Date of Award
2022
Document Type
Honors Thesis (Open Access)
Department
Colby College. Education Program
Advisor(s)
Mark Tappan
Abstract
Current literature on trauma-responsive schooling and student voice pays little attention to students with learning differences, yet there are many similarities between the challenges that students exposed to trauma and those with learning differences face. Therefore, the goal of this project was to identify a universal approach that could address both the needs of students exposed to trauma and those with learning differences. To examine the impact of trauma-responsive voice-centered practice on students with learning differences, I conducted interviews with adults involved in implementing the Trauma-Responsive Equitable Education (TREE) Project. In doing so, I found that when given the opportunity to participate in trauma-responsive voice-centered initiatives, students with learning differences made substantial gains in school. Evident in their improved relationships, academics, and success, these gains were best explained using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Yet, the picture was not complete without the gains that teachers made, which ultimately laid the foundation for the improvements made by students with learning differences. Together these findings support the notion that TREE’s trauma-responsive voice-centered approach may be a practical universal way of addressing both the needs of students exposed to trauma and those with learning differences.
Keywords
Trauma-Responsive Schooling, Student Voice, Learning Differences, TREE Project
Recommended Citation
Marsh, Elizabeth S., "The Impact of Trauma-Responsive Voice-Centered Practice on Students with Learning Differences" (2022). Honors Theses. Paper 1380.https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/honorstheses/1380