Mindfulness for in-service and preservice teachers: an empirical map of the discourse from 2000 to 2020

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, teacher learning programmes focused on mindfulness have become increasingly noticeable. In this research we ask: How pervasive is the phenomenon of mindfulness for in-service and preservice teachers and what are the characteristics of publications of this discourse? What are the current strands that constitute the discourse of mindfulness for in-service and preservice teachers? This research presents a mapping of this discourse based on 177 papers published between 2000 and 2020 focused on implementations and conceptualisations of mindfulness for in-service and preservice teachers. Findings demonstrate that mindfulness for in-service and preservice teachers is growing rapidly with implementations focused on teacher self-care and an increasing focus on the cultivation of social-emotional competencies. While most implementations take the form of short-termed interventions for in-service teachers, mindfulness for pre-service teachers is becoming more noticeable and at times it is oriented towards broader aims concerned with teacher identity.

KEYWORDS:

• Mindfulness
• teacher education
• review
• social-emotional competencies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Linor L Hadar

Linor, L. Hadar is an Associate Professor at Beit Berl College in Israel, and at the University of Haifa, Israel. Her research focuses on the study of curriculum and pedagogy. Within this area her work centers on thinking education, teacher education, communal learning, and professional learning of teachers and teacher educators. Among her publications: ”Talk about student learning: Promoting professional growth among teacher educators” (Teaching and Teacher Education, 2016); Individual growth and institutional advancement: The in-house model for teacher educators’ professional learning” (Teaching and Teacher Education, 2018); “Professional learning and development of teacher educators”. (International Handbook of Research on Teacher Education, 2017). She published a book “Teacher educators' professional learning in community” (Routledge, 2017). In this book she summarizes seven years of research.

Oren Ergas

Prof Oren Ergas: See in text just before the disclosure statement. I also copy it here: Prof. Oren Ergas sadly passed away during this paper’s publication. Prof. Ergas has dedicated his academic work to mindfulness in education, particularly to mindfulness in teacher education. Prof. Ergas believed that there is a strong need to integrate mindfulness for teachers throughout their years of training, across the curriculum as well as during their teaching career. Throughout his academic career, Prof. Ergas has worked with inservice and preservice teachers, and studied this area from many angels. This paper is one aspect of his work. This paper remains as a living memory of his work and passion, and a legacy for his students and teachers that were strongly influenced by his work. I am thankful for the years that Prof. Ergas and myself have worked together. I dedicate this last work to Prof. Ergas.