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JournalofTeacherActionResearch1
JournalofTeacherActionResearch-Volume6,Issue1,2019,practicalteacherresearch.com,ISSN#2332-2233
©JTAR.AllRightsReserved
JTAR EDITORS
JTAR JournalofTeacherActionResearchVolume6,Issue1,2019
ExaminingtheInstructionalDesignofInteractiveandCollaborativeLearning 4OpportunitiesRachelKarchmer-KleinElizabethSoslauJannSuttonComparingCooperativeLearningStrategiesinAssessmentInstruction 21JosephA.MayoDoesMindfulnessStrengthenSelf-efficacyinFirstGradeStudents? 32KristenL.LoganErikK.Laursen“Letthepeoplesing!”-ActionResearchExploringTeachers’MusicalConfidence 44WhenEngagingLearnersin‘SingingWellbeing’DaphneRicksonJoAtkinsonDianneReynoldsRobertLeggUsingFirstAuthor©WritingCurriculumwithStudentswithAutismSpectrum 63DisorderKristieAsaro-SaddlerJessicaColes
JTAR AbouttheJournal
Foundedin2013,theJournalofTeacherActionResearch(ISSN:2332-2233)isapeer-reviewedonlinejournalindexedwithEBSCOthatseekspracticalresearchthatcanbeimplementedinPre-Kindergarten
throughPost-Secondaryclassrooms.Theprimaryfunctionofthisjournalistoprovideclassroomteachersandresearchersameansforsharingclassroompractices.
Thejournalacceptsarticlesforpeer-reviewthatdescribeclassroompracticewhichpositivelyimpactsstudentlearning.Wedefineteacheractionresearchasteachers(atalllevels)studyingtheirpracticeand/ortheirstudents'learninginamethodicalwayinordertoinformclassroompractice.Articlessubmittedtothejournalshoulddemonstrateanactionresearchfocuswithintenttoimprovethe
author’spractice.
EditorialTeam
Co-EditorsGilbertNaizer,Ph.D. AprilSanders,Ph.D.
TexasA&MUniversity-Commerce SpringHillCollege
AssociateEditorsLauraIsbell,Ph.D. TamiMorton,Ph.D. SusanWilliams
TexasA&MUniversity-Commerce TexasA&MUniversity-CommerceTexasA&MUniversity-Commerce
ProductionEditorandWebmasterChaseYoung,Ph.D.
SamHoustonStateUniversity
www.practicalteacherresearch.com
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DOESMINDFULNESSSTRENGTHENSELF-EFFICACYINFIRSTGRADESTUDENTS?KirstenL.Logan
UniversityofRichmond
ErikK.Laursen
UniversityofRichmond
AbstractExternalandinternalstressorsofteninfluenceyoungchildren’ssenseofself-efficacyandresiliencynegatively.Practicingmindfulnesswithintheclassroommaybeoneinterventionthatcanhelpstudents
strengthenthesocial-emotionalskillsinvolvedinself-efficacyandresiliency.Thisstudyusedamixedmethods
approachtogatherquantitativeandqualitativedatafromsixfirst-gradestudentswhoparticipatedinadaily
mindfulnesspractice.Thedatawereanalyzedusingdescriptivestatisticstodetermineiftheirperceptionsof
self-efficacyandresiliencyimprovedfromweekonetoweeksixofthestudy.Logico-inductivedataanalyses
wereusedtoidentifycommonthemesinstudentinterviews.Studentsfavoredthemindfulnessactivitiesand
sharedbenefitssuchasfeelingcalm,happy,andasenseofself-control.Thesix-weektimeframeandsmall
samplesizearepossiblelimitationsforthisresearchstudytoshowsignificantdifferencesthroughthe
quantitativedataanalysis.
Keywords:teacheractionresearch,mindfulness,resiliency,self-efficacy,social-emotionallearning
Introduction
DuringKirsten’stimeasateacher,shehadobservedthatherstudents’lowsenseofself-efficacyappearedtoimpedetheirlearning.Commonbehaviorsrelatedtolowself-efficacyincludealowlevelofperseverance,i.e.,situationsinwhichstudentsbecomeeasilyfrustratedbymistakesorunknownanswers,self-talkfocusingonstudents’inabilitytocompleteatask,andalackofestablishing,workingtoward,andreflectingongoalswithintheclassroom.Kirstennoticedthatthesebehaviorswereovertakingmuchofthecoreinstructionaltimeforherstudents.Agreatdealoftheschooldayfocusedonthesenegativebehaviorsandprovidinginterventionstoaddressthembeforeeffectivelearningcouldoccur.Kirstenwasthereforeinterestedinfindingwaystostrengthenherstudents’self-efficacybyinvestigatingthefollowingquestion:Doesmindfulnessstrengthenself-efficacyinfirstgradestudents?
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Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexploreiftheimplementationofdailymindfulnesspracticesintheclassroomhaveapositiveeffectonfirstgradestudents’self-efficacy.Overasix-weekperiod,allstudentsinKirsten’sclassroomparticipatedinmindfulnesspracticesduringthemorningmeetingtime.Datawerecollectedfromsixstudentswhoparticipatedinone-on-oneinterviewsandcompletedaquestionnairethreetimes;atthebeginning,midpoint,andendofthestudy.
LiteratureReview
Mindfulnessisgaininginfluenceineducationandabodyofresearchoutlinesthebenefitsofimplementingmindfulnesspracticesintoclassroomsettings(e.g.,Costello&Lawler,2014;Harpin,Rossi,Kim,&Swanson,2016;Moreno,2017).Studentsfacemanychallengesthatcompetefortheirattentionduringschoolhours.MalowandAustin(2016)observedthatstudentstressandanxietycontinuetorise.Asaresult,educatorsmusttakeonthecrucialroletoexplicitlyteachstudentshowtomanagestrongemotionsbeforetheyimpedetheirsuccess.Harpinetal.(2016)identifiedaneedforstudents,specificallywithinurbansettings,tostrengthentheirabilitiestocopewithadversityandtoimprovetheirfocustobemoresuccessfulinschool.
Mindfulnesspracticeisonestrategytosupportstudentsindealingwithstressandanxiety.Mindfulnessis“thecognitiveabilitytopayattentiontothepresentmomentwithoutjudgmentorattachmenttoadesiredoutcome”(Kelleretal.,2017,p.508).Studentscanutilizemindfulnessbytakingastructured,peaceful,reflectivetimetopracticekeepingtheirthoughtsinthepresent.Mindfulnessinvolvesthreeinterconnectingcomponentsthatincludeintention,attention,andattitude.GreasonandCashwell(2009)describedmindfulnessasastateofbeingattentivetoexperienceswithanattitudeofopennessandacceptance.Kielty,Gilligan,andStaton(2017)emphasizedthatmindfulnessisapracticeinwhichindividualsfocusonthecurrentexperiencesratherthanbeingon“auto-pilot.”Increasingacademicdemands,coupledwiththelackofcopingskillstodealwithexternalstressors,oftenleadstoaconstantstateofstressthatcreatesbarriersforstudentsuccess.
Theabilitytopracticemindfulnessinanopenandacceptingwayisnotaninnateskill.Educatorsmustfosteraninvitingenvironmentforstudentstopracticemindfulnessaswellasstrategicallyteachstudentshowtomanagestrongemotionsbeforethesestrongemotionsunderminetheiracademic,social,andbehavioralsuccess(Malow&Austin,2016).TheNationalScientificCouncilontheDevelopingChild(2015)statesthatadultsmustbuildcapabilitiesneededtomanagestresswithinchildren,includingtheabilitytofocusattention,problemsolve,plan,adjusttonewcircumstances,regulatebehavior,andcontrolimpulses.Whenstudentsparticipateinanenvironmentthatfostersmindfulness,thebarriersthatstandbetweenthemandtheiracademic,social,andbehavioralsuccessoftendiminish.
ResiliencyandSelf-Efficacy.Students’abilitytocontroltheiremotions,thoughts,andbehaviorsisessentialforsuccessinschoolandinlife(Thierryetal.,2016).Prolongedandunresolvedinternalandexternalstressinhibitsstudentsfromdevelopingastrongsenseof
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self-efficacyandresiliency.However,mindfulnesscanbeutilizedtostrengthenbothareas.Social-emotionallearning(SEL)curriculumsfocusondevelopingtheabilitytorecognizeone’sownemotions,aswellastheemotionsofothers,whileprovidingthenecessaryskillstocommunicateemotionalunderstanding(Malow&Austin,2016).SELcurriculumsfostertheimplementationofmindfulnessandthedevelopmentofresiliencyinstudents.MalowandAustin(2016)definedresiliencyas,“thedegreetowhichanindividual’spersonalresourcesmatchorexceedtheirreactivitytointernalorexternalstress”(p.83).Self-efficacy,definedas,“one’sbeliefsorjudgmentabouthisorhercapabilities”(Greason&Cashwell,2009,p.3),isalsonurturedwithinSELcurriculums.
Self-efficacydevelopmentistheorizedtooccurthroughfourprimarysources,includingmasteryexperiences,vicariouslearning,verbalpersuasion,andchangesinemotionalarousal(Greason&Cashwell,2009).Mindfulnessisapracticethatcanbeusedintheclassroomwiththesefoursourcesofself-efficacydevelopmentinmind.Theopen-endednatureofmindfulnessallowsstudentstofeelasenseofmasteryintheirownuniqueway,whilecontinuouslylearningnewstrategiesandpractices.
Mindfulnessallowsstudentstorecognizetheadverseeffectsof“mindtraps”andoffersaperiodofreflection,stillness,andpeace(Costello&Lawler,2014).Mindtrapsarementalhabitsthatincreasestress,suchasnegativeself-talkinwhichchildrenarehardonthemselves.Thesehabitscanincludeself-criticizing,wherestudentsperceivethemselvestobeworthlessorinadequate(Costello&Lawler,2014).Mindfulnesspracticescanhelpstudentsovercomethenegativeinfluenceofmindtrapsontheirperceptionsofself-efficacyandresiliency.
Inadditiontoresiliencyandself-efficacy,self-regulationandemotionalawarenessarecriticalskillsforstudentstomastertoallowthemtolearnefficiently,workwellwithothers,anddecreaseanxietyanddepression(Kelleretal.,2017).Mindfulnesspromotestheseskillsthroughdirectinstructionandteachesstudentsstrategiestheycanindependentlyutilizewithintheirdailyroutines.Withdailypractice,mindfulnesscanpositivelysupportemotionalself-regulation,whichconsequentlyimprovesthelikelihoodofacademicsuccess(Kelleretal.,2017).
BrainDevelopmentandNeuroplasticity.Criticalperiodsinachild’sdevelopmentaretimesduringwhichpositiveexperiencescanprovideoptimalbraindevelopment.However,iftheseexperiencesareabsentorreplacedbynegativeexperiences,healthybraindevelopmentcanbedisrupted(Lally,2012).Earlychildhoodisacriticalperiodinwhichthebrainismalleableandeasilyshapedbythechild’senvironment.Knowingthatbraindevelopmentisshapedbyearlyexperiences,muchofwhatgetsinthewayoflearninginlateryearsistheresultofskillsthatwereunderdevelopedorneglectedinearlychildhood.Ifstudentsareexpectedtobesuccessfulinschool,teachersmustprovideexperiencesthatsupporthealthybraindevelopment.Lally(2012)describesexperience-createdexpectationsthatimpactbraindevelopmentas“brainshaping”experiences.Theseexperiencesfluctuate
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greatlyfromstudenttostudentandcanpresentawidecollectionofvariablesthatinterferewithlearning,suchasstressorsorenvironmentalfactors.
Mindfulnesssupportsstudents’developmentofskillsthatarenecessaryforschoolsuccess.Stress-reducingpractices,suchasmindfulness,cancontributetopositivebraindevelopmentandfunctioningwhilealsoreducingtheexpressionofpro-inflammatorygenes(NationalScientificCouncilontheDevelopingChild,2015).Overtime,dailymindfulnesspracticescanleadtohealthybraindevelopmentinchildrenandfillinthe“gaps”thatmayexistinmanystudents.Mindfulnesspractices,inconjunctionwiththebrain’sneuroplasticity,allowchildrentocontinuouslydevelopandstrengthenskills,suchassustainedattention,focus,andcalmnessintheschoolsetting(Kieltyetal.,2017).Researchhasalsoshownthatmindfulnesscanstrengthenneuralsystemsthatsupportemotional,cognitive,andbehavioralregulation(Thierryetal.,2016).
Awarenessofbraindevelopmentallowseducatorstoplanactivitiesthatstrengthenunderdevelopedskillsandsupportstudentsforlearningandacademicsuccess.Forexample,childrenbenefitfromlearninghowtoslowdowntheirthinkingtogivetheirbraintimetooverridenegativeresponsestoshutdownoractout(Moreno,2017).Mindfulnessoffersstudentsstrategiestoslowdowntheirthinkingandgivesthemtimetoreflectandrespond,ratherthannegativelyreactingtostressfulevents.Moreno(2017)showedthatsix-year-oldchildrenwhoparticipatedinmindfulnesspracticestrengthenedtheircapacitytoslowdowntheirthinkingandreflect.Kieltyetal.(2017)demonstratedthepositiveinfluenceofmindfulnessformiddleschoolstudentswhowereaskedtopracticemindfulbreathingtocalmtheamygdalaand“freeup”thepre-frontalcortexbeforeengaginginhigh-stakestesting.
GrowthMindsetandPositivePsychology.Mindfulnessprovidesopportunitiesforstudentstocultivateandpracticeagrowthmindset.Apersonwithagrowthmindsetcanbedescribedasanindividualwhobelievestheirintelligenceandabilitiescanbecontinuouslydevelopedandenhanced(Kieltyetal.,2017).Bothmindfulnessandagrowthmindsetfosterapositiveattitudethatiscenteredonpracticeratherthanperfection.Theopennatureofmindfulnessallowsforfeedbackandopportunitiestopracticeovercomingadversityandsetbacks.Mindfulnessalsoenablesstudentswithanoptimisticattitudeandwithbasictrustduringtimesofuncertainty(Malow&Austin,2016).
Positivepsychologyis“employingstructuredinterventionstobuildresiliencywiththegoalofbufferingsymptomsofemotionaldysregulation”(Malow&Austin,2016,p.84).Mindfulnessisoneexampleofastructuredinterventiontosupportpositivepsychologicalfeelings.Mindfulnesscanalsoaidinalleviatingdistressthroughself-regulatoryprocesses,suchasmindfulbreathing.Cultivatingthepositivityandoptimismalongsidemindfulnessallowsforopportunitiesforgrowth.Moreno(2012)describedmindfulnessbeingrootedinthebeautyoffailure,wherestudentsworktorecognizethatratherthananendpoint,mindfulnessfocusesonrepeatedengagementwithacycleoffocus-lossandfocus-refocus.Withagrowthmindset,failurepresentsitselfasacontinuedopportunitytostartanew,
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ratherthanafixedstoppingpoint.Routhier-Martin,Roberts,andBlanch(2017)stressedthatthepurposeofmindfulnessisnotforstudentstoforgetorrepresstheirstressorsorweaknesses,butrathertoacknowledgetheseareasforimprovementandpracticetheabilitytofocusonschoolworkinstead.
Insummary,social-emotionallearningandbraindevelopmentarefoundationalbuildingblocksforstudentstosucceedinschoolandinlife.Earlyexperiences,whetherpositiveornegative,impactbraindevelopment.Thelackofpositiveexperiencesinearlychildhoodcanimpedestudentsuccessandcreateaneedforinterventionslaterinlife.Mindfulnesspracticesintheclassroomareonetypeofinterventionstrategythatcanprovidestudentswithskillstodevelopandcultivateresiliency,astrongersenseofself-efficacy,emotionalawareness,andself-regulation.Pairingmindfulnesswithagrowthmindsetallowsforanoptimisticoutlookforgrowthinallstudents,nomattertheirbackgroundorseverityofstressorspresentintheirlives.Educatorswhoestablishmindfulnessroutinesandprocedureshelpstudentsunderstandthattheirintelligenceismalleableratherthanfixedandcanprovidestudentswithtoolsandstrategiestoovercomeadversitywithintheclassroomenvironment.Inaddition,teacherswhopracticemindfulnessthemselvescanhelpnurturemindfulnesswithintheirstudents.
Methodology
Design.Thisstudyusedamixed-methodmethodologycollectingdatafromsixstudentsonaLikertscalestylequestionnaireandfrominterviews.Open-endedquestionsandfollowuppromptswereusedtoexplorestudents’perceptionsofself-efficacyandtheimpactofthemindfulnessintervention.Interviewswererecorded,transcribed,andanalyzedforcommonthemes.Allinterviewsandquestionnaireswerecompletedinaquietspotintheclassroom,awayfromotherstudents.
ParticipantsandProcedure.All15studentsinKirsten’sfirst-gradeclassroomparticipatedinguidedmindfulnesspracticesoverasix-weekperiodusingaudioandvideoclipsfromGoNoodle(n.d.)andCalm(n.d.).Sixstudents,threemalesandthreefemales,wereselectedtocompleteaten-itemquestionnaireandtobeinterviewedtoexploretheirperceptionsofself-efficacy.Thesurveyincludedtenquestionswiththreepossibleresponses,yes,sometimes,andno.Acompositescorewasgiventoeachofthequestionnairesbyconvertingthesmilefacetothreepoints,theneutralfacetotwopoints,andthefrowningfacetoonepoint,yieldingapossiblescoreforeachstudentbetween10and30points.Ascoreof30indicateahighlevelofself-efficacyandalowerscorealesserdegreeofself-efficacy.Kirstenselectedthesesixstudentsbecauseoftheiropennesstoengageinone-on-oneconversationswithher.
Thequestionnaireincludedtenquestionsaskingstudentstoreflectontheirperceptionsoftheirself-efficacyandresiliencyskills.Thestudentscompletedthequestionnaireatthebeginningofthestudy,atthemidpoint(weekthree),andattheendofthestudyaftersixweeks.Thethree-pointLikertscaleutilizedsymbolsforthefirstgradestudentstoeasily
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answerthequestions:asmilefaceforyes,aneutralfaceforsometimes,andafrowningfaceforno(seeTable1).
Table1:StudentQuestionnaire
Yes
Sometimes
No
1Iworkhardinschool.
2IcannameatleastonethingIamgoodat.
3Itrymybestatschooleveryday.
4 Icansolvemostproblemsbymyself.
5 Icanfinishallmyschoolwork.
6 IcancalmmyselfdownwhenIamangryorfrustrated.
7 Ipayattentiontomyteacherinclass.
8 IaskforhelpwhenIneedit.
9 Ikeeptrying,evenwhenthingsgethardortough.
10Icanmakeagoalformyselftoworktowards.
Thequalitativedatawerecollectedthroughfouropen-endedinterviewquestionsandfollow-upquestionswereusedtoexpandonstudents’thinking.Theinterviewswereadministeredatthesamethreepointsthroughouttheresearchstudyasthequestionnaire.Theinterviewswererecorded,transcribed,andanalyzedforcommonthemesinstudentresponsesusingthelogico-inductiveprocess(Mertler,2019)tomakesenseofthenarrativedata.Theinterviewquestionsincludedthefollowing:
1. Whatisyourfavoritepartofdoingmindfulnessactivities?
2. Domindfulnessactivitiesmakeyoufeellikeyouhaveself-control?Ifyes,howso?
3. Whatmindfulnessstrategieshaveyouusedthroughouttheschoolday?
4. Whatfeelingsdoyoufeelwhenwedomindfulnessactivities?
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Results
Thesurveydatafromthequestionnairewassummarizedforthesixstudentsandthemeanandrangewereusedtocompareparticipants’answersbetweenthethreetimesthequestionnairewasadministered(Table2).Theresultsshowthattwostudentsincreasedtheirself-efficacyscoresoverthesixweeks,whilefourshowedadecrease.Themeanvariedslightlybetweenthethreesurveysandtherangebetweenstudentsdecreasedfromanine-pointrangewithinthefirstweektoafive-pointrangewithinthesixthweekofthestudy.Theresultssuggestthatthestudentsperceivedthemindfulnesspracticesfavorablywithameanscoreconsistentlyabove25,butdonotindicatethatstudentsincreasedtheirperceptionoverthesix-weekperiodoftheintervention.
Table2:StudentResponsestoQuestionnaire
Student Week1 Week3 Week6
M 30 28 26
E 21 25 26
H 29 29 30
K 28 21 26
A 26 26 25
L 25 24 25
Mean 26.5 25.5 26.3
Range 9 8 5
Aftertheinterviewsweretranscribed,commonstatementswerecoded.Usinglogico-inductiveanalysis(Mertler,2019)patternsandtrendswereidentifiedfromthestudentinterviews.Twopatternsemergedfromthestudentresponses.In15ofthe18interviewsstudentsidentifiedfeelingcalmafterparticipatinginamindfulnesspractice.Fiveofthesixstudentsfeltthatmindfulnesshelpedthemcalmdown.StudentHsaid,“they[themindfulnesspractices}calmmybodydown,”andStudentLfeltthat“ithelpsourbrainscalm.”Feelinghappyduringthemindfulnesspracticewasanotherpatterndiscoveredinten
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interviewsasillustratedbyStudentL’scomment:“Itfeelslikeayummystrawberry.”Thefollowingtrendswerenotedfromacrossallinterviews,studentssharedthattheywereinterestedintryingthemindfulnessactivities.Fouroutofsixparticipantssaidthatmindfulnessactivitiesmadethemfeeltheyhadself-controlattheendofweekone.Attheendofweekthree,allstudentsreportedfeelingcalmwhenpracticingmindfulness,andfivestudentsreportedthattheactivitiesmadethemfeeltheyhadself-control.Attheendofweeksix,allstudentsreportedthatmindfulnessactivitiesprovidedthemwithasenseofself-control.Whenaskedwhatspecificidentifymindfulnessstrategiesstudentsusedthroughouttheschoolday,studentswereunabletoidentifyspecificstrategies.Insummary,studentswereeagertotryandwerereceptivetomindfulnessactivitiesandexpressedthattheyfeltastrongsenseofself-efficacyfollowingthemindfulnesspractices.
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoexploreifdailymindfulnesspracticesstrengthensself-efficacyinfirstgradestudents.Theresultsofthesurveysshowthatthesixstudentswhoparticipatedinthestudydidnotincreasetheirself-efficacyoverthesix-weekperiodofthestudy.However,intheinterviews,studentsexpressedthatmindfulnesspracticesmadethemhappyandhelpedthemcalmtheirbodiesandbrainsleadingtoasenseofself-control.Research(e.g.,Abdel-Khaleketal.,2014,Tahmasbipour,2017,Zakeretal.,2016),thoughnotdonewithelementarystudents,showastrongrelationshipbetweenhappinessandself-efficacy.Additionally,calmnessandself-controlareessentialelementsofself-efficacy.Insummary,theresultsofthestudentinterviewsshowthatstudentsexperiencedhappiness,calmness,andself-controlafterparticipatinginmindfulnesspractices,allessentialelementstodevelopingself-efficacy.
Discussion
Kirstenwaseagertoimplementmindfulnesswithinherfirst-gradeclassroom.Althoughshehadreceivednoformaltraininginmindfulnesspriortotheimplementationofthisstudy,sheresearchedbestpracticesandstrategiesthatwouldbeappropriateforherfirstgradestudents.Oneofthegreatesttakeawaysofhavingtheroleas“mindfulleader”forherstudentsisthepatienceherstudentsshowedintheclassroom.Shebeganthemindfulnessactivitieswithanopenmindset,whichallowedhertoguidethestudentsthroughthepracticeswithoutexpectingthatallstudentswouldreactinthesamemanner.Somestudentsshowedreluctancetoparticipateinthemindfulnessactivities,butwithhergrowthmindset,Kirstensawgrowthinallherstudentsduringthissix-weekperiod.Workingwithyoungerstudents,thepracticesweretakenmoreseriouslyandintentionallybytheendofthisstudybyallstudents.Studentsweremoreopenandwillingtosharetheirreflectionsduringthemorningmeetingtimeaswell.Theoverallcultureofthestudents’reflectivenaturewasonepositivebenefitthatKirstenobservedthroughoutthestudy.
Limitations
Thepresentstudyhasseverallimitations.Withasamplesizeofsixstudentsfromthesameschoolandreceivingmindfulnessactivitiesthroughthesamemethod,thefindingscannotbegeneralizedtoagreaterpopulation.Further,Kirsten’sdualroleasateacherandresearchermayhaveinfluencedthestudents’answersonthequestionnaires,despitebeing
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madeawarethattheiranswerwasinnowaygoingtoinfluencetheiracademicgrade.Theshorttimeframeofthisstudymayalsolimitthestudybynotallowingstudentssufficienttimetopracticeandreflectontheimpactofmindfulnessactivities.Finally,askingsix-andseven-yearoldstudentstoreflectontheirperceptionsthroughthequestionnaireandinterviewquestionsmaynothavebeendevelopmentallyappropriateforallparticipants,e.g.,“Icanmakeagoalformyselftoworktowards.”
Implications
Thisstudyprovidedinsighttotherolemindfulnessactivitieshaveintheclassroomsetting.Studentswereeagerandwillingtoparticipateindailymindfulnessactivitiesandclassdiscussions.Werecommendthatteachersintroducemindfulnessactivitiesatthebeginningoftheschoolyear,pairingthemwithothersocial-emotionallearningconceptssuchasfosteringagrowthmindsetandcharacterstrengths(ViaInstituteonCharacter,n.d.).Implementingmindfulnessactivitiesisonestrategytohelpstudentsstrengthenself-efficacyandresiliency.
Teacherswhowishtoimplementmindfulnesspracticeswithintheclassroommustfosterandcreateanopenandinvitingclassroomcultureforstudentstopracticemindfulness.Theclassroomschedulemustallowforperiodsofcalmnessforstudentstopracticemeditationandreflection.Aspracticingmindfulnessandself-reflectionarenotinnateskills,especiallyforyoungstudents,werecommendthatteachersspendseveralweeksatthebeginningoftheschoolyearintroducingthetopicofbeingmindfulandfosteringagrowthmindset.Studentscanbeencouragedtoprogressattheirownpacethroughoutthemindfulnessjourney.Wealsorecommendedthatteacherssetasideatimeofdaytopracticeamindfulnessactivityfortheclass.Asstudentsgrowmorecomfortablewiththestrategieslearnedinthescheduledmindfulnessactivities,studentsshouldalsobegivenopportunitiestoapplythesestrategiesthroughouttheschoolday.Intentionalconversations(Laursen,2018)and“teachablemoments”shouldbeutilizedforstudentstoidentifyperiodsofthedayinwhichmindfulnesspracticescanbeutilized.Inelementarygrades,theteachercanserveasthemodelbyusinga“thinkingoutloud”modelinwhichtheteacherexplicitlydemonstratesaperiodofthedayinwhichamindfulnesspractice,suchasdeepbreathingorabodyscan,canbeusedintheclassroom.
Conclusion
Weencourageschoolleaderstoprovideteacherswhoarewillingandreadytotakeontheincorporationofmindfulnesspracticeswithprofessionaldevelopmentonbeinga“mindfulleader.”Thereareprofessionaldevelopmentworkshopsandonlineclassesthatcanbeutilizedforteacherstobecomefamiliarwithdifferentprogramsandmindfulnessactivities.Teacherswhopracticeandfamiliarizethemselveswithmindfulnessfirstwillhaveasmoothertransitionimplementingitwithintheirownclassroom.
Finally,wesuggestthatteachersreflectonstudents’perceptionsofmindfulnessactivitiesandtheimpactonstudents’self-efficacyandresiliency.Follow-upresearchonwaysto
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measurestudentperceptionsofmindfulnesspracticesissuggestedtobestfittheagegroupofstudentswhoareparticipatinginmindfulnesspractices.
AbouttheAuthors
KirstenL.Logan,M.Ed.iscurrentlyafirstgradeteacherinVirginia.ShereceivedherundergraduatedegreefromAshlandUniversityinAshland,OhioinEarlyChildhoodEducationandhermaster’sdegreeinCurriculumandInstructionfromtheUniversityofRichmondinRichmond,Virginia.Herresearchinterestsincludegrowthmindset,mindfulness,positivebehaviorinterventions,andsocialemotionallearningcurricula.Email:kirsten.logan7@gmail.com
ErikK.Laursen,Ph.D.isanAdjunctAssociateProfessorintheDepartmentofEducationattheUniversityofRichmond.Heteachestheactionresearchcourseandworkswithhisgraduatestudentstopublishtheresultsoftheirclassroom-basedprojects.Hisresearchinterestsareinpositiveeducation,caringrelationships,andcharacterstrengths.Healsoteacheseducatorsinyouthworkersintraumainformedpractices.Dr.LaursenreceivedhisdoctoraldegreefromVirginiaCommonwealthUniversity.Email: elaursen@richmond.edu
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