PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES OF TRAUMA-RESPONSES IN ESL CLASSROOMS

Pedagogical practices of trauma responses are crucial to promoting language acquisition and students’ engagement in ESL classrooms. Practitioners deeply understand the impact of trauma on ESL students and then design productive strategies for their emotional and cognitive needs. Trauma-informed teaching prepares teachers to handle challenging behaviors within classrooms and create a supportive learning environment for ESL learners (Akpan & Beard, 2016). Numerous studies have explored trauma-informed pedagogical practices, curricula, and teacher training (Morin, 2021). However, there is a significant gap in empirical studies that focus on the real-world applications and outcomes of these practices. This research aims to fill this gap by investigating trauma-sensitive responses, the pedagogical practices ESL educators employ, and the challenges they face in implementing these practices. This research will employ a qualitative methodology to achieve these objectives, taking in-depth interviews with ESL practitioners. The analysis of these interviews’ patterns and themes will be guided by the Braun and Clarke thematic analysis model (2013) and the NVivo tool. The findings of this research indicate that trauma-informed pedagogical practices are highly beneficial for ESL students. Teachers who use empathetic and learner-centered methodologies reported notable improvements in student engagement, confidence building, and overall language proficiency. However, the deficit in continued professional development and the lack of institutional support remain barriers within ESL classrooms. Therefore, the transformative potential of trauma-responsive pedagogies will be more efficient if systematic barriers are adequately addressed. The outcomes of this study will help teachers develop more supportive approaches to meet the diverse needs of their ESL learners. Moreover, this study will serve as a practical guide for teacher training programmers and policymakers to develop and implement pedagogical practices that foster a holistic educational environment for all ESL students.