Date
12-16-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Andrea Barbian-Keith
Keywords
teacher burnout, trauma-informed training, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, JD-R Model, empathy-based stress, high school teachers
Disciplines
Education | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Eron, Amanda R., "A Phenomenology of High School Educators’ Experiences Teaching Students with Traumatic Backgrounds in South Carolina" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7796.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7796
Abstract
The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe educators’ lived experiences teaching high school students who have experienced trauma in South Carolina. This study focused on the following central research question: How do educators describe their lived experiences teaching high school students who have experienced trauma in South Carolina? The study explores three research sub-questions: (1) How do educators describe and understand the complex demands they experience and the available resources they have within their classroom, schools, and school district? (2) How do educators describe their experience with trauma-related training or education? (3) How do educators describe their mental health and well-being as they educate students who have experienced trauma? The theories guiding this study were Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Job Demands-Resources Model (JD-R), which state that high demands and low resources can lead to an increased risk of burnout. The study was set in a school district in South Carolina and studied the lived experiences of 12 teachers from the district’s four high schools. Data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire, one-on-one interviews, and a focus group. Data analysis used both digital and manual methods for coding, and Van Manen’s 6 research activities were used to identify and interpret the essential themes of the study, which were identified as (1) managing the learning space, (2) carrying the weight of teaching, (3) navigating the layers of school culture, (4) connecting with systems of support, (5) growing through professional learning, and (6) advocating for systemic change.
