Empathetic Educational Environments: Advancing Cultural Sensitivity of Trauma Through Storytelling in the Secondary-level English Classroom

Abstract

This exploratory sequential mixed methods study addresses the critical gap in trauma-informed educational research by centering trauma survivors' voices as foundational knowledge for developing pedagogical interventions. First, through comprehensive evaluation of a teacher preparation program, classroom observations across diverse Virginia schools, educator professional development (n =7), and in-depth interviews trauma survivors (n =15), this research reveals significant deficits in trauma-informed practices within secondary education settings. The study introduces "misbehaving forms," alternative narrative structures that deliberately resist conventional academic constraints to accommodate the non-linear nature of trauma expression. This concept emerged with survivor narratives describing how traditional formats failed to capture their authentic experiences. These qualitative findings then informed the development of a storytelling intervention, which was implemented in three sections of a secondary English class and measured through an adapted Self-Determination Theory questionnaire assessing autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Two sections of the English class (n = 39) received the intervention, and one section remained as the control (n =16). With this questionnaire, quantitative results demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the intervention participants' student autonomy (p = 0.0309), competence (p = 0.0069), and creative expression (p < 0.001). The integration of qualitative and quantitative findings validates the effectiveness of survivor-informed pedagogical approaches while establishing a methodological framework for centering marginalized voices in educational research. The research challenges traditional academic hierarchies that exclude survivor wisdom while providing practical strategies for creating trauma-informed learning environments that support both academic achievement and emotional healing.