A Qualitative Study of the Effects of Mindfulness Training on Teachers’ Professional Dispositions and Classroom Instruction

• In Event: Mindfulness-Based Approaches for Supporting Teachers’ Social and Emotional Skills and Dispositions

Abstract

Purpose
Recently, mindfulness training (MT) has been introduced as a novel form of teacher professional development. Little is known about whether MT effects changes in teachers’ actual classroom practice, however (Roeser, Skinner, Beers & Jennings, 2012). This mixed-method study of four teachers examines if MT affects changes in teacher professional dispositions that, consequently, are translated into changes in their instructional practice.
Theoretical Framework
Mindfulness is defined as “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145). It includes the skills and dispositions of (a) focused attention and memory, (b) conscious and clear perception, and (c) an attitude of warm-hearted curiosity and compassionate acceptance towards the present moment and all it includes, including oneself (Cullen, 2011). Studies show that MT reduces stress in teachers (Roeser et al., 2013), but little is known about whether or not MT affects changes in teachers’ instruction. In this study, we hypothesize that MT impacts teachers’ ability to remain calm, their ability to be clear-minded, and their tendency to be kind towards self and others in the classroom (Taylor, et al., in preparation). We further hypothesize that changes in dispositions will be paralleled by changes in teachers’ capacity to create an emotionally supportive, well-organized climate for student learning (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009).

Method
Teachers were drawn from an uncontrolled pre/post feasibility study of a MT program delivered in an urban school district in California. Four teachers volunteered for the qualitative study and completed surveys, participated in a one-hour interviews, and had a lesson in their classroom video-recorded pre- and post-MT. Three experienced and one new teacher participated.

Measures
Teacher Dispositions. Remaining calm was assessed with the non-reactivity subscale of the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Baer et al., 2008); being clear with the non-judgment, awareness of sensation, and acting with awareness subscales; being kind to self and others was measured using a composite of compassion (Hwang, Plante, & Lackey, 2008) and self-compassion scales (Neff, 2003). Classroom Instruction. Teachers’ instruction was assessed on 2 aspects of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; LaParo & Pianta, 2003): Emotional Support and Classroom Organization. Interviews were conducted and will be used to identify teachers’ narratives about changes in dispositions and instruction.

Preliminary Results
Survey data showed increases in the professional dispositions from pre- to post-MT (see Chart 1). CLASS data showed increases in emotional support for and increases in classroom organization for some but not all of the teachers from pre to post-MT (see Chart 2). Interview data will enrich our understanding of these differential changes.

Significance of the Findings
This study takes a step towards understanding the effects of MT on teachers’ actual instructional practice. Results will be discussed in terms of mechanisms of transfer, the time-course of developmental change, and potential moderators of the effect of MT on teacher outcomes (e.g., experience, stress levels).

Authors

• Cynthia Taylor, Portland State University

• Tim Urdan, Santa Clara University

• Robert William Roeser, Portland State University