Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Dr. David Bennardo

Second Advisor

Dr. Patrick O’Reilly

Third Advisor

Dr. Dean Schlanger

Abstract

Mindfulness-based training of educators in our schools is a necessary skill for the success of young children. As a professional educator and a parent of three children, my interest is in exploring this topic and uncovering the why behind student executive functioning skills and the mindfulness-based strategies incorporated into their learning capabilities. As a necessity to learning, students benefit from having self-regulatory abilities in order to tackle the inherent stressors and adversities of their evolving lives. Our schools have steadily become centers of learning in which students are taught fundamental strategies to benefit their scholastic journey. Teachers and school staff become the facilitators, who must model and teach the importance of creating a mindfully balanced structure in which all students will succeed. In many cases, this concept of creating mindfully balanced children is a culture shift from a mindset where students are often treated like a “number among many” to environments where they are nurtured and embraced for their individuality. This aforementioned change in thinking takes time, resources, and training in order to maximize chances for success. My study will examine the experiences of teachers with regards to mindfulness-based training. Interestingly, I initially considered that all teachers would find the teaching and presentation of these strategies to be easily implemented. Of course, as with most quality research studies, the assumptions shifted as genuine data were processed and examined. The study will survey and interview teachers and staff from local school districts to gain insights relative to mindfulness training from the perspective of those who are delivering instruction on a daily basis. Furthermore, it is our hope that this study helps identify future steps in order to build reality around the construct of mindfulness in the learning environment.

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