Trauma and Triggers: Court-Involved Students' Experiences with Learning in Residential Settings

Background and Purpose: Court-involved youth in residential treatment (RT) facilities often have trauma histories, due to exposure to child abuse and neglect, that impact their academic, behavioral, and emotional wellbeing (Abram et al., 2004; Ford, Chapman, Connor, & Cruise, 2012). Effective schooling can lead to more positive outcomes (Mathur & Schoenfeld, 2010).  However, these youth, many of whom come from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds (Brandt, 2006; Lawrence & Hesse, 2010; USDHHS, 2013), often develop impairments in their perceptions, interactions, and learning due to traumatic stress (Hoagwood & Cunningham, 1992). The current study is designed to address the paucity of research on how schools in RT facilities meet the educational needs of court-involved youth. The primary research question is: What factors trigger negative moods or enhance positive moods among court involved youth enrolled in a residential treatment facility school, and how do students perceive how RT staff, teachers and other school officials respond to behaviors that manifest in the academic setting?

Methods: This qualitative study applied phenomenology (Palmer et al., 2010) to explore traumatized RT students’ often hidden perspectives and lived experiences in their education environment.  Focus group participants (n=45) included randomly selected students who attended school at a public, single-gender, RT high school during the 2013-2014 school year. Participants were female, primarily African American (64%), followed by White (7%), and other races (29%) and ranged in age (14 to 18) and grade (9^th to 12^th). 

Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed for themes using a critical hermeneutics process. Final themes and subthemes were derived through dialogue and most commonly reported themes were included to describe the essence of students’ lived experiences in their educational setting. 

Results: Six overarching themes emerged from the data focusing on aspects of students’ experiences in the RT school environment that fundamentally impacted their mood, engagement, and learning.  They included: 1) Classroom dynamics; 2) Family issues external to the school environment; 3) Interpersonal behaviors and challenges; 4) Peer dynamics; 5) Dynamics involving RT care staff, school faculty and other school personnel and 6) Student recommendations on how to improve school climate. One final theme emerged related to improving the school setting: Recommendations for improving school climate.

Conclusions and Implications: This study illustrates the unique needs of court-involved students in RT settings.  RT schools should employ strong cross-system communication to work effectively with professionals across the mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems. These schools should also offer employee incentives that reduce staff turnover and support self-care, and should implement consistent instructional and disciplinary procedures supported by evidence to improve education outcomes. Additionally, schools should review their existing policies to incorporate normalcy programming that fosters student engagement in healthy extracurricular activities. Such efforts to improve policy and practice in RT schools may improve student well-being, ensuring that these youth have an equal opportunity for academic achievement and success.