Date of Award
Spring 5-15-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Educational Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Valerie Harlow Shinas
Second Advisor
Dr. Myisha Rodrigues
Third Advisor
Dr. Jalene Tamerat
Abstract
Restorative practices in K-12 schools have been studied primarily for their impact on school climate and discipline outcomes, yet little empirical or conceptual guidance exists for the professional learning that supports educators in becoming restorative. This study investigated three interconnected questions: How do individuals experience the process of becoming more restorative in their personal and professional lives? What key qualities characterize effective andragogy in the teaching of restorative practices? And how do educators perceive the impact of these qualities on their professional learning, development, and ability to use restorative practices in their classroom or school? This study employed two complementary qualitative methodologies: phenomenology to capture participants' lived experiences of being and becoming restorative, and instrumental case study to examine the professional learning experiences that support this transformation. Data were collected through 23 semi-structured interviews. Four major findings emerged. First, participants described three distinct starting points into the journey of becoming restorative: being raised by someone who modeled restorative ways, embracing restorative practices immediately upon encountering them, or moving from initial skepticism to belief through experience and learning. Second, being and becoming restorative encompasses three deeply interconnected dimensions – restorative identity, restorative relationships, and restorative worldview – comprising eleven themes that illuminate how restorative ways of being shape who we are, how we engage with others, and how we understand power and justice. Third, six elements characterize effective restorative practices professional learning: practicing and experiencing restorative practices, cultivating self-reflection, building relationships through dialogue, learning how restorative practices can be infused throughout one's work, ensuring facilitators live restorative values, and engaging in ongoing, responsive, multidimensional professional learning that is fun, healing, and restorative. Fourth, participants reported three significant impacts of the professional learning experience: increased confidence, a sense of capacity to lead restorative work in their schools, and healing. These findings offer a vision of what it means to be restorative and become restorative and a framework to guide designers and facilitators of restorative practices professional learning and contribute essential conceptual guidance to a field where such research remains scarce.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Madden-Fuoco, Jessica Rae, "Becoming Restorative: An Exploration of Individual Journeys and the Professional Learning That Supports Them" (2026). Educational Studies Dissertations. 34.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/educational_studies_dissertations/34
