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'I Am a Problem': An Artistic Cartography of Pervasive Invisible Trauma in Education--The Significance of a Non-Representational Research Approach with Pedagogical Value

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Title: 'I Am a Problem': An Artistic Cartography of Pervasive Invisible Trauma in Education--The Significance of a Non-Representational Research Approach with Pedagogical Value
Language: English
Authors: Melina Porto (ORCID 0000-0002-9159-171X)
Source: TESOL Quarterly. 2026 60(1):S155-S185.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 31
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Descriptors: Trauma, Adolescents, Secondary School Students, Depression (Psychology), Pain, Family Environment, Family (Sociological Unit), Secondary Schools, Community, Coping, Trauma Informed Approach, Autobiographies
DOI: 10.1002/tesq.70088
ISSN: 0039-8322
1545-7249
Abstract: This study investigates invisible student trauma. It describes Sofia's case, a female adolescent who has suffered micro and macro oppression since birth. Theoretically grounded in the notion of pervasive invisible trauma, and looking at introspective, reflective, autobiographical, and artistic data gathered over 17 years, the research question is: How did Sofia experience, manifest and navigate invisible pervasive trauma in life and in the classroom? The study combines qualitative and post-qualitative methodologies to overcome the limitations of language in the expression of trauma. Data types comprise report cards, interviews, psychologists' reports, personal responses to popular songs, social media posts, autobiographical texts, multilingual reflection notes, poems in English and Spanish, and illustrations. Findings indicate that trauma was a lifelong process characterized by enduring pain and despair in the personal, social, and academic domains. Rich and loving responses in the home, the extended family, the school, and the community were necessary to help Sofia navigate trauma and shift toward a healing orientation. Particularly generative were those responses that emerged as spaces of hope and geographical places of love in three classrooms, of which one was an English language classroom. Implications for the creation, fostering, and sustainment of trauma-informed language pedagogies are considered.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1508899
Database: ERIC
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  Data: 'I Am a Problem': An Artistic Cartography of Pervasive Invisible Trauma in Education--The Significance of a Non-Representational Research Approach with Pedagogical Value
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  Data: This study investigates invisible student trauma. It describes Sofia's case, a female adolescent who has suffered micro and macro oppression since birth. Theoretically grounded in the notion of pervasive invisible trauma, and looking at introspective, reflective, autobiographical, and artistic data gathered over 17 years, the research question is: How did Sofia experience, manifest and navigate invisible pervasive trauma in life and in the classroom? The study combines qualitative and post-qualitative methodologies to overcome the limitations of language in the expression of trauma. Data types comprise report cards, interviews, psychologists' reports, personal responses to popular songs, social media posts, autobiographical texts, multilingual reflection notes, poems in English and Spanish, and illustrations. Findings indicate that trauma was a lifelong process characterized by enduring pain and despair in the personal, social, and academic domains. Rich and loving responses in the home, the extended family, the school, and the community were necessary to help Sofia navigate trauma and shift toward a healing orientation. Particularly generative were those responses that emerged as spaces of hope and geographical places of love in three classrooms, of which one was an English language classroom. Implications for the creation, fostering, and sustainment of trauma-informed language pedagogies are considered.
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