Institutionalising Trauma-informed Pedagogy : Professional Development for Teaching Students with a Forced Migration Background

Abstract

This thesis examines how European higher education institutions (HEIs) are adapting pedagogically and organisationally to include students with a forced migration background, with particular attention to the role of professional development (PD). Guided by trauma-informed pedagogy (TIP) and institutional theory, the study investigates four main questions: what pedagogical adaptations and PD initiatives are being used; which institutional conditions enable or hinder their implementation; how different stakeholders perceive their roles and identify promising practices; and what future directions they envision. A qualitative, constructivist design was employed. Twelve semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from multiple European HEIs were conducted online and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicate a recurring ‘access versus progress in the classroom’ gap: access routes and wrap-around services have expanded faster than course-level change. At the micro level, the most credible and scalable adaptations are the features of sound course design: clarity of expectations and criteria, predictable rhythms, and assessment routes that do not rely on personal disclosure. At the meso level, PD functions as enabling infrastructure: where instructors’ time is valued and protected, recognition is visible, and collegial mechanisms (mentoring, observation, communities of practice) exist, TIP-consistent practice diffuses beyond individual efforts. At the system level, universities often make public promises, but everyday rules and rewards pull in other directions. Progress is faster when core processes (programme approval and review, assessment and extensions, and referral routes) build in a few basic trauma-aware expectations. The study is limited by a small, purposive, staff-only sample, an online English interview format, and participation biases: many institutions declined due to privacy or reputational concerns, while highly internationalised universities were more likely to participate. The thesis contributes an integrated, multi-level account of how inclusion work moves from projects to systems and identifies concrete actions: treating PD as institutional infrastructure and aligning programme-level rules with TIP-consistent design, to normalise inclusive practice without requiring student disclosure of their status.