Morgan State University researchers are studying the impact of trauma on student success
BALTIMORE -- Can your trauma have an impact on your success? Well, that is the $400,000 question that researchers at Morgan State University are hoping to answer.
The university has received a three-year research grant, which contains nearly $400,000 in funding, to find out. It is the second of its kind to be awarded by the Department of Education to a Historically Black College and University.
The three-phase project will begin with a pilot study conducted by five faculty members and their enrolled students. That group will eventually expand to 20 faculty members and their enrolled students.
Researchers believe that students who have experienced trauma in the past are less likely to speak up while taking online courses, which could affect their success.
"Most students enrolled in college today have experienced some form of trauma either before or during college," Dr. Virginia Byrne, an assistant professor at Morgan State University, said.
Byrne has a history of studying the success rate of trauma-inflicted students.
Now, she's putting her research to the test with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Over the span of three years, Byrne and her team will look at how students with a history of trauma—like cyberbullying, violence, racial trauma, and even the COVID-19 pandemic—are affected by that trauma when participating in online classes.
"They're less likely to ask for help," Byrne said. "They're less likely to say what they really think in an online discussion. And if students can't be themselves and ask questions, and share their real ideas and be open to feedback, they're not really learning."
Byrne said the goal of the study is to find ways for professors to provide a safe space for students that encourages them to show up and be successful.
She hopes her efforts are one small step towards changing the future of online courses.
