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Enlightening Encounters: The Role of a Human Library in Shaping Pre-Service Teachers' Future Trauma-Informed Approaches
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- Author / Creator
- Pelletier, Gabrielle N.
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Due to the striking impact of childhood trauma on development and well-being (Mandelli et al., 2015; Paquola et al., 2016; Statistics Canada, 2015), there has been a movement towards systemic implementation of trauma-informed approaches (TIAs). TIAs are meant to help working professionals realize, recognize, respond, and resist re-traumatization (SAMHSA, 2014a). One key system that bears the ability to mitigate the impacts of childhood trauma is the education system. However, as much as schools need policy and system-level change to support children who experience trauma, they also need agreement and effort from the people doing the work - namely future teachers. One way to shift pre-service teachers’ attitudes and beliefs is by engaging them in experiential learning opportunities that evoke strong emotions (Day & Sachs, 2004, Stoll et al, 2012). A Human Library is an experiential opportunity where individuals, “storytellers”, share their lived experiences with strangers, “readers”. The goal is to create a space for open and respectful dialogue amongst participants, to reduce stigma, and increase awareness and understanding of diverse lived experiences. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of pre-service teachers participating in a Human Library and its impact on their attitudes and beliefs about TIAs. My research questions were the following: (1) Does a Human Library event change pre-service teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about trauma-informed teaching? (2) What is the lived experience of pre-service teachers participating in a Human Library event? (3) Does a Human Library event influence pre-service teachers’ intentions and behaviours to learn more about trauma-informed teaching? (4) What is the sustained impression of the Human Library event on pre-service teachers? I utilized a multi-method design, collecting data from seven participants through surveys at three time points and one interview post event. To analyze my data, I used descriptive statistics and a reflexive thematic analysis (RTA; Braun & Clark, 2020). The researcher’s findings revealed that the Human Library had a significant positive impact on participants. Individual trajectories demonstrated an overall upward trend towards more trauma-informed attitudes. There was also a positive sustained impression of the event and an intention to continue their journey in becoming trauma-informed teachers. Their “enlightening” experience of the Human Library is reflected through four different themes: (1) feeling impassioned, (2) meaningful shifts, (3) advocates for trauma-informed teaching, and (4) processing becoming a trauma-informed teacher. Embedding Human Libraries into teacher education presents a promising and innovative direction for introducing the concept of TIAs to future teachers.
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- Graduation date
- Fall 2024
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Doctor of Philosophy
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Library with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.