The Axiology of Mindfulness: Exploring the Ethics and Values of Mindfulness Programs in Education Policy, Leadership, and Pedagogy

• In Event: Exploring Processes of Implementation and Influence of Mindfulness Programs in Education

Abstract

Mindfulness education is growing increasingly popular in K-12 education (Mendelson et al., 2013). Mindfulness research has shown benefits for students in both their academic and personal lives; students are reported to be more focused, better behaved, and more attentive in school and home settings (Black & Fernando, 2013; Mendelson et al., 2013; Zeidan, Johnson, Diamond, David, & Goolkasian, 2010). Mindfulness programs have a variety of approaches that range from meditation, to yoga, to more formalized curriculum that incorporates psychology, neurology, and values training for students that range from preschool to college age (Lillard, 2011; Mendelson et al., 2010; Zeidan, Johnson, Diamond, David, & Goolkasian, 2010). Mindfulness training is becoming increasingly common for parents, teachers, and school leaders too (Bluth & Wahler, 2011; Hoy, Gage, & Tarter, 2006). The movement is not without its detractors though and many question both the validity of the research that supports mindfulness training for students as well as the axiological assumptions and lessons that mindfulness carries with it. Indeed, given the origins of mindfulness in general – a mixture of eastern philosophy and practices and western pedagogy – many would raise concerns about how closely mindfulness training gets to religious teaching. This paper is aimed at clarifying the ethical framework of mindfulness training for those charged with leading K-12 schools. The paper will explore the ethical underpinnings of mindfulness training programs and practices in general in an effort to show the development of current models. By discussing the ethics of mindfulness this research hopes to shed light on mindfulness in general in an effort to make its benefits more accessible to policymakers and the general public. There is, in fact, a definite ethos of mindfulness (the practice is not non-moral) but this research will show that that ethos is more universal than detractors might argue. This research can also be used by school leaders to inform policy decisions about implementing mindfulness training for students on the building level.

Authors

• Nikolaus Barkauskas, The Pennsylvania State University

• Julia Mahfouz, The Pennsylvania State University

• Joseph Levitan, The Pennsylvania State University

• Kimberley Kohler, The Pennsylvania State University

• Deborah L. Schussler, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park