will be audio

recorded and then transcribed using MAXQDA. The interviews will take approximately

30 minutes and will be conducted over the phone or via Google Meets depending on the

needs of the participants. I will take notes during the interview process in order to

reference them later. The audio recordings will also be a tool used for later reference. The

interview questions were created in order to gain an understanding on the perspectives of

early childhood educators on the potential lack of training provided to early childhood

educators with regard to children who have faced traumatic events. Nine research

questions were formed for this research study. These questions were aligned to answer

the main research questions of this study. The open-ended questions were designed to

create a steady dialogue between the researcher and the participants. The questions were

designed for participants to share their views and experiences. The participant’s

responses to the semi-structured interview questions were transcribed using MAXQDA.

The interviews will be immediately transcribed. This process will occur immediately

because the interview is fresh on the researcher’s mind.

Procedures and Data Collection

I will begin the data collection process by gaining permission from the Walden

University Institutional Review Board (IRB) to conduct my research study. Once I was

given permission, I reached out to the Monroe County District Superintendent. The

Superintendent had already informed me that he would need a description of my research

study from the University. Once I have received permission from the district

superintendent, I would begin the process of reaching out to the three elementary schools

within the Monroe County School district. I used the school websites in order to gather

the email addresses of the early childhood educators that work at these three elementary

schools. I sent emails to early childhood educators that work at these three elementary

schools in an attempt to recruit participants for my basic qualitative study. The email will

act as an invitation to participate in the study. The email will include details of the study,

study criteria, and my contact information. If an individual has any interest in

participating, they were asked to respond. Any individual who meets the inclusion

criteria was emailed a consent form. Each individual also received an explanation of how

their identity will remain anonymous throughout the process. The consent form outlines

the details of the interview sessions. The consent form provides an explanation of the

research study, rights to privacy, and the fact that participants will be audio recorded. I

used semi-structured interview questions in order to collect data for this research study.

Once participants have signed their consent forms, an interview was scheduled.

Interviews took place at an agreed upon time over the phone or via Google Meets. The

interviews lasted for approximately 30 minutes. The questions used in those interviews

were open ended. Those questions were designed to gather the perspectives of early

childhood educators on the potential lack of training with regard to children who have

experienced trauma. The responses were audio recorded. I took notes throughout the

interview process. Clarifying probes were utilized in an effort to gather more information.

The interviews concluded with the reading of the conclusion statement from the interview

protocol. The conclusion statement included a thanks for the participation process and

information about future data they will receive.

Data Analysis Plan

I began this process with transcribing all the semi-structured interviews. I then

read the transcriptions, listened to the audio recordings, and reviewed my interview notes.

After I collected data via the transcripts, I began analyzing the data. I analyzed the data

using in vivo coding. In vivo coding allowed me to break down the qualitative data that I

have collected, examine it closely, and find similarities and differences within the data

(Saldana, 2021). This initial coding process allowed me to find a direction for the data

that I collected (Saldana, 2021). The initial coding process is referred to as first cycle

coding. During this stage, I highlighted words and phrases that were often repeated. I

created general initial codes using this information.

For the second cycle of coding, I used pattern coding. Pattern coding allowed me

to categorize the coded data (Saldana, 2021). The process of creating codes provided

precise groups for the codes. I then conducted a data analysis on the categories by

searching for emerging patterns, themes, or relationships. I then reviewed any themes that

emerge from the data. I checked for subthemes, and any other possible themes. I

determined whether or not those themes are relevant to the research questions. I then

provide a detailed description of my findings in relation to the research questions and my

thematic analysis.

Since this is a highly sensitive case, I anticipated encountering some participant

stress along the way. Stress might occur as result of sharing personal feelings or opinions

regarding training or the potential lack of training that is or is not present at their school.

Stress might also occur as a result of the fear that comes along with sharing their honest

opinion about their workplace. A participant may or may not experience stress as a result

of sharing their opinion. In order to ensure that participants did not feel stress, I made

sure that they understood that they will remain anonymous throughout the process.

Participants were identified using a letter of the alphabet. For example, Participant A,

Participant B, and so on. The participants were referred to by this during the coding and

data analysis process. This provided them with anonymity throughout the process. During

this process, participants had the freedom to express themselves without the stress of their

leadership knowing who said what and why they said it.

In order to remain unbiased throughout this process, I used my interview protocol

as a guide. I stuck to the established questions and used clarifying probes when

necessary. I used a reflective journal to record my personal opinions and thoughts. This

basic qualitative research study took place in the same county in which I work. However,

due to my recent employment and placement in an upper grade, I did not have any

relationships formed with any kindergarten-third grade teachers. For this reason, I did not

have any issues. I believe these strategies reduced the presence of bias within this study.

Issues of Trustworthiness

During the data collection process, it was crucial that I maintained trustworthiness

as the data was produced. In order for data to be considered trustworthy it must be

evaluated for credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Adler, 2022).

Credibility can be achieved by talking to experts who are knowledgeable in my area of

research (Santana et al., 2021). I did this by talking to educators. I talked to the early

childhood educators about their experiences regarding children who have experienced

trauma. I talked to early childhood educators about any training they have received

regarding trauma and how to manage it in their classrooms. This process took place

during the interviews. I addressed issues of credibility in this study by using multiple data

collection tools. I used interview recordings, transcripts, and reflective journals. When I

finished the semi-structured interviews, I sent the participants a summary of the findings.

I also asked them to report any questions they have about the data. Transferability is also

used to measure the trustworthiness of research. Transferability refers to the researchers

ability to apply the findings of the study to other situations, populations, or contexts

(Makel et al., 2022). In order to ensure transferability, I established boundaries. For

example, the number of participants, data collection methods, and setting. This basic

qualitative study could be considered transferable if applied to approximately the same

number of early childhood educators. It could also be considered transferable if the data

was collected using semi-structured interview questions.

This information will allow other researchers to generalize the findings of the

study. Dependability was also used to establish trustworthiness. Dependability in

qualitative research is synonymous with consistency (Janis, 2022). In order to establish

consistency, I collected data in several ways. My participants completed a semi-

structured interview, the interview was recorded, and participants received a copy of the

results. I also kept a reflective journal throughout the process. This allowed for

consistency throughout the process. The interview process differed from participant to

participant because some interviews took place over the phone and others took place via

Google Meets. The final measure of trustworthiness is confirmability. Confirmability

ensures that the findings from the research are derived from the data and not the

researchers (Eldh et al., 2020). In order to ensure confirmability, I had to put my opinions

about the potential effect of trauma on children, and the need for training aside. The

semi-structured interview transcripts and recordings were used during the research

process. I used a reflective journal to record any biases I had during the data collection

process. I used the interview protocol to guide the interview and used clarifying probes if

need be. I stuck to the interview protocol in order to keep any bias out of the research

study. In order for research to be relevant it must be trustworthy (Adler, 2022). This will

allowed for the study to be more trustworthy.

Ethical Procedures

It is important to consider ethical issues when performing qualitative research.

Researchers have ethical guidelines they must consider when completing qualitative

research (Husband, 2020). First, I had to obtain approval from the Walden University

IRB. Once I received IRB approval, I then sought approval from the Monroe County

School District. This approval allowed early childhood educators from the three

elementary schools in the district to participate in my study. I selected participants from

the three elementary schools in this school district. The participants must have at least

one-year worth of teaching experience, be a kindergarten-third grade teacher, and have

some sort of experience with children who have experienced some form of trauma. I then

sent emails to early childhood educators at these elementary schools, if they wished to

participant in the study, they responded to my email. If they meet the criterion, they

received an informed consent form. This form included the purpose of the study, data

collection process, and analysis procedures. Participants were notified of their rights to

privacy. During the interview and data analysis process, participants were referred to with

a letter after the word participant. For example, Participant A or Participant B. This

allowed participants to remain anonymous throughout the interview and data analysis

process. They were informed of the fact that participation is voluntary and they have the

right to withdraw at any time. Once participants have reviewed this information,

interviews were scheduled. This information was discussed again prior to the beginning

of each interview. I maintained my participants’ confidentiality during the research

process by removing any identifiable information. I assigned each participant a letter of

the alphabet. During this research process, I was the only one collecting data. Due to the

high stress that comes along with this study, participants were reminded of their

anonymity in order to feel confident expressing their honest opinions. This research will

be made available to educators, counselors, and members with leadership roles within a

school.

Summary

In Chapter 3, I provided information about the research design and the

methodology of this study on the perspectives of early childhood educators when it

comes to the potential lack of effective training with regard to children who have faced

trauma. I included what my role will be as the researcher. I included the purpose and the

rationale for conducting this basic qualitative study. I described my data collection

method, how the information was stored, and how it was provided to participants. I

explained how I analyze the semi-structured interview transcripts. Chapter 3 also

describes how I plan to maintain trustworthiness and ethical procedures throughout the

study. Chapter 4 will include an in-depth discussion of the findings.

Chapter 4: Results

Introduction

The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of

early childhood educators on the possible lack of training provided to early childhood

educators with regard to children who have faced traumatic events. The following

research questions guided the data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data:

RQ1: What are ECEs' perspectives regarding training to address the needs of children

who experience trauma?

RQ2: What are ECEs' perspectives regarding support systems needed to address the

needs of children who experience trauma?

In this chapter, I will begin with providing an overview of the setting and

demographics of the study. Next, I will explain the data collection and analysis process. I

will describe the trustworthiness of the data collection and analysis process. I will then

give an explanation of the results gathered from the research process. I will describe the

coding and organization of the data. The chapter will conclude with a summary.

Setting

This study took place in a school district located in South Central Georgia. There

are six schools located in this district. Three of the schools in this district are elementary

schools. The participants selected for this study were from the three elementary schools

within the district. This data collection process began after receiving approval from the

Institutional Review Board and from the district superintendent. In my first attempt to

gather participants, I used the school websites to obtain email addresses. I originally

emailed fifty teachers from the three different schools in order to gather participants. I

only emailed Kindergarten through 3rd grade teachers. The first attempt to gather

participants resulted in three participants agreeing to be interviewed. These participants

are all individuals who currently teach Kindergarten, First, Second, or Third grade. Each

of these teachers met the inclusion criteria. After waiting about a week, I realized that I

needed to include email addresses of all educators from these three elementary schools.

By doing this, I was able to gather more participants. Some of these participants were

individuals that no longer teach grades Kindergarten through 3rd grade, but at some point

in their teaching career, they did. These participants still met the inclusion criteria for the

study. This second round of emails allowed me to gather nine more participants. The data

for this basic qualitative study was collected using Google Meets and phone calls. I

completed twelve interviews. Three of the interviews took place over Google Meets and

the other nine over telephone. I was in my classroom for ten of the interviews and at

home for the other two. One participant was at home, one was in her office, and the other

ten were in their classrooms when the interviews took place. All twelve interviews took

place within a span of three weeks. All interviews were audio recorded.

Demographics

Twelve educators agreed to participate in this basic qualitative study. The

participants were from the three different elementary schools in the district. The

participants have taught in various grade levels. All participants have some form of

experience in early childhood education. Although several of the participants are no

longer early childhood educators, they were at one point in their career. One participant

had teaching experience in grades K-3, but now she is the school counselor. Another

participant previously taught first grade, but now she is the Special Education teacher for

5th grade. I was able to interview participants who had experience in each of the early

childhood education levels. The participants had a wide range of teaching experience. In

order to meet the inclusion criteria, participants only needed one year of teaching

experience. The number of years teaching ranged from 3 years to 30 years. Eight of the

participants reported having 13 or more years of teaching experience. The other four

participants each had less than ten years of experience. All of the participants interviewed

for this study were female. The participants reported having varying levels of education.

Table 1 displays the demographics for each of the participants. Those

demographics include the participant number they have been assigned, current position,

number of years teaching, grades taught, and level of education. Each participant was

assigned a number in order to ensure confidentiality.

Table 2

Participant Demographics

Position

Number

of Years

Teaching

Grades Taught

Level of

Education

3rd grade teacher

13 years

3rd grade

Bachelor’s

Degree

Kindergarten teacher

27 years

K, 1, 2, and 3

Bachelor’s

Degree

1st grade teacher

23 years

K, 1, 2, and 5

Specialist

Degree

P 4

P 5

P 6

P10

P11

P12

5th grade teacher

2nd grade teacher

Counselor

SPED teacher

3rd grade teacher

Gifted teacher K-5

1st grade teacher

9 years

23 years

17 years

28 years

15 years

8 years

30 years

5 years

3 years

51, 2, and 5

1, 2, 4, and 5

PK, K, 1, 3,

and hybrid 5th

K-3, EIP 3-5,

counselor

1st, 4th, and 5th PK,

K, and 3rd Gifted K-5

1st grade

Specialist

Degree

Master’s Degree

Specialist

Degree

Specialist

Degree

Master’s Degree

Bachelor’s

Degree

Bachelor’s

Degree

Data Collection

Twelve participants took part in this interview. To recruit participants, I sent fifty

email invitations on two separate occasions. The first batch of email invitations were sent

to early childhood educators at the three elementary schools within the district. From this

batch of emails, I gathered three participants. After a week passed, I sent out 50 more

email invitations. I opened up my emails to any educator who had experience teaching K-

3rd grade not just the ones that currently teach K-3rd. By doing this, I was able to gather

nine more participants. Once participants expressed interest in the study, I shared the

consent form with them. Participants who agreed to participate indicated their consent by

replying to the email with the words, “I consent.” The consent form is outlined in

Appendix B. The interview process took a total of three weeks. Three of the interviews

took place over Google Meets. They were audio-recorded and transcribed through

Google Meets. Audio-recordings and transcriptions were downloaded to a secure flash

drive. I then deleted them from Google Drive. The other nine interviews took place over

the phone. I recorded the phone interviews through an application called Voice. I

downloaded the audio-recordings and then transcribed them on the application. I saved

them to a secure flash drive. Once they were saved on a secure flash drive, the application

was removed from my phone. Each of the interviews lasted between 20 and 40 minutes

depending on the participant. Each interview followed the interview protocol and the

interview questions outlined in Appendix A were used. Some interviews required

clarifying questions. For example, question seven states, what training or professional

development on supporting children who experience trauma have you received?

Participant 7 answered by saying,

I have been to a couple of trauma training sessions. I think one of them was

Trauma 101. I have been able to attend those training sessions. They have been

helpful in the fact that behavior comes from somewhere I mean it does not just

happen so just being able to understand and being able to look at it from that

perspective. So I think experiences and I think being able to make connections

with kids relationships with families also having some of that training and in the

area of trauma significantly.

Participant 7’s answer lead me to this clarifying probe, “Were those trainings offered to

just counselors or something that anybody could take advantage of?” Participant 7 then

stated,

Anybody can take advantage of it you just have to know about it. I think probably

what we need to do is get the word out there. Therefore, those teachers are more

aware of these trainings. They are also like SEL curriculum that teachers. That

definitely has been helpful like I said going into training and then being able to

come back and apply what I've learned has been helpful but that training that we

need to make teachers more aware of.

All transcriptions and audio recordings were uploaded onto a Software program

call MAXQDA. This program is installed on a password-protected device. I reread each

interview on MAXQDA and fixed grammatical errors that were visible. I did not have to

ask any follow up questions after transcriptions were formed. I wrote summaries using

the transcriptions and provided the participants with the summary of the interview. The

interviews and transcripts provided consistent information. During the interview process,

there were no unusual circumstances.

Data Analysis

After IRB approval was received (03-19-24-0744362), the first step in the data

analysis process was transcribing the interviews. Three of the transcripts were created

using Google Meets. The other nine transcripts I created using the Voice application. I

read each transcript and proofread it for any grammatical errors or sections that were

missed during the audio recording portion. I saved the transcripts on a secure flash drive.

The transcripts and audio-recordings were then loaded into the MAXQDA software.

While in the MAXQDA software, I reread each transcript in order to become more

familiar with them. I did this several times in order to ensure the accuracy of the data. I

took notes throughout this process. I assigned the participants a number in order to ensure

confidentiality.

The next step in the process was to analyze the data. First, I analyzed the data

using in vivo coding. In vivo coding is a technique used that involves using the

participant’s exact words as codes to capture their experiences and perspectives (Limna,

2023). I went through each transcript in the MAXQDA software and highlighted words

and phrases that I saw repeatedly. I highlighted phrases like, “Recently, I have had no

training”, “I don’t feel trained”, and “The option to attend more trainings would be

beneficial.” The in vivo codes that were identified were organized based on the two

research questions that have guided this study.

The second cycle of coding used was pattern coding. Pattern coding allows the

researcher to find patterns or relationships among data that has already been coded (Riazi

et al., 2023). By using pattern coding, I was able to categorize previously coded data. I

coded the data using phrases such as lack of training, not trained, additional resources,

and exposure to trauma. By coding these data, I was able to formulate themes based on

the two research questions that have guided this basic qualitative study. This information

is detailed in a mind map in Appendix C.

Next, I began thematic analysis. When analyzing the data, I identified information

that was relevant to the research questions that have guided my basic qualitative study.

Based on this information, I generated five themes. Those themes are as follows:

Theme 1: Insufficient Training.

Theme 2: Lack of Access to Training

Theme 3: Need for Support

The first two themes address RQ1. Table 3 shows the in vivo codes, participant numbers,

and excerpts that align with themes 1 and 2

Table 3

In Vivo Codes and Themes for RQ1

In Vivo Code

Participant

Excerpt

Theme

I do not feel like

we have been

trained to deal

with it.

Recently, I have

had no training.

Lack of formal

training

“I don’t feel

prepared”

“Recently, I have

not had any training,

however I did when

I was in another

county, but it was a

mindset training.

“I don’t think that

we have formal

training”

Theme 1:

Insufficient Training

Theme 2: Lack of

Access to Training

Table 4 shows the pattern codes, participant number, and excerpts that aligns with themes

1-2.

Table 4

Pattern Codes and Themes for RQ1

Pattern Coding

Participant

Excerpt

Theme

Lack of training

Not trained

“Honestly, in 23

years I do not feel

like I’ve been trained

enough on this topic”

“ I don’t feel like

I’ve been trained to

deal with the trauma

that I’ve been

exposed to and I

don’t think we are

recognizing it”

Theme 1: Insufficient

Training

Theme three is aligned with research question two. Table 5 shows the in vivo codes,

participant number, and excerpts that align with theme three.

Table 5

In Vivo Codes and Theme for RQ2

In Vivo Coding

Participant

Excerpt

Theme

We need another

counselor.

Maybe a man

and a woman.

Educators think

we need separate

support systems

for mental health.

The option to

attend more

trainings would

be beneficial.

P12

“We currently have

one counselor. We

for sure need

another school

counselor”

“I think we need

something separate

for mental health,

like something

separate for major

types of trauma like

abuse.”

“Maybe attend

more trainings.

Even out of the

county because

other schools have

different things

going on.”

Theme 3: Need for

Support

Table 6 shows the pattern codes, participant number, and excerpt that aligns with theme

three.

Table 6

Pattern Codes and Theme for RQ2

Pattern Coding

Participant

Excerpt

Theme

Counselor

Mental health

support

Additional

resources

“We have one

counselor and I

think she has her

hands tied a lot with

meetings”

“I think we need

something separate

for mental health,

like something

separate for major

types of trauma like

abuse.”

“I think some sort of

protocol that allows

them to have

modifications where

they are able to cope

with situations until

they are able to

work through the

trauma.”

Theme 3: Need for

Support

In regard to discrepant cases, P7 was the only participant that described feeling

well trained and attending several trainings in regards to trauma specifically. This

participant is now a counselor and expressed that she feels like she is now more aware of

trainings then when she was a regular education teacher. She still expressed a desire to

attend more trainings. The one other discrepancy was P10 describing that although she

wants more resources, she does not know that it is the teacher’s job to address trauma in

the classroom. These were the only discrepancies that I identified within the study. I used

member checking during the data collect phase. I emailed the transcript and a summary

of the data collected to each of the participants after the interviews took place. I asked the

participants to review the information and respond to the emails within a week. I needed

to know whether the participants felt like their thoughts and opinions had been accurately

expressed.

Evidence of Trustworthiness

During the data collection and analysis process, I had to maintain credibility,

transferability, dependability, and confirmability. I maintained credibility by speaking

with experts about their experiences regarding children who have experienced trauma. I

also asked them about any trainings regarding trauma they have received. This took place

during the interview process. I also maintained credibility by using member checking.

Member checking is a process by which researchers present participants with transcripts

and summaries of data collected (McKim, 2023).

I maintained transferability by providing a very clear description of the setting,

participant guidelines, data collection process, data analysis, and ethical procedures.

These guidelines will allow this study to be applied in other areas. If the data is collected

in the same way with approximately the same number of early childhood educators, I

believe the study could be consider transferable.

Dependability also ensures trustworthiness. Dependability refers to the

consistency of data across different study situations (Haq et al., 2023) Although the

interview process was not exactly the same for each participant, an interview protocol

was still used to guide the interviews. Three participants were interviewed using Google

Meets and the nine other participants were interviewed over the phone. The protocol

allowed these interviews to be consistent.

The final way I ensured trustworthiness was through confirmability. In order to

ensure confirmability, the researcher must minimize any personal biases (Ahmed, 2024).

I did this by using the interview protocol to guide each semi-structure interview. I only

had to ask clarifying questions two times during the data collection process. I also used a

reflective journal during the data collection process in order to record any biases I had.

This ensures that the findings from this basic qualitative study are derived from the data

and not the researcher (Eldh et al., 2020).

Results

The purpose of this basic qualitative study is to explore the perspectives of early

childhood educators on the possible lack of training provided to early childhood

educators with regard to children who have faced traumatic events. In this section, I

presented the findings of the basic qualitative study in relation to the two research

questions that have guided the study. I identified patterns during the coding process. I

organized the codes into themes. Two themes are related to the first research question:

What are ECEs' perspectives regarding training to address the needs of children who

experience trauma? Those themes are:

Theme 1: Insufficient Training

Theme 2: Lack of Access to Training

One additional theme aligns with the second research question: What are ECEs'

perspectives regarding support systems needed to address the needs of children who

experience trauma? That theme is:

Theme 3: Need for Support

Theme 1: Insufficient Training

Early childhood educators report not feeling effectively trained to address the

needs of children who experience trauma. This theme aligns with RQ1: What are ECEs'

perspectives regarding training to address the needs of children who experience trauma?

Figure 1 shows that 92% of the participants report feeling inadequately prepared to

handle children who experience trauma. When asked, “In what ways do you feel prepared

to meet the needs of your children who have experienced trauma?” P4 said, “I don’t feel

prepared.” P6 stated, “Usually were never prepared for it.” P7 is the 8% represented in

Figure 1 that feels like she has been trained to support children that have experienced

trauma. P7 is one of the discrepancies. The other discrepancy is P10. P10 described the

need for my training, but believes that teachers should not be the individuals responsible

for helping children with their trauma. This theme aligns with RQ1 because at least

within the grounds of this study early childhood educators report not feeling effectively

trained when it comes to addressing the needs of children who have experienced trauma.

Figure 1

Perceptions of Educators on Training

Theme 2: Lack of Access to Training

Early childhood educators admit not knowing whether the district offers formal

training in order to address the needs of children who have experienced trauma. This

theme aligns with RQ1: What are ECEs' perspectives regarding training to address the

needs of children who experience trauma? One of the interview questions that I asked the

participants was “What services are in place within your school or within the county that

address teaching children who have experienced trauma? Can you describe them?” P8

stated, “I don’t know if we have formal training.” All other participants listed examples

how those situations are handled now. The most common answer was that the counselor

is alerted. The one discrepancy was that P7 mentioned formal trainings that she has

92%

Perception of Educators on Trauma

Training

Trained Not Trained

experienced. As stated previously, P7 is now a counselor and believes she is at an

advantage when it comes to an awareness of training. However, P7 states that anyone has

access; the trainings are just are not common knowledge. This theme aligns with RQ1

because early childhood educators are expressing their perspectives regarding training.

Theme 3: Need for Support

Early childhood educators describe the need for additional support systems to be

in place in order to meet the needs of children who experience trauma. This aligns with

RQ2: What are ECEs' perspectives regarding support systems needed to address the

needs of children who experience trauma? All 12 participants mention the need for

additional resources. Five different participants believe that having an additional

counselor would be beneficial. P4 says, “I think we also need to have a team of

professional counselors outside of the school system that can be used for students who

need additional support or families who need counseling together.” P6 describes “Some

form of 504 protocol that allows them to have trauma modifications until they are able to

cope with situations. P8 mentions trainings that educators receive at the beginning of the

school year, but they are more about identifying and referring children that have or are

currently experiencing trauma. P8 says were are not told how to help only how to refer.

When asked, “What additional services or referral mechanisms would you like to see

implemented in your school or county local setting to address teaching children who have

experienced trauma ?’ P10 states, “I honestly just believe professional development from

mental health counselors.” P4 believes, “we need something separate for kids who have

major types of trauma.” This theme aligns with RQ2 because participants all the

participants within the study share their perspective regarding the need for additional

support systems. Each participant describes need for additional support and some shared

some of their own ideas.

Summary

I provided a review of the purpose and the two research questions for the

qualitative study. I provided a description of the setting, demographics of the participants,

and steps that I took to promote trustworthiness. I included detailed descriptions of the

data collection and data analysis. The data analysis process presented five key themes.

The themes along with data to support each finding answered the research questions. The

key findings from the study indicated that early childhood educators report not feeling

adequately trained when it comes to children who experience trauma. Early childhood

educators also report a desire to attend more trainings in regards to children who

experience trauma.

In Chapter 5, I will address the interpretation of the findings, limitations of the study,

recommendations for future research, and potential implications for positive social

change. I will also provide a conclusion for the study.

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