Pre-Service Teachers' Perspectives about the Healthy Minds Program: Qualitative Insights about an App-Based Mindfulness Intervention

• In Event: Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Teachers: Mechanisms of Effect and Teacher Outcomes

Abstract

Teacher mental health is a critical concern, with symptoms of anxiety and depression often emerging during pre-service training (e.g., McLean et al., 2017). Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) delivered by app are one effective strategy for improving mental health (e.g., Linadron et al., 2019), although these have not been widely studied among pre-service teachers. This study explores pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the Healthy Minds Program (HMP), an app-based MBI, using focus group data. Objectives include: 1) understanding pre-service teachers’ experiences using the HMP; and 2) identifying facilitators and barriers to engagement with HMP.

The HMP is grounded in the Awareness, Connection, Insight, and Purpose (ACIP) model of human flourishing (Dahl et al., 2020). This model suggests that attention, awareness, insight, and purpose are essential skills for psychological well-being. Through engaging with the HMP, pre-service teachers can build mindfulness skills (awareness) and cognitive defusion (insight), which are posited to decrease depression and anxiety.

Three semi-structured virtual focus groups were conducted with seven pre-service teachers who had used the HMP as part of a randomized control trial. Focus groups were conducted following nine weeks of using the HMP. Participants were in their final semester of training and completing a full-time teaching internship in a K-12 classroom during their use of the HMP.
Using thematic analysis, we preliminarily coded focus group transcripts with open codes aligned with our research questions. Additional focus groups from a second cohort will be completed in December 2025 and coded by the conference.

Overall, participants reported satisfaction with the HMP. The major barrier was time, specifically due to their numerous responsibilities during their internship. Participants identified the HMP’s flexibility as a facilitator, noting the ability to select the length of their practices and complete activities while sitting or active.
Most participants identified ways they had applied HMP content in their teaching, often relating to maintaining calmness during stressful situations or relaxing at the end of the workday. One participant said, “The calming techniques actually helped, and I was able to decompress and de-stress from the day.”
Several participants expressed a desire to select the topics or activities they completed, rather than following the prescribed curriculum, so they could experience content that was immediately relevant to their current challenges. For example, one participant said, “Some things were like, I already know how to handle this. But this is what I need right now, this is what's stressing me out.”
All participants said they planned to keep the HMP installed. Several planned to repeat the curriculum before their first year of teaching, and others said they anticipated using the app when they felt particularly stressed.

These findings offer valuable insights into pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the HMP. By identifying facilitators and barriers to engagement, we can inform future efforts to refine the HMP and other app-based MBIs, ensuring they are tailored to the specific needs of pre-service teachers. Together, these efforts have the potential to improve the mental health of early career teachers.

Authors

• Summer Braun, University of Alabama

• Alison Hooper, University of Alabama

• Matthew Hirshberg, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Mark T. Greenberg, Pennsylvania State University