| Description |
Students living, learning, and working in higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced collective emotions and experiences with traumas to their social connections and communities. The stressors of abrupt changes, isolation, and heightened inequities to marginalized communities while maintaining their academic and social goals have uniquely impacted college students around the world. This study aimed to understand how six students in a small, private, liberal arts college in the Intermountain West experienced collective trauma caused by the pandemic, their wellbeing, and their experiences and responses during a restorative justice practice of community circles, and how it impacted their wellbeing and informed the design of future circles for use in higher education. A qualitative research approach to this action research study was imperative to best comprehend and analyze the collected transcription and wellbeing survey response data to answer the research questions. Analyzing participants' stories and experiences of three students participating in the restorative circle informed the results of significant collective trauma, decreased mental health and wellbeing, additional institutional support for mental health access and negative online learning experiences, and improvements to circle design for higher education. Students experienced decreased and nonexistent sense of community and social connections, increased loneliness and tiredness, and some hope and encouragement for supporting their communities. This study supported the need for further research on implementing restorative justice practices in higher education, more institutional fortitude to meet students' needs, trauma to college students' social lives, improvements to online learning, and re-including individuals into their community. |
