The role that teachers play in overcoming the effects of stress and trauma on children’s social psychological development: evidence from Northern Uganda

Abstract

Based on social psychological and neurobiological models of human development, this paper proposes that the role of the teacher is central in the rehabilitation of children who have suffered the effects of stress and trauma. The purpose of this paper is to describe the experiences of educators regarding children’s learning. This study used a qualitative methodology to categorise the variation of experiences regarding children’s learning as described by 10 school teachers and six school leaders from two government and two non-government primary schools in Northern Uganda. Among the significant findings of the study were the categorical descriptions of children’s learning as ‘fragmented’ and ‘hijacked’ due to the debilitating effects of stress and trauma. Educators thought children had many ‘gaps’ in their learning as a result of war and associated disease and poverty. This paper demonstrates the salient role of educators in the neurological, psychological and sociological rehabilitation of students and provides strong evidence for education being a means of positive change.