Impact of Mindfulness Practice on Teacher Trainee Stress and Behavior Management in a Simulated Classroom

• In Event: Seed and soil: New insights into current individual and school-based approaches to promote teachers’ well-being

Abstract

Objectives. Teacher stress has been identified as a serious problem worldwide that has implications for the quality and cost of education. Managing student misbehavior is a primary cause of teacher stress and consequent burnout. We examined the efficacy of a brief mindfulness intervention (BMI) for (1) reducing stress associated with pre-service teachers’ exposure to challenging student behavior, and (2) improving behavior management during a live classroom simulation.
Theoretical Framework. The study is informed by the Prosocial Classroom Model (Jennings et al., 2009), which explains how mindfulness-based approaches can influence teacher stress and practice by improving teachers’ perception of and response to challenging student behavior.

Methods. Eighty-nine teacher trainees at the University of Virginia were randomly assigned to engage in a five-minute guided mindfulness practice or to listen to an audio recording about the benefits of mindfulness before participating in a live five-minute classroom management scenario in the Mursion classroom simulator. The study session included baseline, intervention, stress task (classroom simulation), and recovery periods.
Data Sources. Teacher trainees wore Cognionics sensors that captured continuous electrocardiogram and respiration data at 540 Hz processed by Mindware Technologies to assess heart rate variability (HRV) throughout the session. Teachers reported on their perceived stress before and after the classroom management task. The task was videorecorded, and classroom management practices were assessed using the Assessing School Settings: Interactions of Students and Teachers measure (ASSIST).

Results. There were no significant differences between teacher trainees who completed a BMI and controls in their perceived stress before (MC = 3.1, MI = 3.3, t = -1.36, df = 87, p = .58) or during the simulation (MC = 3.4, MI = 3.4, t = -0.01, df = 87, p = .99). There was, however, a statistically significant interaction between the intervention and time on HRV, F(3,216) = 9.04, p < .001, partial η2 = .112. Specifically, there was not a statistically significant difference in HRV during the baseline period, F(1, 78) = 0.66, p = .42, partial η2 = .01. During the intervention, however, HRV was significantly higher among trainees who completed the BMI than teachers in the control condition F(1, 77) = 16.96, p < .001, partial η2 = .18 (MC = 6.34, MI = 6.73). During the classroom simulation, trainees who completed a BMI had a slightly higher physiological response compared to controls, F(1, 77)=4.08, p = .047, partial η2 = .05 (MC = 6.17, MI = 5.67). During the recovery period, there was once again no significant difference in HRV between BMI and control groups, F(1, 76)=0.02, p = .89, partial η2 = .00. Finally, there were no significant condition-related differences in behavior management.

Significance. Results of this study suggest that a BMI effectively reduces stress reactivity during the practice. Furthermore, trainees who completed the BMI were more physiological responsive during the simulation and had a higher rate of physiological recovery compared to controls. We discuss the implications and propose methodological alternatives for capturing the dynamic ways in which BMIs might influence teaching behavior.

Authors

• Tara Lynn Hofkens, University of Virginia

• Summer Braun, University of Alabama

• Karime Cameron, University of Virginia

• Patricia A. Jennings, University of Virginia