Formative evaluation of Peace Spaces in a middle school: Teacher perceptions and student usage

Abstract

Teaching youth how to self-regulate is a focus of a trauma-informed school approach. Peace Spaces, including Peace Corners and Peace Rooms, are a trauma-informed intervention used to teach self-regulation skills to students. The current study used a Consensual Qualitative Research design to identify and describe the thoughts, concerns, and experiences of teachers who implemented Peace Spaces within a middle school in a small urban center of Pennsylvania. Results of qualitative data analyses provided insight into teachers' perceptions of strengths and challenges to the implementation of Peace Rooms. Additionally, using the school's archival data, the study examined how students were using the Peace Room. Domains from interviews with teachers included: (1) How Peace Spaces are Used; (2) Reasons for Using Peace Spaces; (3) Benefits of Peace Spaces; (4) Peace Space Strategies; (5) Challenges of Peace Spaces; (6) Attitudes about Peace Spaces; and (7) Future Directions. Themes from analysis of archival data indicated that students used the Peace Room for one or a combination of five stressors, with Peer-Related Stressors and Mental Health as the top reasons. Collectively, these results suggested Peace Rooms were useful to students who needed a space to self-regulate and/or talk through their problems with a trusted adult. Finally, the school's data indicated a downward trend in the number of referrals for discipline.