Publication Date
Fall 2020
Degree Type
Doctoral Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Ruth Rosenblum
Second Advisor
Samantha Blackburn
Third Advisor
Eden Donahue
Keywords
Mindfulness, Mental Health, Wellness, Elementary Education, Teacher-Led Social-Emotional Learning
Abstract
A growing body of research suggests that incorporating classroom-based mindfulness interventions in elementary schools is associated with improvements in student behavior, self-regulation, and measures of mental health. However, the adoption of teacher-led mindfulness programs in California’s public schools has not been widely embraced. This doctoral project explored the impact of an educational intervention on pre-service teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and intentions to implement mindfulness interventions in their classrooms. A brief educational intervention and website resource were provided to multidisciplinary teaching credential students in a 2-year graduate credential program. Participants completed a pre- and post-intervention survey to evaluate their intentions to implement mindfulness practices, as well as their perceptions about the acceptability, reasonableness, and effectiveness of incorporating mindfulness interventions in the classroom. Participants’ pre- to post-intervention scores on measures of attitudes about mindfulness and intentions to implement mindfulness interventions increased significantly. Older participants (ages 25-34) demonstrated greater score increases on the measure of attitudes about mindfulness than younger participants (ages 20-24). Previous mindfulness experience was associated with higher pre-intervention scores on a measure of participants’ intentions to implement mindfulness practices; and students with no previous mindfulness experience demonstrated greater pre- to post-intervention increases in scores on this measure. These results indicate that exposure to mindfulness concepts, practices, and resources may increase willingness of pre-service teachers to adopt these practices in their classrooms.
Recommended Citation
Munk, Kirsten, "Mindful Matters: Addressing Barriers To Classroom-Based Mindfulness" (2020). Doctoral Projects. 130.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.pwrg-4g67
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_doctoral/130
