Investigating the Acceptability and Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Professional Development with General and Special Education Teacher Candidates
Open Access
- Author:
- Kohler, Kimberly
- Graduate Program:
- Special Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 16, 2020
- Committee Members:
- Jennifer L Frank, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Jennifer L Frank, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Mary Catherine Scheeler, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Charles A Hughes, Committee Member
Deborah Lynn Schussler, Outside Member
Pamela S Wolfe, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- mindfulness
teacher education
teacher preparation
professional development
special education
teacher well-being - Abstract:
- Providing beginning teachers with skills and strategies needed to help build resilience to classroom stressors and increase social-emotional competence prior to entering the profession may positively impact physiological and psychological well-being, teacher effectiveness, and commitment to teaching. This quasi-experimental pilot study examined the acceptability and effectiveness of Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE), a mindfulness-based professional development (PD) program for teachers. Twenty-two elementary education and special education undergraduate and graduate-level teacher candidates participated in this study. Participants overwhelmingly offered positive support for the PD, noting the importance of integrating this type of program into teacher preparation coursework and field experiences. Daily text surveys indicated teacher candidates experience mild to moderate levels of stress as responsibilities increase, with the majority of stress stemming from their coursework and field placements. Data from participant interviews suggested the CARE PD helped to increase their awareness of emotions and ability to successfully manage feelings of stress through breathing practices (e.g., taking three deep breaths), cultivating positive emotions, and compassion practices. However, results of paired t tests indicated significant changes in unanticipated directions for several outcomes, including depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, conflict with students, and non-reactivity to internal states. Study limitations, directions for future research, and implications for teacher preparation and practice are also discussed.