Australian Teachers’ Perception of their Preparedness to Teach Traumatised Students: A Systematic Literature Review.

Abstract

There are many studies documenting the negative impacts of trauma in childhood. However, despite schools and teachers being a known protective factor which have the potential to modify the negative impacts of complex trauma, limited research examining the perspectives of primary teachers working with traumatised children and their perceptions of preparedness to teach students living with complex trauma has been conducted. Thus a systematic literature review was conducted to collate and synthesise available empirical research on this topic. The review followed PRISMA guidelines and searches were conducted across academic databases for peer reviewed studies published between 2011 and 2022. Only articles which discussed complex trauma, teachers of primary-aged students, and perceptions of preparedness were included. Four articles were ultimately selected as meeting the criteria for review. The lack of available studies in this area is considered a notable finding in and of itself and highlights a need for further research into teacher experiences and perceptions as well as policies and protocols. The results of this review suggest a need for additional training, clarity regarding role of a teacher, support from colleagues and administration, and organisational self-care for school staff. The lack of trauma-specific training reported by teachers highlighted a need for trauma training for pre-service teachers as well as ongoing training for teachers already in the profession in order to assist traumatised students as well as the teachers who work with them.