Planting Seeds of Mindfulness During Teacher Preparation Programs

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Trauma, Mindfulness, and Preservice Teacher Preparation (Table 3)

Abstract

Teachers face many stresses which can result in burnout and high turnover rates. Additionally, K-12 students are said to lack resiliency. This mixed-methods study investigated the experiences of current teacher education students who participated in an 8-week virtual mindfulness for future teachers program and sought to see if, after personally experiencing practices, pre-service teachers would envision mindful practices fitting within their future classrooms. Two main themes of Self Awareness and Social Connections were the result of inductive analyses of interview data. Survey results indicated significant changes in perceived stress scores and mindful attention awareness scores. Finally, all participants indicated seeing a place for mindful practices in their future classrooms to benefit themselves and their future students.

Authors

• Shannon C. Mulhearn, University of Nebraska - Kearney

• Megan Adkins, University of Nebraska - Kearney

• Em Meyer, University of Nebraska - Kearney

• Stefanie Neal, University of Nebraska - Kearney

• Douglas W. Ellison, Kent State University - Kent