Trauma-informed approaches for research in higher education: a guiding framework

Abstract

Trauma-informed practice is gaining increasing prominence across a range of sectors, including education. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, trauma has been increasingly considered in higher education settings, yet this has rarely extended beyond consideration of teaching practice. Trauma also needs to be considered when planning and conducting research in the field of higher education. This conceptual paper therefore explores what trauma-informed research in higher education might look like and why this is important as part of ensuring that all higher education research is safe and inclusive. The paper reviews existing literature connecting trauma with higher education, then draws on published guidelines for trauma-informed research in other settings to propose a framework for trauma-informed research in higher education. The framework comprises seven guiding principles: (1) anticipate the likely presence of trauma-affected people without requiring disclosure; (2) ensure researchers have a foundational understanding of trauma; (3) imbue a trauma-informed perspective across existing methodologies and methods; (4) reconceptualise the researcher – participant relationship; (5) design research to maximize participant agency, safety, and wellbeing; (6) support researcher safety and wellbeing; and (7) attend to intersectionality. It is hoped that the framework presented in this paper will support increased use of trauma-informed approaches within higher education research.