Date of Conferral

5-15-2024

Date of Award

May 2024

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Leann Morgan

Abstract

Restorative practices provide alternatives to punitive practices, such as exclusionary discipline and zero-tolerance policies. Restorative practices are important for elementary school counselors because they help repair the harm students do to one another while building positive relationships between and among students. A lack of understanding exists in the educational community among teachers, parents, and administrators regarding the impact of restorative practices on elementary school bullying. This qualitative study involved addressing that knowledge gap. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to address the research question, which focused on lived experiences of elementary school counselors regarding their experiences with using restorative practices to prevent or address bullying. Eleven certified or licensed elementary school counselors, who worked in a U.S. public elementary school and used restorative practices with students participated in this study. Data collection included Zoom interviews via a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis approach. Five major themes emerged: educating students and teachers about bullying, responding to bullying with a restorative lens, using restorative practices to lead to positive outcomes, barriers affecting implementation of restorative practices, and level of support when implementing restorative practices. Results from the study confirmed while there are many barriers which prevent effective implementation, use of restorative practices produces positive results for students and staff. These findings could lead to positive social change outcomes by guiding training and policy changes and contributing to school counseling literature.

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