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Exploring Mindfulness in Schools Programs' Process Components
- 1. Implementation Process Components of Mindfulness Programs for Youth in Schools A Thesis in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Arts in Psychology Specialty in Developmental Psychology at City University New York School of Professional Studies By Steven Samrock
- 3. Mindfulness Defined "The self-regulation of attention so that it is maintained on immediate experience...characterized by curiosity, openness, and acceptance” (Bishop et al., 2004, p. 232). “An active mindset characterized by novel distinction– drawing that results in being (1) situated in the present, (2) sensitive to context and perspective, and (3) guided (but not governed) by rules and routines” (Langer and Moldoveanu 2000). “Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p.4).
- 4. Mindfulness in Schools • Group-based interventions • Conducted in a typical classroom environment during normal school hours. • Incorporating components of MBSR https://tricycle.org/magazine/does-mindfulness-belong-public-schools/
- 5. School-Based Mindfulness Programs (SBMP)
- 6. • Oakland, California • 25,000 educators educators, parents, and mental health professionals who work with youth. • Over 2 million children worldwide in over 100 countries worldwide • England & Wales • 450,000 children and young people • 4,500 instructors working in over 1,000 schools worldwide. School-Based Mindfulness Programs (SBMP)
- 8. 91% (3,058) mindfulness in age >18 8% (n=256) mindfulness in youth age <18 1% (n=36) mindfulness in youth in school settings n=3,350 studies keyword mindfulness SBMP Research is Young (Felver, Celis-de Hoyos, Tezano & Singh, 2015) “the study of mindfulness with youth and in schools is in the prenatal stage of development” (Felver & Jennings, 2015).
- 9. Intervention Outcomes Reductions in aspects of Psychopathology: • Behavioral Problems • Anxiety • Depression • Affective Disturbances • Problems with Executive Functioning and Attention • Suicidal Ideation Increases in Prosocial Psychosocial Attributes: • Emotion Regulation • Classroom Engagement • Social Skills • Social Emotional Competence • Coping • Positive Affect • Optimism • Classroom Behavior (Waters et al., 2014; Felver, Celis-de Hoyos, Tezano & Singh, 2015)
- 10. Implementation Framework (Feagans Gould, Dariotis, Greenberg & Mendelson, 2015)
- 11. Research Limitations & Recommendations Core Process Components Core Content Components
- 12. Research Limitations & Recommendations Core Process Components Core Content Components
- 13. • Utilize Experimental Research Designs • Statistically Account for Classroom and School Effects • Include Subjects with Identified Disabilities • Replicate Intervention Effects Using Existing MBI • Conduct Treatment Component Studies • Empirically Evaluate the Interventionist Preparation • Conduct Meta-Analyses of Existing Literature • Utilize More Diverse Outcome Measurements • Include Data Collected by School Districts • Collect Follow-Up Data • Clearly Define Core Program Components • Clearly Articulate Core Process Components • Assess and Report Multiple Dimensional of Fidelity of Implementation • Develop Observational Assessment Systems and Common FOI Measures • Build Common FOI Language and Frameworks Research Limitations & Recommendations (Felver, Celis-de Hoyos, Tezano & Singh, 2015)(Feagans Gould, Dariotis, Greenberg & Mendelson, 2015)
- 14. Research Limitations & Recommendations • Utilize Experimental Research Designs • Statistically Account for Classroom and School Effects • Include Subjects with Identified Disabilities • Replicate Intervention Effects Using Existing MBI • Conduct Treatment Component Studies • Empirically Evaluate the Interventionist Preparation • Conduct Meta-Analyses of Existing Literature • Utilize More Diverse Outcome Measurements • Include Data Collected by School Districts • Collect Follow-Up Data • Clearly Define Core Program Components • Clearly Articulate Core Process Components • Assess and Report Multiple Dimensional of Fidelity of Implementation • Develop Observational Assessment Systems and Common FOI Measures • Build Common FOI Language and Frameworks (Felver, Celis-de Hoyos, Tezano & Singh, 2015)(Feagans Gould, Dariotis, Greenberg & Mendelson, 2015)
- 15. Hypothesized Core Process Components CORE INTERVENTIONIST COMPONENTS Training Qualifications Attitudes Embodiment of Mindfulness Personal Characteristics Instructor Role Competency : to adhere to curricula Competency : to respond flexibly to students
- 19. Mechanisms Underlying Mindfulness Learning Observational Learning Social Learning Modeling Attention Emulation Adoption
- 20. Methods | Procedures | Planned Analyses Category Name Scope of Category Role Instructor role; opinions about significance of role in successful SBMP implementation Key Process Components Opinions about key elements underlying successful SBMP implementation process Training SBMP training credentials; training experience; opinions about significance of training credentials and experience Experience Amount of experience teaching SBMP; opinions about significance of experience amount Mindfulness Practice Personal mindfulness practice; opinions about significance of instructors’ personal mindfulness practice Personal Characteristics Mental state and trait characteristics; opinions about significance of mental state and trait characteristics Table 1 Main Categories • Semi-structured, in-depth (1-hour) interviews • Convenience sample of key SBMP stakeholders (n=6) • Grounded Theory systematic analysis
- 21. Key Stakeholder Sample Pseudonym Julie Shayla Jodi Marie Patty Lucy Location Mumbai, India Winnipeg, Canada West Springfield, Massachusetts, USA Castro Valley, California, USA North Potomac, Maryland, USA London, United Kingdom School-based? Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Title Elementary School Counselor / Certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Practitioner - Focus Oriented and Complex Trauma Therapist - Accredited Integrative Mental Health Yoga Therapy Provider - Certified MBSR Practitioner Paired Professional Peer Assistance and Health Teacher Mindfulness Coordinator Medical Doctor School(s) working with Independent International American school Public Primary School Public Elementary School Public High School Independent School for Students with Special Education Needs Public Primary School Student population working with Grades 2 & 4 Grades 2-7 Grades 1-5 Grades 9-12 Kindergarten – 12th grade Year 6 (age 10) Years working in education 10 years 6 years 9 years 27 years 30+ years 2 years Curriculum taught 8-week mindfulness curriculum for primary school children + Foundations in Mindfulness Course to adult educators 8-week mindfulness curriculum for primary school children + Foundations in Mindfulness Course to adult educators K to 5 Curriculum: 30 modules for ages 5-12 K to 5 Curriculum: 30 modules for ages 5-12 Independently developed curriculum, inspired by Mindful Schools’ methodology 8-week mindfulness curriculum for primary school children SBMP Training organization Mindfulness in Schools Project (UK) Mindfulness in Schools Project (UK) Mindful Schools (US) Mindful Schools (US) Mindful Schools (US) Mindfulness in Schools Project (UK) Training in facilitating mindfulness to youuth in schools - Teach Paws b (7-11) - Teach .b (11-18) - Teach Paws b (7-11) - Teach .b (11-18) - Teach .b Foundations (for adult mindfulness teachers) - Mindfulness Fundamentals / Mindfulness Educator Essentials Course (online) – Mindful Teacher Year-Long Certification Program (incl. 2x seven-day silent retreats) - Mindfulness Fundamentals / Mindfulness Educator Essentials Course (online) – Mindful Teacher Year-Long Certification Program (incl. 2x seven-day silent retreats) - Mindfulness Fundamentals / Mindfulness Educator Essentials Course (online) – Mindful Teacher Year-Long Certification Program (incl. 2x seven-day silent retreats) - Teach Paws b (7-11) - Teach .b (11-18) Experience teaching mindfulness in schools 5 years 7 years 6 years 5 years 5-6 years 1 year Years practicing mindfulness meditation 8 years 20+ years 10 years 6 years 4 years 3.5 years
- 22. Results CORE INTERVENTIONIST COMPONENTS Training Qualifications Attitudes Embodiment of Mindfulness Personal Characteristics Instructor Role Competency : to adhere to curricula Competency : to respond flexibly to students
- 23. Results CORE INTERVENTIONIST COMPONENTS Training Qualifications Attitudes Embodiment of Mindfulness Personal Characteristics Instructor Role Competency : to adhere to curricula Competency : to respond flexibly to students
- 24. Facilitator’s Role Classroom Teacher • Interventionist = class teacher Other (School-Based) Faculty Member • e.g. School Counselor; Subject Teacher (Non-School-Based) Visiting Instructor • Contractor • Volunteer If I were a classroom teacher then I could sprinkle it in in smaller doses and enforce it throughout the week (Julie). If this curriculum is offered by the teacher…it will kind of meld into all the other curricula. For example, in art class, using your breath to ground and be present with your pencils....in social studies maybe in learning about different cultures and how mindfulness is used and practiced.... That class becomes a community of mindful people. That is the way to go (Shayla). There’s a barrier for me as a counselor… coming in to teach it once a week. Because even though I’m in the school and community and sort of regularly working with these kids, I’m still sort of a fly in drop in to the classroom…I give encouragement to the classroom teachers to follow up on it through the week and [that’s why] they’re there in the classroom with me when I teach it (Julie). Me coming in once a week to a school and spending a half an hour to an hour in a classroom... there's really very little follow-through because I'm not there on a daily basis…Overall what I find is that kids will use it before their hockey game or before a test sometimes, for a while. But because it's not embedded, it's less effective than it could be. (Shayla). Outside providers…go in and teach mindfulness…and then they leave. Well, now they've gone. So now what do you have left behind? We don't feel that that's very effective. Because, like anything else, you can get people excited about it for just a little bit of time and then it's forgotten...it's a hit and run kind of thing (Patty).
- 25. Results CORE INTERVENTIONIST COMPONENTS Training Qualifications Attitudes Embodiment of Mindfulness Personal Characteristics Instructor Role Competency : to adhere to curricula Competency : to respond flexibly to students
- 27. Attitudes within the Organization School Leadership Attitude / Involvement Classroom Teachers’ Attitude / Involvement Program components are embedded and amplified Optimal Implementation
- 28. Best Practice: Building Awareness Building awareness through education with staff • Mindfulness: what is is; what it is not • What it takes to make SBMP’s work. • Addressing misconceptions • Reducing skepticism
- 29. Results CORE INTERVENTIONIST COMPONENTS Training Qualifications Attitudes Embodiment of Mindfulness Personal Characteristics Instructor Role Competency : to adhere to curricula Competency : to respond flexibly to students
- 30. Personal Characteristics: Embodiment of Mindfulness Being… • Aware • Gentle With One's Self • Open Minded • Curious • Non-attached • Non-striving
- 31. Personal Characteristics: Embodiment of Mindfulness Being… • Aware • Gentle With One's Self • Open Minded • Curious • Non-attached • Non-striving Instructors Trait Mindfulness Revealed as Core Process Component
- 32. Trait Mindfulness “The capacity for nonjudgmental, present- centered attention” (Eisenlohr-Moul, Peters, Pond & DeWall, 2016). “A relatively stable disposition which is present outside of actual meditation practice” (Brown & Ryan, 2007, p. 212).
- 34. Behavioral Component: Meditation Meditation Trait Mindfulness Authentic Delivery Modeling & Scaffolding
- 35. Instructor’s Meditation If I was a swim teacher and I was teaching swimming, I would know how to swim. And I would practice my swimming. And it’s the same thing with mindfulness. Mindfulness is so experiential when you are teaching it that you have to have that practice in place (Shayla). I think it would be impossible to teach unless you’re practicing it, for sure (Lucy). . Meditation Trait Mindfulness Authentic Delivery Modeling & Scaffolding
- 36. Instructor’s Meditation I started realizing that [my own meditation practice] was more beneficial for my students than actually teaching them the mindfulness. Obviously, both were beneficial but it all started happening at the same time for me….Once I started [meditating], I was experiencing the benefits so it was about me experiencing the benefits. It wasn’t even about, ‘Oh, I’m doing this for my students, or I’m doing this not to be a hypocrite. It was like: I’m doing this because I want to do it. Because I’m benefitting from this. Because this is allowing me more equanimity. So that I am feeling more effective, not only as a teacher but I’m feeling life is better (Marie). Meditation Trait Mindfulness Authentic Delivery Modeling & Scaffolding
- 37. Effective Modeling & Scaffolding Observational Learning Sometimes I ask if they want to lead a short practice and they emulate me. And that’s really interesting because they’ve seen you do it. So, they tend to sort of…well they start by perhaps using mannerisms or quotes that you’ve said. But then what I like is that, if you do it week on week, then they tend to start doing their own way…they do emulate things that they’ve seen but then they also are able to do it their own way (Lucy). Absolutely. In fact the other day…. One of the fifth graders…got up in front of the school-wide assembly and led the entire school [in a short meditation] and through the affirmations …think it was all her (Julie).
- 38. Results CORE INTERVENTIONIST COMPONENTS Training Qualifications Attitudes Embodiment of Mindfulness Personal Characteristics Instructor Role Competency : to adhere to curricula Competency : to respond flexibly to students
- 39. Professional Training is the Gold Standard External Internal
- 40. Support + Supervision + Assistance + Feedback Feedback and Assessment is Revealed as Core Process Component External Internal
- 41. Results CORE INTERVENTIONIST COMPONENTS Training Qualifications Attitudes Embodiment of Mindfulness Personal Characteristics Instructor Role Competency : to adhere to curricula Competency : to respond flexibly to students
- 42. FOI + Adaptation Adhere to Curriculum Respond Flexibly to Students
- 43. FOI + Adaptation The Importance of Program Fidelity Adaptability is an Asset When I become a trainer, my thought is to be a little bit like the mindfulness police, and this always comes up at trainings… If students are not taught a curriculum in a structured manner, we lose the ability to measure the effects of it…In any other setting, to practice [mindfulness] in an unstructured way is a non-issue. But in a school setting, it needs to be structured and measurable, with clear learning outcomes. So that you can assess the benefits and move forward accordingly (Shayla). You have to be free to meet the kids where they're at, and it's true. If you didn't get to something then you didn't get to something, It's not the end of the world and hopefully you can impart something that they're able to take forward (Jodi.)
- 44. FOI + Adaptation The Importance of Program Fidelity Adaptability is an Asset When I become a trainer, my thought is to be a little bit like the mindfulness police, and this always comes up at trainings… If students are not taught a curriculum in a structured manner, we lose the ability to measure the effects of it…In any other setting, to practice [mindfulness] in an unstructured way is a non-issue. But in a school setting, it needs to be structured and measurable, with clear learning outcomes. So that you can assess the benefits and move forward accordingly (Shayla). You have to be free to meet the kids where they're at, and it's true. If you didn't get to something then you didn't get to something, It's not the end of the world and hopefully you can impart something that they're able to take forward (Jodi.)
- 45. Responding Mindfully to Challenges in the Classroom Classroom Challenges Stress & Frustration Mindful Response They just don't all take it seriously at that age (1). It's very very difficult for them to calm down (5). It's a little bit challenging with the second graders because they're just bubbly. You'll have a group of students and ones who are giving pushback they say, 'this is dumb, I don't like it,’they're the ones who need it the most. (5) Doing it with the kids was really stressful [sometimes] I'm sure there were times that maybe my frustration would come across I used to get caught up in their inability to sit still or be quiet. What I have found is that if I am in that centered place I am not becoming so attached to the outcome. my centeredness or my stability permeates the room a little bit more. I'm not being reactive to that silly behavior.
- 46. Responding Mindfully to Challenges in the Classroom Classroom Challenges Stress & Frustration Mindful Response And so my non-reaction, my just being with it, is like, ‘Let's be curious...this is what restlessness feels like right now. So figure out what is it and notice this in your body, that's just information for you right now. Note: if you're finding yourself tapping something, like, what would happen if you just stopped. What if you didn't give into that impulse. Be curious.’And so it just settles it down as opposed to if I said, ‘Stop tapping!’Then the tapping might get worse …Sometimes if they're laughing or giggling it makes me laugh or giggle, I get it. I'm not taking it as a personal offense that they're not doing what I'm asking them to do. I’m understanding that they're struggling right now like for whatever reason, and be curious about that (Marie).
- 47. The Bigger Picture is Creating a Culture Mindful School
- 48. Tapping into More Touchpoints & Closing the Loop • Peer Development • Internal Trainings • Shared Practice • Creating more advocates • Teachers, faculty, administrators, leadership, parents Mindful School
- 49. Inherent Barriers “All the schools want me however nobody has the money to pay me.” • Time • Educational Funding • Staff Turnover
- 50. Discussion Key Themes • Authentic mindful embodiment • Fidelity and Adaptation • Social and structural dynamics within a school organization
- 51. Discussion: Core Process Components Revealed Implementer Variables Organizational Variables • Facilitator’s role • Attitudes and intrinsic motivation • Maintaining a meditation practice • Trait mindfulness • Competency to adhere to evidence- based curriculum • Competency to respond flexibly to challenges • Other staff’s awareness and understanding • Reinforcement during + outside of lessons • Internal Support • External Support
- 52. Discussion: Theoretical Analysis Implementer Variables Organizational Variables • Bandura’s Bobo Doll • Cognitive Development • Langer’s socio-cognitive approach to mindfulness research • Linkage between mindfulness and constructs of social wellbeing, psychological and physical wellbeing
- 53. Discussion Process Components Specific to Mindfulness in Schools Programs • Hypothesized Core Process Components • Clear Articulation (implementer + organizational) • Empirical Rationale • Theoretical Rationale
- 54. Limitations • Researcher’s Role • Time & Funding • Representative Sampling
- 55. References Bandura, A., Ross, D., & Ross, S. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. The Journal Of Abnormal And Social Psychology, 63(3), 575-582. doi: 10.1037/h0045925 Bandura, A. (1971). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. New York: Academic Press. Durlak, J., & DuPre, E. (2008). Implementation Matters: A Review of Research on the Influence of Implementation on Program Outcomes and the Factors Affecting Implementation. American Journal Of Community Psychology, 41(3-4), 327- 350. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10464-008-9165-0 Feagans Gould, L., Dariotis, J., Greenberg, M., & Mendelson, T. (2015). Assessing Fidelity of Implementation (FOI) for School-Based Mindfulness and Yoga Interventions: A Systematic Review. Mindfulness, 7(1), 5-33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0395-6 Felver, J., Celis-de Hoyos, C., Tezanos, K., & Singh, N. (2015). A Systematic Review of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Youth in School Settings. Mindfulness, 7(1), 34-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0389-4 Felver, J., & Jennings, P. (2015). Applications of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in School Settings: an Introduction. Mindfulness, 7(1), 1-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0478-4 Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are. New York: Hachette Books. Langer, E., & Moldoveanu, M. (2000). The construct of mindfulness. Journal of Social Issues, 56, 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0094-5 Meet Our Team | Mindful Schools. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.mindfulschools.org/about-mindfulness/our-organization/ Mindfulness in Schools Project. (2017). Mindfulness in Schools Project.
Editor's Notes
- My name is Steven Samrock and my research is about Mindfulness Programs for Youth in Schools and their core implementation process components
- I’ll start by briefly touching upon my connection to this topic And that connection has something to do with these awesome, amazing, kids wholm I was privileged enough to have the opportunity to teach mindfulness to last year. This was at a Private International Primary school in Japan called the British School in Tokyo. And these here are a few of the 80-some students that I got to teach there.
- It’s important when discussing mindfulness to define that term because it is subject to hype and misrepresentation. and here we have three well referenced definitions: And as we can see it is defined as either the self-regulation of attention or paying attention in a particular way – That is maintained on present moment experience And is characterized by non-judgment Ellen Langer’s definition, slightly different – refers to mindfulness as an active mindset characterized by novel distinction drawing
- So now what are we talking about when I refer to mindfulness in schools? In this research I will be referring to SBMP (school based mindfulness programs): Group-based interventions That are Conducted with a non-clinical population of students, in a typical classroom environment, during normal school hours. And these are prgorams Incorporating components of MBSR Which stands for Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction – MBSR is the mindfulness based intervention with the most empirical support for its effectiveness.
- And there are just a few of those organizations – these are not for profit organizations That facilitate these interventions They exist in the United States and other parts of the world Here are just a few of the better known groups responsible for developing and working toward the dissemination of these types of interventions
- And I point to these two out – UK-based Mindfulness in Schools Project aka MISP [on the left] and Oakland, CA based Mindful Schools. Trainees from these two organizations comprise the sample for this study. These two leaders are the leaders in this category within their respective countries. And the numbers are here to give a sense of their scale Read read We don’t have definitive statistics on how many children overall are being exposed to midnfulness in schools at this that would be something interesting thing to know.
- I was able to identify three Systematic Reviews which give a sense for the state of the science on this topic. And we’ll talk about how young that science truly is
- One study found that 91% of overall mindfulness studies were with adults. Only 8% with youth under age 18 And 1% were with youth in school settings. This was a few years ago now, 2015. N=3,350 I did a PsycInfo search two days ago showing that studies with keyword mindfulness were at 8,254 studies. The truth remains, however, that the number of studies of mindfulness with youth is quite marginal. In 2015 it was stated that “the study of mindfulness with youth and in schools is in the prenatal stage of development” so that kind of puts it into perspective.
- Just to touch on Intervention Outcomes Because it is vitally important to the study of this field although it is not the focus of my research. Looking at the current literature … There is a wide range of dependent variables measured. We see research showing [ read read read ] Outcomes assessment is important because it demonstrates the value of SBMP, which leads to the field’s funding and growth.
- And as the value of school-based mindfulness gets more and more empirical evidence, There is also opportunity in researching what enables maximum impact, In other words, what are the core underlying processes that lead to the best outcomes. Implementation science research on this topic can help inform school based mindfulness programs and guide the scalability of effective programming. So we turn here to looking at an implementation framework. These types of frameworks exist for many different types of programs with different contexts whether it be prevention research, education, criminal justice, public health, there are many applications. And they vary, depending on the context. But the core aspects tend to be fairly similar. The model pictured here is termed THE CORE CYLCE by Feagens-Gould and team. This model is for assessing FIDELITY OF IMPLEMENTATION (FOI) – Which to put as broadly as possible, fidelity of implementation is the degree to which a program goes according to plan. And the CORE cycle conceptualizes (FOI) as a four-step process: First, Conceptualize core components; Second, Operationalize and measure Third, Run analyses and review; and Fourth E, Enhance and refine. And as these four-steps unfold iteratively over time, There is greater knowledge about programs’ core components, and more rigorous measures of implementation integrity
- My research exists in and around Step 1: Conceptualizing the core components of school-based mindfulness intervention programs We’re looking at what are the most essential and most indispensable components Because only once these are understood can program fidelity really be measured. As we can see here, core program components are of two different types, They’re either: content components on the right : meaning the content or the activities being delivered, say, as part of a manual) process components (the manner in which content should be implemented In the current school based mindfulness program (SBMP) literature, core content components are more clearly defined and assessed.
- And there is a relative under focus on process components in the SBMP literature. But It is well documented… Especially if we extrapolate from the broader more established literature On social emotional learning and prevention and promotion programs in educational settings ….That effective implementation practices are associated with better outcomes and stronger benefits for participants
- Here is a list which has been culled from several systematic reviews on school-based mindfulness - showing a plethora of outstanding limitations in the current literature - and recommendations for how to address them, So there’s definite room for knowledge growth here. It’s been stated that The fact that roughly 3 quarters of these trial studies lack a comparison condition and/or random assignment That is the single largest limitation in the existing literature Which is probably a fair point But there are many major methodological limitations to be addressed here.
- …and these two recommendations – empirically evaluating the interventionist prepatation and clearly articularte the core program process components And the top bullet on the left column should be highlighted as well – clearly define core program components Tthis is what has inspired my research This essentially characterizes the niche and puporse of my study and hopefully the practical significance of my results as well
- What are the core process components that should be implemented? This is my research question. My hypothesis was that these core interventionist components In this diagram here are essential ingredients To the SBMP implementation process. And In my research I empirically evaluate these components As they relate to interventionists Delivering mindfulness in schools. In going through the results I will address each of these one by one and I will also discuss how my grounded theory analysis reveals that These factors which are factors – pertaining to the individual interventionist Prove to be inextricable from other socio-organizational factors The importance of organizational factors is a theme that is woven throughout the narrative of this study’s results. “….to conceptualize the essential features or core program components of mindfulness- based programs, allowing room for both fidelity and ad- aptation. We invite discussion regarding how these differ- ent teaching competencies—which balance faithfulness to a core set of standards with the ability to flexibly adapt to the current situation and participants—might serve as the backbone of potential core program process components, FOI assessment, and instructor training.” How can we conceptualize the essential features or core program components Process components specific to mindfulness or yoga programs will also need to be elucidated and tested. For example, ideally, instructors of mindfulness-based pro- grams embody qualities of mindfulness as a vehicle for teaching it and engaging students in participatory learning in their own lives (Crane et al. 2012a; Kabat-Zinn 2011). It is consistent with the nature of mindfulness to be Bin the moment^ and to respond flexibly to students at a giv- en point in time, rather than adhering rigidly to a manualized curriculum (Kabat-Zinn 2011). Indeed, flexi- bility and the ability of an instructor to respond in the present moment to what is unfolding should be an essen- tial component of FOI of mindfulness and yoga programs. Yet defining and operationalizing such process compo- nents pose some interesting and complex challenges for assessing what instructors Bshould^ adhere to faithfully. “We encourage researchers and pro- gram developers to look to more established literatures like SEL and prevention and promotion programs to help inform potential core process components of mindfulness and yoga programs. “ What are the core process components that should be implemented? This is basically the research question How can we conceptualize the essential features or core program components Process components specific to mindfulness or yoga programs will also need to be elucidated and tested. For example, ideally, instructors of mindfulness-based pro- grams embody qualities of mindfulness as a vehicle for teaching it and engaging students in participatory learning in their own lives (Crane et al. 2012a; Kabat-Zinn 2011). It is consistent with the nature of mindfulness to be Bin the moment^ and to respond flexibly to students at a giv- en point in time, rather than adhering rigidly to a manualized curriculum (Kabat-Zinn 2011). Indeed, flexi- bility and the ability of an instructor to respond in the present moment to what is unfolding should be an essen- tial component of FOI of mindfulness and yoga programs. Yet defining and operationalizing such process compo- nents pose some interesting and complex challenges for assessing what instructors Bshould^ adhere to faithfully. ------ mpirically Evaluate the Interventionist Preparation Studies in this review used both teachers and outside facilitators to deliver MBI, however, many MBI require extensive, and varying, amounts of background training and experience before one is deemed able to effective teach comprehen- sive MBI. Although we concur with the general consensus in the field that prior experience with mindfulness tech- niques is a requisite to teaching these skills (as would be the case in teaching any skill), ultimately, the amount of experi- ence and practice needed before one is able to implement MBI effectively is an empirical question that has yet to be addressed in the literature. We would recommend that future researchers con- sider exploring the amount of training and experience needed to implement MBI effectively using measureable and definable criteria, with the intention to scientifically determine what con- stitutes adequate preparation in order to ensure that MBI are implemented with integrity and fidelity.
- Theoretically, I examine the active role of the interventionist the mechanisms underlying this transmission of mindful behavior From instructor to child through the lens of social cognitive theory Social cognitive theory teaches us about observational learning Which was demonstrated in Albert Bandura’s famous 1961 BoBo Doll experiment That when children observe aggression in adult models They learn to emulate that aggressive behavior So social cognitive theory is the lens through which I ground the importance of the teachers’ role as a model
- So I look at the teacher as a model And explore how imitative learning can occur with mindful behavior
- And explore the possibility that as children pay attention to mindful modeling. They encode this behavior And at a a later time they may imitate the behavior they have observed.
- So this is how I have grounded my hypothesis Using social cognitive theory
- I used a grounded theory approach to systematically analyze the material. So relevant categories of meaning grew out of the collected data. And the end result is an explanatory framework with participant quotes used to support understanding about facilitators and barriers to SBMP implementation processes.
- This table summarizes my sample of key field-based stakeholders. There are four countries and three nationalities represented in this sample. And a range of experience with teaching mindfulness in schools. Four of the participants are school-based and two of them are not. Several of the participants are trained beyond SBMP They are trained to deliver MBSR to adults And to train other educators in SBMP delivery So I found that these stakeholders were really a wealth of knowledge.
- The results do largely confirm my hypothesis that these components Which pertain to the interventionist are important And we will get more into the nuance and the themes that come through the data.
- I’ll start by talking about the instructor role because this helps put a lot of the rest into perspective.
- So as I mentioned, my sample is comprised of both school-based and non school based SBMP interventionists. And this is a distinction that has been made in a few, not many, but a few studies in the literature. So it has been posited that facilitator role is a factor that can effect implementation And my results support that supposition. My results show that there are actually three categories of instructor role. 1. 2. 3. And what we see is that classroom teachers have an advantage In that they can create consistency and follow up throughout the week [paraphrase quotes]
- Moving onto looking at attitudes
- Attitudes are important and Intrinsic Motivation is an important element Because belief in mindfulness and the choice to practice mindfulness is to a large extent is a very personal thing. It should never be force fed. To teachers nor to students Intrinsic motivation overlaps with an authentic belief in the relevancy and the effectiveness And together they bring forth an attitude that Mindfulness is a gift to be given to children. That the opportunity to learn how to choose to use one’s attention, Helps them grow into better learners So that they have more opportunities in life And so on and so forth.
- But instructor’s attitudes do not stand alone. Others’ attitudes within the organization matter. And this is where we start to see those organizational factors coming through. So in terms of attitudes this model I’ve created Represents the scenario in which a visiting interventionist comes in to deliver SBMP And in that scenario The classroom teacher’s collaboriation and involvement becomes a tremendous facilitator. When the classroom teacher feels that mindfulness learning is important, they follow it up throughout the week And When school leadership is on-board, SBMP is consistently enforced So that is how programs components become embedded and amplified That’s how programs become overall more effective Then on the other hand, a disinterested teacher becomes a barrier to embedding and amplifying the program. When the classroom teachers are resistant, skeptical, disinterested they’re leaving the room to mark papers, the learning is then not embedded as well throughout the week.
- This is why SBMP instructors educating other faculty members is considered to be best practice When mindfulness instructors have an opportunity to educate and share information with broader faculty It helps to bolster school-wide engagement. This can help address misconceptions And reduce skepticism.
- Personal characteristics and embodiment of mindfulness were hypothesized as two separate categories But my results show that they are really one and the same
- When the teacher is being 1. 2. 3. That has a profound impact on the learning that takes place
- So Instructors trait mindfulness although it is not described the terms used by the participants Instructors trait mindfulness is revealed as a core process component
- Trait mindfulness is an established construct
- SO there’s this progression By which trait mindfulness leads to authentic SBMP delivery which leads to effective modeling and scaffolding of mindful behavior.
- What we already know is that maintaining a consistent meditation practice That behavioral component is what can cultivate higher levels of trait mindfulness
- And this brings us to instructors’ having their own meditation practice As a really key piece to the SBMP process And we see quotes from participants - - Basically demonstrating that experience with mediation is key.
- Something I want to highlight, Because it is a theme that I found coming up several times. Is this idea that the meditation and the trait mindfulness is potentially even more important Than the SBMP itself. That the pedagogy of teaching mindfulness to children Might even be secondary To what is seen as the immense value in Simply being mindful in the classroom That that can actually have the biggest effect.
- As I’ve mentioned, authentic delivery leads to effective modeling and scaffolding. And to bring it back to observational learning as per social cognitive theory. When mindful behavior is encoded and adopted The evidence is something that teachers Have witnessed
- Professional training is the gold standard. Whether it takes place through an external training provider Or whether schools have faculty on hand to train other teachers in-house There is a necessity for training. Dabbling in teaching mindfulness in the classroom without professional training is viewed as relatively harmless Several of the participants I spoke with had done this themselves But it can be counterproductive to teach mindfulness without training And at worst it could be harmful. So this is why training mindfulness teachers is necessity. And as all of the participants in this sample would tell you, SBMP training is not something that can take place over the course of A one hour professional development meeting. The instructor needs to embody and to develop their competency to transmit the messages Of these evidence based curricula.
- Support / Supervision / Assistance / Feedback These are also organizational process components revealed as major facilitators in the SBMP delivery process. And these can take place internally – within the school Or externally – with the training organization. It can be formal or informal But it’s revealed as an important facilitator Although it tends to be deemphasized in the context of mindfulness in education. There is an appetite for more and a belief in its value.
- This is an interesting one - Looking at competency to adhere to the curriculum And competency to respond flexibly to students These two could be viewed as diametrically opposed.
- But the reason why I show them overlapping here is that They are both important. And I will discuss why.
- Program fidelity is a highly important consideration [quote quote quote] Adaptability, however, is also super important. Many of the participant touched on this theme. That reading the room Responding flexibly Does not always mean strictly adhering to the curriculum.
- One way to look at the relationship between these two factors is as a process Sticking to the manual is seen as especially relevant in the early days of delivering these interventions, When the interventionist has less experience Whereas over time, as they gain experience They gain more of a nuanced ability to transmit the themes and intentions of the curriculum And might go off book or switch it up Take some creative license And feel confident in doing so
- And speaking of responding flexibly. Another important interventionist component is their ability to meet challenges as they arise. Because they do inevitably arise.
- This quote is to that point and I will summarize it.
- So we have talked about factors that are individual i.e. specific to the interventionist As well as factors that are organizational i.e. pertinent to the broader school environment and/or the training organization It’s useful to zoom out and keep in in mind what many of the participants reflect as being the true north here Which is becoming a quote end quote mindful school And that happens by fostering a culture of mindfulness throughout the school
- What really moves the needle towards this goal of creating a culture is read
- These barriers I mention here because they are inherent - Time - Funding for these programs Addressing staff turnover (i.e. when teachers are trained and then they leave) Yet, addressing these issues is beyond the scope of my research
- The kind of global key themes that I’ve identified are The instructors authentic mindful embodiment The importance of fidelity and adaptation And the social structural dynamics within the organization There’s a picture of the inverted triangle because I started more narrow in hypothesizing about the interventionist components And where I netted is more broad I end up addressing those social and structural dynamics that take place in a school Because it became evident that we cannot have a well rounded conversation about implementation factors without addressing certain organizational constructs
- To sum up Here is a slide with all of the components that have been identified through my analysis And as you can see I have split them into implementer variables and organizational variables
- And this is how those variables apply to theory On the left I refer back to Bandura and the BoBo Doll (in which aggressive behavior is modeled then emulated): I think this same type of experiment could be flipped on its head and replicated with modeling mindful behavior instead. So we could begin understanding the transmission of mindful behavior from adult models to youth is worth exploring further as an antidote to aggression. Ellen Langer’s theory comes in because she Theoretically +empirical links mindfulness with constructs Of social wellbeing psychological wellbeing and physical wellbeing So this is that piece about wellbeing factors within a school’s faculty. Mindful educators do better ; and there is strength in numbers as mindful educators functioning together is much stronger than one going at it alone. And the quality of social relationships within a school affect the lives of educators.
- Through this research I have attempted to present a rationale and empirical support And to Thoughtfully articulate core process components Of implementing school based mindfulness programs The idea is that In the future Understanding these components Can eventually leading to a more refined theory of change. And by specifying how these core components can be incorporated into logic models that guide program measurement and analysis Of how these components Lead to hypothesized outcomes. This is one direction for future research Other future directions include: measureable and definable criteria That scientifically determine what constitutes Adequate preparation To implement SBMP. Researching amount of experience and practice needed Also it should be stated that an adequate theory of the mechanisms underlying mindfulness learning is lacking. So although I use Social Cognitive Theory there is rich territory in understanding So I posit that one future direction of research would be A greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying mindful learning
- What I have going for me here as the researcher is an insider’s view which has served me in carrrying out this project What I cannot claim is complete objectivitiy. I think ideally it would be a different person doing the coding and the interviewing Also, due to time and cost limitations, I was only able to interview 6 people, I think a more representative sample with teachers from different training organizations would be interesting.