Teachers’ perspectives about mindfulness programmes in primary schools to support wellbeing and positive behaviour

ABSTRACT

School-based mindfulness programmes promote student wellbeing and positive behaviour as well as the development of key life skills including self-regulation and stress management. Teacher buy-in has been raised as a critical factor for the successful implementation of mindfulness programmes in schools. This paper reports on a mixed-methods study which gathered data about teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and perspectives about mindfulness in New Zealand primary schools. Findings showed that teachers viewed mindfulness classroom programmes favourably and recognised the connection between the skills developed from mindfulness practice and behaviours valued in the classroom. Furthermore, teachers indicated the classroom teacher should be responsible for implementing such a programme and that mindfulness could be incorporated into daily practice at school.

KEYWORDS:

• Mindfulness
• wellbeing
• behaviour support
• classroom strategies
• school-wide interventions
• inclusive practices

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Debbie Kenwright

Debbie Kenwright is an Educational Psychologist. Prior to this I have gained numerous years experience in an educational setting as a Teachers Aide, Numeracy and Literacy Tutor and Careers Education Tutor. I graduated Massey University Post Graduate Diploma in Education and Developmental Psychologist with Merit in 2020. I am passionate about supporting children with diverse needs in educational settings.

Tara McLaughlin

Dr Tara McLaughlin PhD, MEd, BA is a Senior Lecturer in Early Years Institute of Education. I am a Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Education. Prior to this appointment, I was a Research Scientist at the University of Florida in the Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies. My teaching includes undergraduate and postgraduate papers in Early Years. As a teacher, teacher educator, and researcher in Early Years, I am committed to supporting learning environments that promote diverse and equitable opportunities for all children and families. I maintain an active research programme in range of topics related to early learning supports and services for young children, including children with disabilities, their families, and the teachers and specialists who serve them.

Sally Hansen

Sally Hansen is a Associate Professor and Director of Professional Education Institute of Education. Sally Hansen is currently the Director of the Institute of Education and Director of Teacher Education. Sally took up a senior position in the former College of Education in 1999. Prior to that she worked in the secondary school sector, as Head of English, and in other senior leadership roles. Her MPhil thesis (2000) titled Gender Differences and Writing: Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Attitudes, Preferences and Perceptions focused on the area of gender and literacy. Sally’s research interest in self-efficacy led her to focus her PhD thesis on teacher efficacy. Her 2005 doctoral dissertation titled: An Investigation of English Teacher Efficacy Beliefs: Subject-Specificity, Subject-Congruency, and Associated Factors, examined the efficacy beliefs of secondary teachers of English within the context of a new and expanding curriculum and increasing educational technologies. More recently Sally Hansen has expanded her research interest to include wider issues related to teacher education, both policy and practice. Sally is involved in a number of research studies related to teacher education, teacher quality, and teacher learning.