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Shifting to Embodiment: a Longitudinal Qualitative Investigation into the Experiences of High School Teachers Teaching Mindfulness

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Abstract

Objective

Little is known about the process by which teachers learn the skills necessary to teach a school-based mindfulness program (SBMP), including how they come to understand and embody mindfulness. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore how teachers experienced implementing an SBMP over time, including their embodiment of mindfulness. Specifically, this study investigated whether teachers experienced any shifts in their thinking or pedagogy that coincided with developing embodiment of mindfulness.

Methods

Data included in-depth, semi-structured interviews spanning 12–20 months with three 11th grade health teachers to capture their perspectives at three to four time points during their professional development and implementation of the SBMP Learning to BREATHE (L2B). Thematic analysis identified themes that described teachers’ experiences over time, with particular attention to the mental or pedagogical shifts unique to implementing an SBMP.

Results

Although L2B aligned well with teachers’ overall teaching beliefs and values, implementing L2B elicited tensions in how teachers’ practices fulfilled their beliefs. These tensions highlighted necessary shifts as teachers worked to implement the program effectively, including embodying mindfulness. The main themes describing these shifts were as follows: (1) teaching to facilitating, (2) approach to classroom management, (3) interactions with and perceptions of students, and (4) adoption of personal mindfulness practice. Navigating these shifts involved embodying attitudinal foundations—patience, non-striving, beginner’s mind, non-judgment, acceptance, letting go, and trust.

Conclusions

Teacher buy-in to SBMP goals, openness to modifying their own instructional approaches, and ongoing professional development may help enhance embodiment of mindfulness and result in more effective implementation over time.

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Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences [grant number R305A140113]. The authors are responsible for the study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of data, and the decision to submit this manuscript for publication. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Institute of Educational Sciences or the US Department of Education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Deborah L. Schussler, Patricia C. Broderick, Elaine Berenna, Jennifer L. Frank & Mark T. Greenberg

  2. Education Policy Studies Department, Pennsylvania State University, 204H Rackley Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Deborah L. Schussler

  3. School of Education and Human Development, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, 80217, USA

    Julia Mahfouz

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  1. Deborah L. Schussler
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Correspondence to Deborah L. Schussler.

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Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Pennsylvania State University. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Financial Interest

In accordance with ethical obligations, one co-author, Patricia Broderick, developer of Learning to Breathe, has a financial interest that may be affected by the research reported in the enclosed paper.

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Schussler, D.L., Mahfouz, J., Broderick, P.C. et al. Shifting to Embodiment: a Longitudinal Qualitative Investigation into the Experiences of High School Teachers Teaching Mindfulness. Mindfulness 13, 509–525 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01811-5

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