College Students with Military Affiliation: Perspectives on Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms

Students with military affiliation bring unique strengths and experiences to colleges and universities. However, this population of students may also need specific support and services to help them be successful in the classroom. Therefore, this pilot study explores which trauma-informed strategies and practices are perceived most important in the college classroom from a student perspective. Fifteen students with military affiliation were surveyed about their perceptions of trauma-informed classroom strategies and practices. Several strategies and practices were deemed as important, including participants’ desire to know where to go on campus if they are having an issue with an instructor and participants’ belief that faculty should not tokenize a student based on their identity. Results are discussed through the lens of trauma-informed care offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Finally, we discuss the implications of results in terms of how these trauma-informed strategies and practices may impact faculty.