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Deepening awareness: the integration of mindfulness practices in United States high schools
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Deepening awareness: the integration of mindfulness practices in United States high schools
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Running head: DEEPENING AWARENESS 1
DEEPENING AWARENESS: THE INTEGRATION OF MINDFULNESS PRACTICES IN
UNITED STATES HIGH SCHOOLS
by
Michael G. McAlister
A Dissertation of Practice Presented to the
FACUTLY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 2018
Copyright 2018 Michael G. McAlister
DEEPENING AWARENESS 2
ABSTRACT
Mindfulness practices build an attentive awareness of the present moment and appear to support
the kind of well-being school communities seek to cultivate. Currently there are increases in
demands for the services offered by crisis counselors, who work to serve students’ emotional
needs. Students are increasingly reporting levels of chronic sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal
ideation. This is reflected nationally with high school students around the country reporting
increased incidents of stress and depression. This issue represents larger educational problems,
which correlate increased stress levels and ineffective teaching of coping skills with more serious
problems such as increased risk of teen suicide. The problem of practice addressed by this
dissertation is how schools might best integrate mindfulness practices, the learned attentive
awareness of the present moment, into this void and evaluate whether this approach to increasing
students’ ability to pay attention to their immediate experience, helps mitigate the problems
affiliated with increased levels of stress.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my parents for instilling a sense of curiosity in me, and my many teachers
for helping me to focus this curiosity in constructive ways. I thank my daughters for inspiring me
every day. I thank my brothers and their families, to the members of the Infinite Smile Sangha,
and, to each of those students who, over these many years, have taught me so much. To my
gifted administrative team, the faculty, and the staff at Northgate High School, along with the
leadership at the Mt. Diablo Unified School District. Thanks also goes out to those individuals at
Miramonte High School who made this study possible. Thanks to the leaders at the Acalanes
Union High School District who continue to show us how we can make education better. I also
want to offer special thanks those professors in the Global Executive Program at USC’s Rossier
School of Education who guided my cohort members and me through this process of discovery
and contribution. With this work, I honor the past and I offer its findings to what our shared
future might bring.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 4
DEDICATION
This project is dedicated to all those who seek to make ours a better world; to those interested in
serving what is good, true, and beautiful in us all; and, to those dedicated to discovering ways of
supporting the integration of stillness into the activity of contemporary life.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract 2
Acknowledgements 3
Dedication 4
List of Tables 8
List of Figures 9
Chapter One: Overview of the Study 10
Background of the Problem 11
Importance of Evaluating Mindfulness Practices 13
Organizational Context and Mission 15
Organizational Performance Status 16
Description of Stakeholder Groups 17
Stakeholders' Performance Goals 18
Stakeholder Group for the Study 19
Purpose of the Project and Questions 20
Conceptual and Methodological Framework 21
Definitions 21
Organization of the Project 22
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 24
Mindfulness 24
Physiological Benefits 26
The Practice of Mindfulness in an Educational Setting 27
Teen Mental Health in U.S. High Schools 28
Problems in Suburban Settings 30
Mental Health Interventions in High Schools 31
Traditional Interventions 31
Mindfulness Practice as an Effective Intervention 32
Integrating Mindfulness Practice in Schools 33
Potential Benefits of Mindfulness Practices in High School Settings 35
Prosocial Implications 36
Building Cultural Bridges 36
Decreases in Student and Teacher Stress 37
Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences of a Successful Program 37
Knowledge and Skills 38
Motivation 40
Organization 42
Conclusion 43
Chapter Three: Methodology 44
Purpose of the Project and Questions 44
Stakeholders of Focus 44
Assumed Influences 47
Preliminary Scanning Data and Critical Observations 49
Knowledge 50
Motivation 50
Organization 51
DEEPENING AWARENESS 6
Population 51
Data Collection 52
Surveys 53
Interviews 53
Observations 54
Document Analysis 54
Validation of Influences 55
Summary 55
Trustworthiness of Data 55
Role of the Investigator 56
Data Analysis 56
Limitations and Delimitations 56
Chapter Four: Findings 58
Knowledge Findings 59
Declarative Conceptual Knowledge 60
Procedural Knowledge 64
Metacognitive Knowledge 67
Summary of Knowledge Findings 70
Motivation Findings 72
Task Value 73
Affect 79
Summary of Motivation Findings 80
Organization Findings 81
Cultural Models 82
Cultural Settings 85
Summary of Organization Findings 88
Conclusion 88
Chapter Five: Solutions 91
Validated Needs and Proposed Solutions 91
Proposed Solution #1: Use Data to Guide Mindfulness Instruction and Assess
Its Impact 93
Proposed Solution #2: Actively Support More Structured Professional Development 94
Proposed Solution #3: Actively Support Collaboration 94
Proposed Solution #4: Stakeholder Outreach 95
Proposed Solution #5: Broaden the Effort 95
Implementation 96
Strategies and Action Steps 97
Resource Needs 99
Constraints 102
Evaluation 103
Level 1: Reaction 103
Level 2: Learning 105
Level 3: Behavior 106
Level 4: Results 106
Future Research 107
Conclusion 110
DEEPENING AWARENESS 7
References 112
Appendix A: Teacher Survey 126
Appendix B: Interview Questions 130
Appendix C: Mindful Attention Awareness Scale 131
Appendix D: Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire 132
Appendix E: Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory 133
Appendix F: Perceived Stress Scale - 10 134
DEEPENING AWARENESS 8
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Organizational Mission, Organizational Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals 19
Table 2: Summary of Assumed Teacher Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Needs
to Incorporate Mindfulness Practices in Their Classrooms 48
Table 3: Summary of Assumed Knowledge Needs and Validation 55
Table 4: Summary of Teacher Knowledge Findings 60
Table 5: Summary of Teacher Motivation Findings 72
Table 6: Summary of Organization Findings 81
Table 7: Summary of Findings and Proposed Solutions 91
Table 8: Summary of Solutions with Action Steps and Associated Timeline 96
DEEPENING AWARENESS 9
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Gap analysis process. 46
Figure 2: Number of instructors understanding how mindfulness supports student well-being
and how to assess student progress in this regard. 61
Figure 3: Number of teachers knowing how to integrate and embed mindfulness practices. 62
Figure 4: Number of teachers who believe they can model mindful behavior. 65
Figure 5: Number of teachers recognizing positive personal outcomes relating to their
mindfulness practice. 69
Figure 6: Teacher-identified beliefs relating to mindfulness training. 74
Figure 7: Teacher collaboration. 75
Figure 8: Teachers’ personal sense of well-being. 77
Figure 9: Support and positivity relating to student practice. 78
Figure 10: Student response to perceived value of mindfulness. 82
Figure 11: Faculty and parent view of mindfulness training. 83
Figure 12: Role models and additional classroom support. 85
Figure 13: Perceived administrative support. 87
DEEPENING AWARENESS 10
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
A growing proportion of American students experience social, emotional and behavioral
problems in ways that hinder their ability to become productive adults (Feld & Shusterman,
2015). These problems afflict nearly 20% of the U.S. primary and secondary student population
with only a limited number of those afflicted able to get the kind of treatment and supports that
they need (Greenberg & Harris, 2012; Rones & Hoagwood, 2000; Schonert-Reichl & Lawlor,
2010). The results of this trend are of concern since, left unchecked, peer-relationships suffer and
dropout rates increase as do rates of anxiety and depression, all of which have an impact on
schools’ ability to deliver an appropriate education (Schonert-Reichl & Lawlor, 2010).
Serving students’ overall psychological well-being, as well as those charged with
teaching them, is an increasing priority in schools since doing so supports, among other things,
increased academic success (Diamond, 2010). With an increase in mental health services offered
by crisis counselors who work to serve students’ emotional needs in suburban San Francisco’s
Acalanes Union High School District, one would assume that mental health issues are
substantially mitigated. However, at Miramonte High School, arguably the Acalanes Union High
School District’s highest-achieving member school, a full 23% of high school sophomores and
30% of juniors experience chronic sadness and hopelessness, and 16% of each of these groups
engage in suicidal ideation (Acalanes Union High School District, 2015 - 2016). They are not
alone, as this situation is mirrored in surrounding districts with similar demographics, where
there is similar demand for psychological services. These data are also reflected nationally as
high school students continue to show higher levels of reported stress and depression (Greeson,
Juberg, & Maytan, 2014; Huppert & Johnson, 2010).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 11
The experience and expression of stress among student populations is not a new
phenomenon. However, what is new among today’s student populations is the severity of stress-
induced manifestations and students’ inability to cope with pressure, especially within today’s
wealthier, high-achieving communities (Feld & Shusterman, 2015). Helping today’s students
and, by extension, their communities deal more effectively with stress-related psychopathologies
should be at the core of any educational institution’s current mission.
Background of the Problem
The problem of practice addressed by this dissertation relates to how a secondary school
might best address the problems affiliated with the emotional health of their students. Chief
among these efforts are the ways an institution can integrate mindfulness (a learned attentive
awareness of the present moment) into this void and then show how this approach to increasing
students’ ability to pay attention works to ease many of the problems affiliated with stress
(Chiesa & Serretti, 2009). The goal of this effort would, first and foremost, involve decreasing
student stress levels and, especially, the problems that cause it. As evidenced by the literature, an
ancillary benefit of the practice of mindfulness is greater self-awareness and greater
organizational tendencies toward self-care and empathy (Block-Lerner, 2013). While efforts to
educate and curb high-risk behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse may have a positive impact
on students, the instructional focus related to stress reduction is often lacking. Furthermore, the
high-stakes environment often present in more affluent communities along with faculty and even
parents’ self-reported high stress levels merely add to the problem (Luthar & Barkin, 2012).
Currently, in these more affluent communities, counselors see less of the typical high-risk
behaviors associated with teens such as binge drinking, drug use, and other escapist activities
(Austin & Duerr, 2004). Rather, there appears to be increased stress levels and ineffective
DEEPENING AWARENESS 12
teaching of coping skills with related serious problems such as increased risk of teen suicide
occurring (Garrison, McKeown, Valois, & Vincent, 2011).
While stress, in the context of education, has generally been part of the academic
experience, the increased stress levels experienced and reported by both U.S. teachers and their
students in recent years, however, are significant (Bluth, Roberson, & Gaylord, 2015). Some
point to the publication of A Nation at Risk (Gardner, 1983) as the beginning of this trend since it
suggested that America’s educational system was losing its preeminence to both Asian and
European nations. With this added pressure to keep up with the increased levels of Japanese and
European student achievement, American educational institutions added pressure to teachers,
who then added pressure to their students.
Currently, teachers are charged with doing more than just delivering the assigned
curriculum. Pressure has increased on today’s educators to provide nurturing learning
environments, increased responsiveness to all school stakeholders, standardized test support,
administration, conflict resolution, and handling of disruptive behaviors as well as embodying
emotional regulation, all with little in the way of additional training and resources (Meiklejohn et
al., 2012; Ross, 2010). Add to this an increase in demand placed on schools and their teachers to
celebrate higher and higher levels of achievement, along with the relentless pursuit of better than
perfect grade-point averages, high scores on both Advanced Placement (AP) exams and
Scholastic Assessment Tests (SATs) and the pressure continues to build (Luthar & Barkin,
2012). In this more is better subset of American culture, dysfunction can abound wherein the
task of serving all students gives way to pressuring all students to conform to norms that support
a notion where material wealth defines ultimate happiness and getting into a top college is the
only path one can take to realize this goal (Luthar & Barkin, 2012).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 13
The pressure on these students to get into elite colleges, and the pressure on teachers to
get them there generates environments that do not necessarily serve educational efforts as
effectively as they should (Luthar, 2003). Constant fatigue, an inability to begin work, a lack of
concentration, along with irritability, mood swings, depression and withdrawal are symptomatic
of stress and hinder the kind of performance that parents and communities expect (Feld &
Shusterman, 2015). The 2012 National Survey of College Counseling Centers reports that,
despite only small numbers of students who actively seek treatment for psychopathological
behaviors, counseling centers see increases in anxiety and depression across the board (Greeson
et al., 2014). These trends are particularly pronounced among the affluent (Luthar & Barkin,
2012). Still, in 2010, the CDC reported that 6.3% of all U.S. high school students will attempt
suicide with 1 out of every 200 of these attempts becoming successful (Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2009). This means for every school of 1000 students, there would be a
successful suicide about every 2 to 3 years.
Mindfulness practices, which work to strengthen an awareness of the present moment and
alleviate one’s tendency to focus on stress-inducing attachments to future outcomes, show
promise in terms of mitigating stress levels, anxiety, and depression (Broderick & Metz, 2011;
Meiklejohn et al., 2012; Metz et al., 2013). While still in the early stages of introduction into
classrooms, the hope is that the more widespread mindfulness practices are integrated into
academic settings, the more its positive results will be seen (Block-Lerner et al., 2007). The
implementation, and integration of this training, therefore, holds significant promise as a way of
mitigating the stress levels currently documented among high school students.
Importance of Evaluating Mindfulness Practices
DEEPENING AWARENESS 14
It is essential that mindfulness practices be examined and evaluated as they relate to the
problems affiliated with teen stress. The consequences that both schools and the broader
workforce face by ignoring this trend toward stress-related challenges are significant. Depending
on the degree to which one might suffer from stress-induced psychopathology, there are limits as
to what a person suffering from the affliction can contribute to any external relationship,
professional or otherwise. Similarly, this challenge also includes internal relationships as they
pertain to the ideas of self, other and, we can assume by extension, organizational community
(Immordino-Yang, 2011). It is, therefore, important to consider how steps mirroring the
successful approaches that businesses use in recognizing the relationship between stress and
personal well-being might be implemented in schools. According to Luthar, Barkin, and
Crossman (2013) this is especially significant as it applies to affluent school communities where,
they argue, these problems manifest most acutely.
Stress, anxiety, and depression may result from different stimuli within different
communities and have different consequences, but stress-related problems are present in children
across the economic and demographic spectrum, and it is noteworthy that the outcomes of
mindfulness practice are generalizable across lower-income and minority populations (Black et
al., 2009; Black & Fernando, 2013; Liehr & Diaz, 2010). Moreover, according to Fernando
(2013), statistically significant improvements were shown in three schools in Oakland,
California, where 91% of the participating students were on free or reduced-price lunch
programs. Additionally, 68% of these students were English learners and only 51% of these
students had parents who had earned a high school diploma or its equivalent (Fernando, 2013).
In a study held in Richmond, California, where 95.7% of the students were ethnic minorities and
83% were enrolled in free or reduced-price lunch programs, Black et al. (2009) showed similar
DEEPENING AWARENESS 15
results, with mindfulness practices supporting better self-control, more constructive participation
in activities, and greater care and respect for others.
Regardless of the demographic or socio-economic considerations of student populations,
school and district administrations are considering how to better integrate psychological wellness
into curricula in ways that mirror successful business organizations in order to help students fare
better in terms of overall health and happiness (Sauer & Kohls, 2011). Learning how to do so
efficiently and effectively could support not only greater well-being among high school students
across all populations but could also have a positive influence at every level of academic and
professional engagement.
Organizational Context and Mission
Founded in 1955, Miramonte High School is one of four comprehensive high schools and
one continuation school in the Acalanes Union High School District. It is in the East Bay suburb
of Orinda, California, and is its only high school, laying claim to an active, engaged, and
financially supportive parent population. Nearly half of Orinda’s residents earn more than
$200,000 per year, with Orinda nearly tripling the state average in terms of per capita wealth
(City-Data, n.d.). Located just over the hills, east of the University of California at Berkeley,
Miramonte annually sends 98% of its graduates to college. The academic offerings include
college preparatory and AP courses as well as a variety of choices in the arts.
The school’s mission is “to provide a high level of intellectual, social, and personal
growth in each individual” (Miramonte High School, 2017). While some argued that
Miramonte’s mission is comprehensive, others suggested that it sets a low bar for achievement,
leaving out, for example, how the increasingly interconnected nature of the contemporary world
necessitates a more global orientation. Effectively meeting the challenges of our world, in other
DEEPENING AWARENESS 16
words, requires more than just supporting a student’s sense of self, as some of the parental and
school community have argued, further suggesting that Miramonte’s mission should also
include, as discussions revealed, a student’s sense of other, and perhaps their global and local
communities.
Demographically speaking, the school is composed of nearly 1200 students with an
ethnic mix of 66% Caucasian, 15% Asian, 8% Latino, 1% African-American and the remaining
9% of other ethnicities. A full 100% of Miramonte’s teachers are credentialed and are considered
highly qualified (Miramonte High School, 2017).
Organizational Performance Status
There is interest in assessing how well the application of mindfulness practices over the
last four years affected Miramonte’s students and its teachers. Those most closely involved with
the program suggested that, by the fall of 2020, Miramonte High should be in a position to
implement a mindfulness plan that will decrease student-reported chronic sadness and depression
on the California Healthy Kids Survey from 30% to 15%. In addition to mindfulness being
expanded into a greater percentage of classrooms, the district administration has recently
implemented a plan where each of its four comprehensive high schools has realigned their daily
schedules from seven periods into a block pattern that has students meeting their teachers for the
same number of instructional minutes per year but with actual face-to-face exchanges only
happening three times each week (Acalanes Union High School District, n.d.). Embedded within
this new, weekly schedule are two 45-minute periods where mindfulness training may be
offered. The current mindfulness program at Miramonte is not a school-wide effort, but rather a
supplemental training offered weekly, predominantly to 9th grade students either by their
specific teachers or, more commonly, by the school’s licensed (MFT), on-site therapist.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 17
Description of Stakeholder Groups
There are three significant stakeholder groups, each of which plays a part in the delivery,
application, and healthy function of the mindfulness program at Miramonte High School: first,
teachers and the on-site therapist; second, the students; and, third, administrators.
The first stakeholder group includes both teachers and a licensed, on-site therapist. These
individuals are at the forefront of the effort and are charged with implementing Miramonte’s plan
and then sharing the training with the students. Though several teachers throughout the school
received training in mindfulness practices, there are a limited number of teachers who regularly
integrate the training into their classes without the assistance of the school’s on-site therapist
who, in most cases, actively supports and leads the students in mindfulness activities and
practices.
The students, a second stakeholder group, extend throughout each of the four grades at
Miramonte. For the last two years, however, special attention has been given to the training of
the 9th grade, freshman class or, as they are known throughout the school, the freshman cohort.
Originally established in 2012 as a pilot grouping of only half of the 9th grade, the cohort has
since expanded to include the entire freshman class.
It should be noted that this researcher was an administrator at Miramonte High from 2011
to 2014 and was among the original designers of the pilot effort that the school continues to use
for today’s freshman cohort. Additionally, this researcher worked to support the initial training
of eight staff members in mindfulness practices and techniques during this same time frame in
the hope that this work could be integrated more extensively into the school’s curriculum. The
effort to support a broad-based mindfulness training across the faculty and at all levels of the
student population was slow to catch on with most offerings up until 2015 remaining sparse and
DEEPENING AWARENESS 18
informal. As teachers continued with the training, however, more focus was placed on how to
integrate mindfulness training into the school’s curriculum. Currently, the roughly 300 9th grade
students are all members of the freshman cohort and are the second class of Miramonte students
to receive formal mindfulness training. Plans are now in place to continue this program at the
freshman level and extend the offering more broadly across other grade levels as more teachers
receive training and curricular offerings that integrate mindfulness into the school’s schedule are
made available.
Miramonte’s site administration, a third stakeholder group, is supportive of the current
mindfulness effort both financially and conceptually. Training, for those interested in integrating
the mindfulness practices into their courses, is freely offered by site administrators in the hope
that student stress is decreased while well-being is enhanced. The district administration is also
looking to see if its implementation of a block schedule across its schools, beginning in the 2017-
2018 school year, will support a broader sense of psychological ease for students during the
school day thereby decreasing levels of stress.
Stakeholders' Performance Goals
Ideally, Miramonte High’s teachers and the on-site therapist involved in supporting the
institution’s organizational goal will regularly integrate mindfulness practices into classrooms
(Table 1). While this integration is in the service of supporting student health, it will be of
significant value if more mindfulness training and practice for students will also be of personal
benefit to those offering the instruction themselves.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 19
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Organizational Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
Miramonte High School’s Mission: To provide a high level of intellectual, social, and
personal growth in each individual.
Organizational Goal
By Fall of 2020, Miramonte High will implement a mindfulness plan that will decrease
reported chronic sadness and depression on the California Healthy Kids Survey from 30% to
15% and work to support the overall mental well-being of its students.
Teacher and Counselor
Goals
By fall of 2020, 100% of the
Freshman cohort teachers
and the site therapist
involved in achieving the
organizational goal will have
integrated daily mindfulness
practice in their classrooms.
Student Goals
By 2020, Miramonte
students will fully participate
in the mindfulness practices.
Administrator Goals
By 2019, administrators will
apply strategies that
successfully expand teacher
training and student
participation in achieving the
organizational goal.
Stakeholder Group for the Study
Each of the stakeholders mentioned in Table 1 is inextricably linked to the healthy
function of Miramonte High’s mission as well as to the overall well-being of its student and
professional community. It is, however, critical that the teachers and the school’s licensed, on-
site therapist tasked with implementing the mindfulness practices be the focus of this study since,
according to those involved with teacher training, the success of mindfulness practices depends
largely on the ability of teachers to embody the skills they are trying to teach (Meiklejohn et al.,
2012). This type of training is not just the addition of a particular knowledge base followed by
creative implementation of curricular design. Rather, mindfulness is participatory and supports a
DEEPENING AWARENESS 20
significant personal shift in how a person, student or teacher, meets situations throughout his or
her life. Stress-bound teachers, for example, will struggle teaching students how to be calm just
like a distracted teacher will struggle teaching anyone to focus (Meiklejohn et al., 2012).
Because of this, any successful effort in the delivery of effective mindfulness practices will
depend as much on the teachers’ ability to embody its offering as it will depend on its integration
into course curriculum. While Miramonte teachers continue to make strides in implementing
mindfulness practices, an effective evaluation of their collective efforts will require a study of
how well they are able to use mindfulness practices in their own lives in addition to how well
they are able to demonstrate its benefits to students.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the degree to which Miramonte High School’s
offering of mindfulness training is meeting its organizational goal of decreasing student stress
and supporting students’ overall sense of mental well-being. The analysis will focus on
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to achieving this organizational
goal. While a complete performance evaluation would focus on all stakeholders, for practical
purposes and for the previously delineated reasons, the stakeholder group to be focused on in this
analysis will include Miramonte teachers, primarily of the freshman cohort, who currently use
mindfulness techniques, as well as the school’s licensed, on-site therapist.
The questions relating to Miramonte’s efforts will guide this evaluation’s exploration of
teachers’ and their therapist’s knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences and will be
asked in the following manner:
1. What are the knowledge and motivational influences that relate to the teacher and on-site
therapist’s integration of mindfulness practices in Miramonte classrooms?
DEEPENING AWARENESS 21
2. What are the interactions between organizational culture and context as well as the
knowledge and motivation of the teachers and on-site therapist?
3. What are the recommendations for organizational practice in the areas of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational resources?
Conceptual and Methodological Framework
Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis, a systematic, analytical method that helps to both
clarify organizational goals and identify the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences, was adapted to evaluate mindfulness training and practice at Miramonte and was
implemented as the conceptual framework for this study. This methodological framework
integrates both qualitative and quantitative methods of measurement. Assumed knowledge,
motivation, and organizational influences that have an impact on organizational goal
achievement were generated based both on personal knowledge and related literature. The
utilization of surveys, interviews, observations, document analysis, and a literature review as
well as content analysis, helped assess these influences. Following this, a set of research-based
solutions will then be recommended and evaluated in a comprehensive manner.
Definitions
Administration: the group charged with leading a school and/or a district.
At-risk student: a student who requires temporary or ongoing intervention in order to
succeed academically.
District: a body composed of member schools.
Intervention: a program designed to enhance a student experience.
MBSR: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
MFT: licensure delineation for marriage and family therapist
DEEPENING AWARENESS 22
Meditation: practice of stilling the body and mind.
Mental Health: a relative sense of psychological peace.
Mindfulness: mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment,
while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.
Present moment awareness: the recognition of the current situation without reference
points in either the past or the future.
Prosocial: behaviors aligned with constructive engagement between and among
individuals and groups.
Public School: a publicly funded institution, supporting the education of students from
kindergarten through twelfth grade.
SEL: Social and Emotional Learning.
Stress: the negative sense that arises when a potential, future outcome has an impact on
one’s current experience.
Suburban: of, or pertaining to, the suburbs of a city or urban area.
Well-being: optimal psychological functioning and experience for both individuals and
groups.
Organization of the Project
Five chapters are used to organize this study. This chapter provided the key concepts and
terminology commonly found in a discussion about student well-being, especially as it relates to
their mental health. The organization’s mission, goals, and stakeholders as well as the review of
the evaluation framework were provided. Chapter Two provides a review of current literature
surrounding the scope of the study. Topics relating to the mental health of teens and their
teachers, especially those in affluent communities, successful applications of stress reduction, as
DEEPENING AWARENESS 23
well as the impact that mindfulness practice has on organizational cultures are addressed.
Chapter Three details the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences examined as
well as methodology in terms of participants, data collection, and analysis. In Chapter Four, the
data and results of this study are described and analyzed. Chapter Five then provides
recommendations for practice, based on data and literature, as well as recommendations for
implementation as well as an evaluation plan.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 24
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This chapter reviews the current literature on the topic of teen well-being in high schools
with emphasis on the intervention of mindfulness. While a working definition of well-being
remains controversial, for this study it can be understood as the optimal psychological
functioning and experience for both individuals and groups (Ryan & Deci, 2001). There is a
similar definitional struggle with how one might address mindfulness. However, this study
addresses its application as an open, relaxed, self-regulated maintenance of attention on
immediate experience (Bishop, Lau, Shapiro, & Carlson, 2004; Kabat-Zinn, 1982). The review
of the literature begins with a conceptual understanding of mindfulness and vital elements of
mindfulness before examining the issues relating to social and emotional well-being especially as
they relate, in this case, to suburban settings. Next, interventions designed to support teen well-
being will be addressed with particular attention to current mindfulness practices. Then, the
benefits of mindfulness are assessed through pertinent literature. Finally, this chapter concludes
with a discussion of teachers’ knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs to effectively
implement mindfulness practices in their classrooms.
Mindfulness
There are diverse perspectives, meanings, and applications of mindfulness. Moreover, the
conceptual understanding of mindfulness has been continuously revised and clarified. However,
even though varied definitions for mindfulness exist, there is a congruent understanding of its
most vital elements. Two of these foundational elements include self-regulation of attention and
non-judgmental recognition of experience (Black, 2011; Metz et al., 2013). Regardless of
discipline, be it medical, business, psychological, or educational, these elemental practices can
enhance productivity, offer better health, and engage ethical behaviors (Sauer & Kohls, 2011).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 25
Mindfulness practices have been studied empirically for nearly 40 years (Black, 2011).
Training focuses on developing the cultivation of a mental state achieved by focusing one’s
awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings,
thoughts, and bodily sensations (Black, 2011; Kabat-Zinn, 1982; Metz et al., 2013). These two
pillars of practice, self-regulation of attention and non-judgmental awareness of experience, offer
an orientation for mindfulness practitioners to meet their life experience from an open
perspective; one that offers opportunities for recognizing experiences without discursive
evaluation.
This is the central benefit to mindfulness training and practice: rather than habitually
engaging one’s experience from a place of reactivity, where a negative evaluation of an event
often supplants an open, non-judgmental awareness, mindfully meeting life’s challenges allows
for them to be seen as situations that simply need attention as opposed to problems that need to
be fought (Kabat-Zinn, 1982). With mindfulness training, any situation, be it positive or
negative, can be seen as an event that simply requires one’s attention and an appropriate response
that draws upon the clarity offered by this developing attentive awareness. This adjustment in
attention offers the potential of a significant shift in one’s internal psychological narrative, one
that so often can generate stress and negative emotional reactivity. With mindfulness training,
one’s attention can now be shifted to increase thoughtful responsiveness and decrease negative
emotional responses (Metz et al., 2013). As a practical example, one can recognize something
that might generate negativity for a teacher. Perhaps there is a feeling arising in this individual
that excess administrative demands are getting in the way of delivering curriculum. With
training, the negativity that might accompany this observation can be seen clearly as a simple
resistance pattern. The awareness of this resistance pattern, and the practice of repeatedly
DEEPENING AWARENESS 26
recognizing it for what it is, has the effect of simultaneously allowing for breaking the cycle of
negativity and increasing clarity as options for meeting the given situation are sought.
Being able to apply this shift in perspective is typically achieved through training that
begins with a basic task of paying close attention to one’s breathing (Kabat-Zinn, 1982). This
attentive awareness, directed first at one’s inhalation and exhalation, is then focused on one’s
physical senses. Then, following one’s immediate experience of how one might be feeling
emotionally can be followed by an observation of one’s thoughts. These practices are supported
by a repeated, non-judgmental awareness in each moment so that a calm, open observation of
any and all experiences can replace the habitual tendency of negative evaluation (Kabat-Zinn,
1982).
Despite its advantages, cultivating this presence in the face of life’s varied and plentiful
discomforts will not solve them. What these practices can do, however, is support a practitioner’s
ability to meet anything that is happening with a different kind of physical and mental approach
(Meiklejohn et al., 2012). Being able to engage one’s experience by shifting one’s perspective
becomes both the goal, and an evolving process, as a practitioner’s skill continually deepens.
Physiological Benefits
Brain and other physical functions are positively affected by the shift in perspective that
mindfulness practice maintains, according to recent research. For example, positive emotions
were reinforced in practitioners with as little as five minutes of mindfulness practice each day for
five weeks (Moyer et al., 2011). According to one study, a full day of appropriately guided
mindfulness reduced inflammation within the body and correlated with a reduction in social
stress (Davidson & McEwen, 2012). Another study uncovered both the modulation of pain as
well as a positive correlation between the reduced volume of the high basolateral amygdala with
DEEPENING AWARENESS 27
a decrease in stress after only eight weeks of mindfulness training (Zeidan et al., 2011). These
findings suggest that, in addition to reducing pain, only limited amounts of mindfulness training
may mitigate negative emotional responses affiliated with the structure in the brain that governs
these reactions, thus reducing stress in its practitioners (Keng, Smoski, & Robins, 2011).
Moreover, training has also been shown to increase empathy among practitioners while
decreasing cortisol levels and blood pressure, thus leading to effective treatments in the broader
field of mental health by showing that it can reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, and increase
feelings of subjective well-being (Keng et al., 2011; Mascaro, Rilling, Negi, & Raison, 2012).
The Practice of Mindfulness in an Educational Setting
Despite its potential physiological and psychological benefits, mindfulness training is not
a panacea. It is better seen as a discipline that supports a deepening awareness of a person’s
immediate experience. Critics of mindfulness practice have suggested that it has been
commercialized and that its use obscures the unhappiness and distress inherent in contemporary
capitalist societies (Arthington, 2016; Hyland, 2015; Wilson, 2016). Regardless, the literature
strongly suggests that mindfulness can be applied in classrooms in ways that significantly
support the well-being of our students (Albrecht, Albrecht, & Cohen, 2012).
One introductory training offered by the organization Mindful Schools, as an example,
involves asking students to first close their eyes and then recognize within themselves a time
when they have felt happy, sad, joyful, frightened, anxious, peaceful. The list of words continues
for a while with the teacher then suggesting that mindfulness teaches us to notice when we are
experiencing these various emotions and feelings. Recognizing them allows for students to
practice reacting differently to these emotions and feelings than they may have done in the past.
Instead of getting knocked over by their response to an emotion, students know that they will be
DEEPENING AWARENESS 28
learning, in this case, to come back to a centered sense of self as they learn to observe, then
respond rather than react to their experience (Mindful Schools, 2015). Lessons can take a variety
of forms but typically are anchored by awareness relating to the activity of the body, like
breathing, or to the thoughts of the mind, like memories, judgments, and plans. This anchoring in
the awareness of body and mind then allows for students of mindfulness to begin to recognize
how interdependent their experience is with others and how, as the researcher observed a teacher
say in a classroom, “nothing is permanent.” In the context of mindfulness, it supports the notion
that impermanence applies to one’s mood, good or bad, as well as one’s physical sensations,
good or bad. Extending this sense into the space students share with each other, and, by
extension, the rest of the world, becomes part of the training as well. As a result, a student’s
sense of his or her internal experience is enhanced in the same way that his or her sense of their
external experience is enhanced, which appears to reinforce both self-care and empathy, and
accounts for decreases in negative emotions and increases in subjective well-being (Brown &
Ryan, 2003).
Teen Mental Health in U.S. High Schools
In the context of education, seeking ways of cultivating well-being is not a new goal.
Since the mid-1990s, efforts have been put into place in order to use school settings to advance
social and emotional learning (SEL) and its core competencies of self-awareness, self-
management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills and social awareness (Lawlor,
2014). However, what does appear both to be new, and increasing, is the rate of pathologies like
anxiety and depression among U.S. high school students (Schonert-Reichl & Lawlor, 2010). In
2000, nearly one in five U.S. children and teens, as an example, reported levels of anxiety and
depression that merit mental health service support (Schonert-Reichl & Lawlor, 2010).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 29
Often, contemporary scholarship and the current academic emphasis of graduate
institutions in education identify only low-income families as falling into this at-risk category
(Luthar, 2003). This is an appropriate delineation, with teens in impoverished, urban settings
often deal with exposure to issues like extreme poverty, the carrying of weapons, delinquency,
substance abuse either in themselves or in their families, promiscuity, unintended pregnancy,
limited physical activity, and dropping out of school (Bluth et al., 2015; Rawlett & Scrandis,
2015; Theron, Liebenberg, & Ungar, 2015). However, the affluent should not be exempt from
being considered at-risk by virtue of their relative financial security (Koplewicz, Gurian, &
Williams, 2009). Increased levels of substance abuse, rule-breaking behaviors, and the
manifestation of anxiety and depression among students of more affluent families are worthy of
recent scholarship and merit continued study (Luthar & Barkin, 2012).
In terms of historical context, it was not until the 1950s, for example, that children in
poverty were seen as facing a set of educational disadvantages and risks specific to the
socioeconomic status (Luthar, 2003). Prior to this, theories of child development were based
largely on studies that featured middle-class youth (Graham, 1992). But, in recent years, affluent
families have received less attention in terms of academic policy study (Luthar, 2003). The
reasons for this are hard to know for certain. But developmental scientists may, one, see the
affluent as bearing a striking resemblance to the middle class and, therefore, not be worthy of
specific study and, two, see that the privileged lives of the affluent as “utterly benign and not
worthy of scarce research resources” (Luthar, 2003, p. 1581). Regardless, excluding any subset
of a population can perpetuate the problem that focusing on all students seeks to eliminate.
The literature suggests that the affluent, suburban, or upper socioeconomic status families
are linked to greater levels of internalizing problems like substance use, depression, and anxiety
DEEPENING AWARENESS 30
than their poorer, largely urban, counterparts (Luthar & D'Avanzo, 1999; Luthar et al., 2013).
This study will attempt to approach the issue of at-risk teens, especially those in affluent
communities, and attempt to gain a better understanding as to what can be done to mitigate
increasing levels of despair both intra-personally and within school settings.
Problems in Suburban Settings
Teens from wealthier, suburban communities, such as Miramonte’s, according to Feld
and Shusterman (2015), are dealing with chronic sadness, depression and suicide rates that are
higher than their urban counterparts. Mental problems and a general lack of a felt sense of well-
being apply to the parents of this population as well where an overt emphasis is placed on
material success that can limit both close relationships as well as authentically shared social
networks (Koplewicz et al., 2009).
The argument has been made, in fact, that affluent youth in the U.S. should be identified
as an at-risk group due to their elevated levels of substance use, depression, and anxiety which
indicate the need for immediate intervention (Luthar & Barkin, 2012). Generalizing on this issue
appears difficult and still requires further study, but it is still important to consider the role
played by parents and their broader communities in these types of maladaptive behaviors (Luthar
& Barkin, 2012). Similarly, it is challenging to assess the extent to which affluent, suburban
youth are struggling because of high-stakes approaches to living, where an over-emphasis on the
pursuit and maintenance of wealth and status, predisposes them toward substance abuse,
rebellious, rule-breaking behaviors, as well as depression and anxiety (Feld & Shusterman, 2015;
Luthar & Barkin, 2012). Moreover, Luthar’s research data (2003, 2005, 2012, 2013) suggests
cultures that overemphasize material wealth incur significant costs in the areas of substance
abuse, anxiety, and depression. Further study would need to examine this assertion as well as the
DEEPENING AWARENESS 31
extent to which the relentless, high-stakes pursuit of achievement in terms of grade-point
averages, AP and SAT scores, athletic, and extra-curricular achievement, directly correspond
with this subset of our culture, and how it is hurting students.
Mental Health Interventions in High Schools
When schools respect and cultivate the dignity of their students, teach responsibility and
tolerance, and work to build environments in schools that celebrate individual and cultural worth,
students are better able to realize their fullest potential (Cohen, 2008). Moreover, public attitudes
surrounding public education show signs of shifting away from a limited focus on linguistic and
mathematical proficiencies and show greater support for students actually using these outcomes
to become responsible, economically self-sufficient citizens (Rose & Gallup, 2000). According
to Lawlor (2014), this educational approach is institutionally supported by SEL curricula and
programming.
Traditional Interventions
Despite a shortage of trained mental health practitioners in U.S. high schools, school-
based services that promote mental well-being have been enhanced, especially with the passage
of 2010’s Affordable Care Act (Doll, Nastasi, & Cornell, 2017). In the classroom, curricula
related to well-being have been integrated into existing courses that aim to support health and
wellness for students (Rones & Hoagwood, 2000). Outside the classroom, crisis counseling has
become more intentional and strategic in school settings to both monitor and support students
who are struggling with mental health issues (Auger & DeKruyf, 2013). These interventions for
high school students, especially in relation to mental health, are widespread and their availability
is increasing (Iachini, Brown, Ball, Gibson, & Lize, 2015). More recent interventions relating to
the well-being of high school students include group and individual therapeutic sessions and one-
DEEPENING AWARENESS 32
on-one mentoring as well as additional parental and community supports (Iachini et al., 2015).
Yet, outside the realm of school, health plans tend to offer only episodic rather than long-term
therapy, and, unless the case requires in-patient care, ongoing mental health support is only
sporadically covered (Horgan, Garnick, & Merrick, 2009). While it is beyond the scope of the
research of this study to draw conclusions as to the causes of what appear to be an increase in
need for these types of programs, current research, according to Iachini et al. (2015), points to
time trends that show increases in conduct and emotional problems among teens, as well as
increases in hyperactivity and comorbidity in the last 25 years. Left unattended, attempts at
staying ahead of this curve will continue to challenge the current school system (Iachini et al.,
2015).
Mindfulness Practice as an Effective Intervention
The intervention of mindfulness has shown promise as an effective way of mitigating the
stress, anxiety, and depression affiliated with these trends (Jennings, Frank, Snowberg, Coccia,
& Greenberg, 2013). It is not the only non-traditional intervention being used (Merry et al.,
2012). Computer assisted supports for students, such as the SPARX program, a computerized,
self-help intervention for adolescents seeking assistance for depression, are currently being
explored and while limited in their scope, these efforts appear to show a degree of promise
(Merry et al., 2012).
Technological applications such as these that support student introspection mirror the
intent of mindful awareness training. Whether the training comes from a computer screen or a
living being, mindfulness is a trainable skill that involves two things. First, it requires
intentionally remembering to pay attention to whatever is happening in the present moment.
Second, it requires meeting this present moment with total relaxation (Kabat-Zinn, 1982).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 33
Engaging these two requirements allows for practitioners to then respond to whatever is
happening from a psychological place of openness rather than react to the given situation in
habitually negative ways (Ditrich, 2017; Kabat-Zinn, 1982).
There are other benefits. For example, practicing the training offered by mindfulness
curriculum has been shown to support improvements in students’ ability to pay attention, show
calmness and self-control, constructively participate, and care and respect for self as well as for
others (Black & Fernando, 2013). These outcomes mitigate unruly behavior on the part of
students which then lessons teachers’ emotional distress which so often contributes to job
dissatisfaction and poor teacher retention rates (Black & Fernando, 2013; Rawlett & Scrandis,
2015). Mindfulness training can also significantly affect the broader learning environment in
positive ways not only for the student population but for teachers and staff as well (Black &
Fernando, 2013).
Studies in neuroscience, medicine, and psychology, relating specifically to teachers point
to evidence suggesting that educators who practice mindfulness enjoy significant benefit from
the discipline (Meiklejohn et al., 2012). For example, in his distillation of hundreds of studies
relating to mindfulness, Greeson (2009) points to results that suggest these practices are
associated with reduced emotional distress, more positive mental states, and an improved quality
of life for all those who practice mindfulness. Perhaps most noteworthy in this work was this
author’s assertion that “mindfulness practice can influence the brain, the autonomic nervous
system, stress hormones, the immune system, and health behaviors, including eating, sleeping,
and substance use” (Greeson, 2009, p. 10).
Integrating Mindfulness Practice in Schools
DEEPENING AWARENESS 34
As research relating to mindfulness integration has proliferated, and emerging evidence
suggests that its benefits are widespread with outcomes equal to or better than traditional
interventions, the issue of how to best integrate its application in school setting arises (Weare,
2013). Questions relating to best practices and how to best support quality implementation of
mindfulness practices must be dealt with on a personal level as well as an institutional level
(Lawlor, 2014). Although specific methods and programmatic details relating to mindfulness
integration in school settings may vary depending on any number of institutional, cultural, and
environmental variables, basic issues need to be addressed for mindfulness practices to unfold
effectively (Weare, 2013). Primarily, school-based mindfulness offerings need to be both regular
and consistent across those classrooms that offer the training (Weare, 2013). Perhaps most
important is that quality implementation of a school-wide mindfulness program must involve a
teacher’s commitment on a personal level as well as a clearly articulated commitment from the
school’s administration (Lawlor, 2014). In other words, integration needs to be consistently
attended to both internally, on the part of those offering the training, as well as externally, in
terms of the institution.
Factors that contribute to success. Mindfulness programs that show promise within
schools have high levels of classroom integration coupled with extensive faculty training
(Gueldner & Feuerborn, 2016; Lawlor, 2014; Weare, 2013). Extensive teacher training builds
successful programs when they focus efforts on developing the teachers’ practice, support
ongoing professional development for them, celebrate high-quality implementation, and engage
an ongoing evaluation of programmatic effectiveness (Lawlor, 2014). Most importantly, schools
with successful mindfulness programs have teachers who can model mindfulness in their daily
exchanges with their students (Lawlor, 2014).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 35
Factors that limit success. Mindfulness programs that lack either consistent
administrative support in terms of scheduling or ongoing professional development are bound to
struggle (Weare, 2013). Similarly, according to Gueldner and Feuerborn (2016), stakeholder
perceptions matter. For one, it is critical that stakeholders, in general, not view mindfulness as a
religious approach to developing a sense of inner calm (Gueldner & Feuerborn, 2016). In
addition, a lack of appropriate teacher training or a lack of continual professional development
relating to mindfulness training will limit success, as will a lack of deeply coordinated efforts on
the part of site and district administrations (Gueldner & Feuerborn, 2016). Finally, there is little
chance that the program will be effective if, in their daily exchanges with their students, teachers
cannot embody the behaviors that mindfulness supports (Lawlor, 2014; Meiklejohn et al., 2012).
Stressed teachers, in short, will not be able to inspire calm student populations.
Potential Benefits of Mindfulness Practices in High School Settings
Regardless of an adolescent’s internal or external environment, high school brings with it
a series of stresses (Metz et al., 2013). Both social and emotional uncertainty can beget other
stresses as well, leaving teens in positions of shared vulnerability where high-risk behaviors
increase and coping mechanisms are strained (Koplewicz et al., 2009). Being able to regulate
one’s emotions brought on by these stressful feelings of vulnerability is increasingly being
viewed as an important foundation to both well-being and academic performance (Metz et al.,
2013). Wolf and Ollendick (2006) also point out that deficits in a teen’s ability to regulate
emotion are fundamental to the experience of anxiety, depression, self-injury, and substance
abuse.
Mindfulness practice offers the potential for students to meet these challenges
consciously, which, in turn, allows for a deeper awareness of one’s experience (Metz et al.,
DEEPENING AWARENESS 36
2013). As this self-reflection begins to unfold and deepen within student populations who
practice mindfulness, a greater stability begins to arise within their experience (Metz et al.,
2013). Less stress is felt, higher levels of achievement, and fewer discipline problems arise
(Gueldner & Feuerborn, 2016; Metz et al., 2013). The use of mindfulness training shows promise
in terms of how it can promote growth in social, emotional, and academic domains (Gueldner &
Feuerborn, 2016).
Prosocial Implications
One’s ability to develop a reliable internal sense of self-care as well as an ability to show
greater empathy is supported by mindfulness practices (Bluth et al., 2016; Chiesa & Serretti,
2009). The research of Meiklejohn et al. (2012) goes a step further, suggesting that the emotional
self-regulation brought on by mindfulness practices offers teachers a deeper sense of well-being
and self-efficacy. This in turn allows for better classroom management and more supportive
relationships with student populations (Meikeljohn, 2012). The potential benefits for student
practitioners of mindfulness also include decreases in both trait and state anxiety levels as well as
greater rates of pro-social behaviors (Meikeljohn, 2012). In addition, decreases in problem
behaviors, improved attention, personal goals, subjective happiness, decreased reactivity,
reduced stress, and increases in academic performance are also exhibited (Beauchemin,
Hutchins, & Patterson, 2008; Meiklejohn et al., 2012).
Building Cultural Bridges
Compassion for both self and others appears to be a significant by-product of this work
(Condon, Desbordes, Miller, & DeSteno, 2013). Despite variations in a person’s cultural
background, age or wisdom tradition, for example, mindfulness practices tend to increase
compassionate responses, deepen one’s empathetic capacity, moral development, as well as his
DEEPENING AWARENESS 37
or her sense of spiritual connection (Black, Milam, & Sussman, 2009; Condon et al., 2013;
Kegan, 2009; Kuyken et al., 2013; Shapiro, Schwartz, & Bonner, 1998; Wilber, 2000). In
addition, mindfulness intervention studies outside the US also show promise when applied
(Albrecht et al., 2012; Keng, Phang, & Oei, 2015; Weare, 2013).
Decreases in Student and Teacher Stress
Evidence suggests that mindfulness training has a positive effect in decreasing stress for
both students and those teaching them mindfulness (Metz et al., 2013). Stress has a significant
impact on one’s ability to engage executive function appropriately and effectively manage one’s
professional responsibilities (Shankar & Park, 2016; Shapiro et al., 1998). Mindfulness training
helps mitigate this tendency, and the evidence, especially in the last 15 years, points to promising
implications of sustained mindfulness practice among both teachers and students. (Meiklejohn et
al., 2012; Metz et al., 2013).
Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences of a Successful Program
Establishing a mindfulness training curriculum is challenging on several levels since it
requires both individual dedication on the part of teachers and an institutional culture that can
support it. According to Clark and Estes (2008), implementing change within an organization
such as this requires that attention be paid to the knowledge that those implementing the program
have at their disposal, the motivation that these individuals can access, and the organizational
supports that are in place to both broaden and deepen the effort. This study’s evaluation model
(Clark & Estes, 2008) is based on three levels of assessment:
1. What are the knowledge and motivational influences that relate to the teacher and on-site
therapist’s integration of mindfulness practices in Miramonte High School’s classrooms?
DEEPENING AWARENESS 38
2. What are the interactions between organizational culture and context as well as teacher
and on-site therapist knowledge and motivation?
3. What are the recommendations for organizational practice in the areas of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational resources?
Chapter Three discusses the methodology to collect data needed to reflect on each of
these guiding questions with further analysis of this mixed-methods study going into greater
detail evaluating the effectiveness of Miramonte High School’s mindfulness program.
Knowledge and Skills
According to Anderson and Krathwohl (2001), knowledge can be categorized in four
ways: factual, conceptual, procedural or metacognitive. The application of these categories
depends upon the complexity required by an individual to process necessary information in order
to achieve a goal. Applying this categorization to the stakeholders of this study, the question
arises as to whether the teaching faculty’s training has been extensive enough for the institution
to meet its performance goals. Lawlor (2014) suggests that if a mindfulness program is to be
effective, this is a critical area of need, and should be the focus of resources.
Factual knowledge. In order for teachers to successfully implement mindfulness training
in their classrooms, they have to be clear on what mindfulness is. Concomitantly, teachers need
to know what potential benefits are offered by the work itself.
Conceptual knowledge. In order for teachers to implement the curricula associated with
mindfulness, they need to believe that they can do so effectively, with a degree of skill. Efficacy,
in this regard, is a critical component to curricular delivery and, according to social learning
theory, will ultimately act as either an enhancement or as a barrier to teacher effectiveness
(Bandura, 1977).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 39
In order, therefore, for a mindfulness training program to be effective, literature suggests
that teachers need to be given effective strategies showing them how to integrate mindfulness
practices into their curriculum (Huppert & Johnson, 2010; Metz et al., 2013). This might take on
either of two forms: one, direct instruction from the classroom teacher, or two, as indirect
instruction from an outside trainer brought into the classroom to deliver the curriculum (Metz et
al., 2013).
Additionally, teachers also need to know how to collaborate with other teachers in order
to support a broader and more effective offering of mindfulness practices throughout institutions
(Lawlor, 2014; Weare, 2013). The underlying categories, principles, structures, and theory
within any given field determine the conceptual framework of any knowledge base. Teachers, in
this regard, must have an understanding of why they are engaging in professional training if the
program is to support institutional goals (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). Teachers who do not
understand why it is important may have significant problems delivering the curriculum.
Procedural knowledge. While factual and conceptual aspects of knowledge are
important elements in supporting teachers’ approaches to mindfulness training, the actual
procedural knowledge may be the most critical if mindfulness programs are to reach their
potential (Huppert & Johnson, 2010). Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) see tasks, techniques, and
implementation of relevant procedures as aspects of this procedural knowledge. Additionally, in
order to support programmatic success in mindfulness training, teachers need to know how to
model behaviors supported by a consistent mindfulness practice (Huppert & Johnson, 2010;
Ivey, 2012; Lawlor, 2014). It is important to note that, unlike subject-specific material that
relates to a teacher’s area of expertise, mindfulness training requires that practitioners actually
become more mindful in the ways that they meet the world (Huppert & Johnson, 2010). Because
DEEPENING AWARENESS 40
of this need for teachers to embody the practice in order to maximize success, according to
Huppert and Johnson (2010), programs may endure challenges if teachers are not willing, or are
not able, to physically and emotionally demonstrate mindful practice.
Metacognitive knowledge. Teachers also need to both develop the internal capacity so
that they might reflect on the progress of their personal practice as they integrate mindfulness
training into their classrooms (Ivey, 2012). Doing so demonstrates the very skillset that
mindfulness seeks to support in students. Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) refer to practices that
enhance this activity, such as reflections in planning, monitoring progress, and modifying
strategies as metacognitive knowledge. The implementation of metacognitive knowledge works
to ensure that teachers can continually work to improve their training, their internal sense of the
practices learned, as well as the offering they give to their students.
Motivation
Motivational theory, in terms of education, centers around the movement of individuals
towards activities and tasks (Shunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2008). Broadly speaking, this applies to
everyone involved in an educational institution: students, faculty, staff, and administration. The
implementation of mindfulness in the classroom is particularly challenging in terms of garnering
motivation since its integration into a school community requires significant shifts in the
mindsets of all stakeholders especially in terms of how it is valued (Dweck, 2006).
Recognition of value for self. To begin with, teachers need to value mindfulness training
for themselves and how its application can enhance their professional and personal experiences
(Ivey, 2012; Watts, 2009). Teachers also need to recognize the value of incorporating weekly
mindfulness practices into their curriculum and feel confident that they can achieve this goal
(Bandura, 1997; Hargreaves & Shirley, 2009; Ivey, 2012). A realignment of curriculum delivery,
DEEPENING AWARENESS 41
such as that associated with incorporating mindful practices, may itself be a significant challenge
for teachers and add to their potential for increased emotional and cognitive stress and, in turn, to
their required psychological and physical endurance (Jennings, 2015). Yet, according to Jennings
(2015), the negative effects associated with the stress of curricular adjustments such as this
lesson as mindfulness training and practice advance.
Teachers need to feel confident about their own practice to offer their students a proper
delivery of mindfulness curriculum (Bandura, 1997). Even though teacher self-efficacy is
enhanced as the practice evolves, according to Meiklejohn et al. (2012), teachers still need to feel
positive and open to making mistakes as they engage and deliver the training (Dweck, 2006;
Watts, 2009).
As this confidence unfolds among the teaching staff about how to deliver the mindfulness
curriculum, a recognition about the importance of incorporating a daily, or weekly, practice that
benefits their students as well as themselves needs to unfold if the program is to be successful
(Condon, 2013).
Recognition of value for others. As teachers begin to internalize the positive effects of
mindfulness practice in their own experience, they need to value its broader offering to both their
students as well as the school culture (Ivey, 2012; Watts, 2009). Mindfulness integration in
schools is more effective when teachers value their own participation, persistence and effort and
recognize how the interplay of these actions can either inhibit or enhance an overall mindfulness
effort (Rawlett & Scrandis, 2015). Motivation among teachers is further enhanced when they
value working collaboratively as they build a better program and see how their efforts, and
successful practices, are helping the entire school community (Greenberg & Harris, 2012; Watts,
2009).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 42
Organization
For mindfulness training to take root in a school in an authentic way, there must be
significant organizational support (Weare, 2013). This support needs to come from two levels:
the school district’s administration and the school’s site administration (Weare, 2013).
District-level commitment. Teachers need to be supported with continual training in
order to guarantee effectiveness (Watts, 2009). While the priority of funding such training may
be a site decision, district commitment and financial support is critical in this area (Lawlor,
2014). Students involved in mindfulness training programs, according to Lawlor (2014), were
more successful when their teachers had more training, were able to offer what they had learned
in these trainings more frequently, and were seen as high-quality implementers of mindfulness
practice. Districts, therefore, need to show teachers that the mindfulness training program is
supported and need to communicate to all stakeholders that a long-term commitment to this
training is in place at a district level (Huppert & Johnson, 2010). Similarly, individual schools
need to feel support, and commitment, from their district administrations in order to create a
foundation upon which this kind of intervention can flourish (Huppert & Johnson, 2010).
Site-level administrative support. School administrations need to dedicate professional
development time for teacher training as well as dedicate time in the schedule during the school
day in order for teachers and students to engage mindfulness training and practice (Rones &
Hoagwood, 2000). Mindfulness programs that show promise within schools have high levels of
classroom integration coupled with extensive faculty training (Lawlor, 2014; Weare, 2013). This
organizational need is critical since teachers need to have continual professional development
dedicated to mindfulness training in order to appropriately advance their own practice and,
especially, learn to model mindful behavior (Kuyken et al., 2013). Engaging in appropriate
DEEPENING AWARENESS 43
professional development allows teachers to feel like they are a part of a culture that supports
engaging successful practices (Metz et al., 2013). This, in turn, positively affects morale helping
teachers feel like they can trust the process of mindfulness training as well as its integration into
the school culture (Huppert & Johnson, 2010). Mindfulness programs that lack either
administrative or the support of ongoing professional development are bound to struggle (Weare,
2013). On the other hand, organizations that have successful mindfulness programs also exhibit a
focus on the teacher, ongoing professional development, high-quality implementation, as well as
the ongoing evaluation of programmatic effectiveness (Lawlor, 2014).
Conclusion
The literature relating to the application of mindfulness in U.S. high schools is rich and
has proliferated significantly in the last 15 years. While the literature addresses a variety of
potential challenges to successful implementation of mindfulness programs in schools, current
research is overwhelmingly positive in terms of how mindfulness practices support outcomes
directly relating to well-being (Ivey, 2012; Watts, 2009). Effective programming within schools
can offer organizational challenges such as training and supporting those teachers charged with
implementing the effort. But the integration of mindfulness in classrooms, as an effective
intervention, appears to have significant potential in terms of serving teacher, student, and
institutional well-being as a whole (Rawlett & Scrandis, 2015; Watts, 2009).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 44
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to explore and evaluate the degree to which Miramonte
High School is meeting its organizational goal of decreasing student stress and supporting
students’ overall mental well-being with its mindfulness program. The analysis focused on the
work of teachers and one, on-site therapist, all of whom are engaged in the mindfulness effort.
Their knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences related to this practice and the
achievement of the organizational goal were at the center of this study.
This evaluation study focused on the following questions in order to explore the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences on both the Miramonte teachers and the
on-site therapist:
1. What are the knowledge and motivational influences that relate to the teacher and on-site
therapist’s integration of mindfulness practices into Miramonte classrooms?
2. What are the interactions between organizational culture and context as well as the
knowledge and motivation of the teachers and on-site therapist?
3. What are the recommendations for organizational practice in the areas of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational resources?
Stakeholders of Focus
While all stakeholders play a key part in supporting student well-being, no group holds
more influence in this effort than the combination of teachers and the on-site therapist who are
all tasked with implementing the mindfulness practice among a growing number of Miramonte’s
students. Many students throughout the school continue to be exposed to mindfulness practices
and training, with special attention being paid in this study to the fact that Miramonte’s formal
DEEPENING AWARENESS 45
mindfulness efforts have been centered on all of its 9th grade students. It should be noted that,
while the on-site therapist is not a credentialed classroom teacher, this person is a licensed MFT
and is included, and referred to throughout this research, as being an important leader in terms of
mindfulness instruction. As such, the on-site therapist is considered in both the survey and
interview data in this group of teachers.
As previously stated, the success of mindfulness programs in schools depends largely on
the ability of teachers to embody the skills they are trying to teach (Crane & Reid, 2016; Rawlett
& Scrandis, 2015). This type of training is not just the addition of a particular knowledge base
followed by creative implementation of curricular design. Mindfulness practice requires a
significant personal commitment and continual reflection, especially from those involved with
delivering the training (Crane, Kuyken, Hastings, Rothwell, & Williams, 2010). Teacher
knowledge, their motivation, and organizational needs will be evaluated in this study so as to
assess how the school might support the expansion of their mindfulness offering.
In order for Miramonte High School teachers to more effectively implement mindfulness
training throughout the school by 2020, they will need to integrate three critical behaviors into
their classrooms (Lawlor, 2014; Weare, 2013):
1. Integrate mindfulness practice into their curriculum independently on a weekly basis.
2. Model the behaviors supported by a personal mindfulness practice.
3. Collaborate with other teachers in order to support best practices.
Methodological Framework
This study used the Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework adapted for an
evaluation model in order to understand and evaluate teachers’ performance in achieving
mindfulness practice goals. Clark and Estes gap analysis framework is a process used to study
DEEPENING AWARENESS 46
where an organization stands currently and where it wants to be with regard to its performance
objectives (Figure 1). The process involves eight stages that include recognition of goals,
followed by an analysis of how well those goals are being achieved. Closing the gap, in this
study of Miramonte High School, involved a determination of how well the mindfulness program
was helping meet the needs of students at the hands of those administering it. To the extent that
the apparent gaps in the overall effort and effect were the result of deficiencies in teacher
knowledge, motivation, and organizational barriers, causes were identified, and their solutions
were acknowledged for implementation.
Figure 1. Gap analysis process.
As the chart above suggests, the Clark and Estes (2008) model involved an analysis of the
gaps between the organizational goals and its current achievement of those targets. This was then
followed by an identification of the causes of these gaps through the identification of specific
knowledge, motivation, and organizational barriers. These needs were then distilled and
identified specifically as root causes of performance deficits before solutions were offered and
then an evaluation plan developed. The application of this systematic and analytical
methodology was applied to both clarify organizational goals and identify the knowledge,
DEEPENING AWARENESS 47
motivation, and organizational influences that have an impact on programmatic success. This
evaluation integrated both qualitative and quantitative methods of measurement. Assumed
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that may have an impact on organizational
goal achievement were offered and addressed through data collection and analysis.
Assumed Influences
Among the impediments to solving problems of practice, which hinder the achievement
of performance goals, are knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that are either
ignored or underestimated. Because of this, as Clark and Estes (2008) point out, well-meaning
leaders of organizations can often miss opportunities to improve performance. This applies to
educational institutions which need to be wary of how to best implement changes that correspond
with valid research and analysis of data less they compromise potential solutions (Rueda, 2011).
Therefore, this study ultimately looked to uncover issues that impede desired outcomes.
Without a thorough identification of potential knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influences that are hindering the achievement of Miramonte High School’s performance goals,
mistakes, and misdiagnoses, along with inappropriate solutions can ensue, according to the Clark
and Estes model. In order to avoid these problems, a research-based analysis to identify
Miramonte’s assumed knowledge, motivation, and organizational performance needs was drawn
from the following components: (a) informal scanning interviews, (b) an examination of
learning, motivational, and organizational theory, and (c) a review of the literature.
While discussed in Chapter Two, the assumed influences on performance from a review
of the literature as well as from an examination of learning, motivation, and organizational
theory, are presented in Table 2 below, as are assumed influences based on preliminary scanning,
discussed below.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 48
Table 2
Summary of Assumed Teacher Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Needs to Incorporate
Mindfulness Practices in Their Classrooms
Assumed Needs
Sources Knowledge Motivation Organization
Preliminary Scanning
(informal knowledge
of the organization)
Teachers need to
know how to
integrate and embed
mindfulness practices
into their curriculum.
Teachers need to
know how to reflect
on their own progress
as they integrate
mindfulness into their
personal lives.
Teachers need to
know how to model
behaviors supported
by a consistent
mindfulness practice.
Teachers need to feel
positive about their
efforts in relation to
student outcomes.
Teachers need to
collaborate with
others in order to
support a broadening
of the effort.
Teachers need to
view mindfulness
practices as a priority,
worthy of time and
resources.
Teachers need to
feel that the broader
school culture
supports this effort.
Teachers need to
have adequate
resources to
integrate
mindfulness
practices into their
classrooms.
Learning and
Motivation Theory
Teachers need to be
able to assess the
connection between
mindfulness and
student well-being.
Teachers need to
know how to deepen
their skills as
practitioners and
teachers of
mindfulness.
Teachers need to feel
positive about the
outcomes of their
efforts at integrating
mindfulness into their
personal lives.
Teachers need
support from
experienced role
models within the
school to help guide
the effort’s growth.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 49
Table 2, continued
General Literature Teachers need to have
knowledge of the
factors that lead to the
success of
mindfulness
integration into
classroom curriculum
(Lawlor, 2014;
Weare, 2013).
Teachers need to
know that
administrations are
committed to this
effort and that
leadership has a
clear vision as to
how mindfulness
will be integrated
across the school
(Ivey, 2012; Lawlor,
2014; Meiklejohn et
al., 2012).
Preliminary Scanning Data and Critical Observations
Miramonte High School is a high functioning, nationally recognized institution with a
supportive parent community. Its teaching staff is collaborative and skilled, and its
administration is efficient and supportive of its staff. In relation to the mindfulness effort,
significant strides were made over the last four years that worked to integrate a variety of
practices into classrooms. The freshman cohort is currently the most significant focus of this
effort with half of the 9th grade class getting weekly training the first semester, followed by the
other half of students getting the training during the second semester. This training occurs on
Mindful Mondays and is formally administered, with limited exceptions, within the cohort’s
English classes for approximately 20 minutes each week. As such, the formal aspect of
mindfulness training for students largely stands alone and is not yet fully integrated into other
disciplines. While several teachers working outside the cohort have received mindfulness
training, discussions are taking place presently as to how to best support growth in this area
given that there are knowledge, motivational, and organizational constraints. While faculty and
administration are supportive of the overall effort, currently only 10% of the faculty is actively
DEEPENING AWARENESS 50
involved in the actual mindfulness training. Of those involved, the largest share of the student
training still appears to fall on one individual, the on-site therapist, who rotates into classes in
order to facilitate and teach the students.
Knowledge
Preliminary scanning of the organization suggested that there was a broad variance of
participation among the staff. Even within those individuals who are most actively participating
in the effort, knowledge and skills vary. While the literature suggests that this is not uncommon,
it is important that the fundamentals of this effort are grounded in extensive teacher training
(Lawlor, 2014). Also, teachers needed to know how to access training if they wished to either
begin participating or to deepen their own practice. While the reliance on the on-site therapist to
assume most of the classroom training has been effective at reaching many students in consistent
ways, there is concern that this model is unsustainable and, over time, it may fall short of its
potential impact. Preliminary scanning of the organization further suggested that teachers were
looking to engage with each other in reflecting on this effort but often struggled with personal
and organizational time constraints in order to do so. Lastly, during preliminary scan, two
teachers pointed out how a teacher can typically master an external process of content and
deliver it. Mindfulness practice, on the other hand, requires that its teachers begin a process of
self-discovery in a very public way. The nature of this process requires that teachers be at least
somewhat comfortable with the vulnerabilities associated with the delivery of mindfulness
training.
Motivation
In terms of integrating mindfulness practices into their classrooms, Miramonte’s teachers
are motivated at a variety of levels, based on preliminary scanning of the environment. Most
DEEPENING AWARENESS 51
formal training of the program appears to be a push in or, an indirect model, where the school’s
on-site therapist is responsible for doing the vast majority of the training. Rather than teachers
directly managing the mindfulness process and its integration into the classroom, there is an
apparent tendency for teachers to play supporting roles rather than leading the efforts in their
classrooms. With this said, some teachers appear to be more deeply committed to this effort than
others and despite the organizational challenges, this effort could potentially be further extended
in several directions. Here, again, preliminary scanning suggests that teachers need to feel
positively about the effort’s outcomes both on a personal level and in relation to their students. In
order to continue this trend, teachers need to feel confident that they can effectively lead and
model the mindfulness practices without relying on others to do the training for them.
Organization
Miramonte’s administrative leadership values the mindfulness effort and supports its
growth, based on preliminary scans of the environment. Care has been taken to maintain the
mindfulness training efforts that began in 2011 by supporting teachers’ initial and continued
professional development in the program’s training. Focus on getting the entire freshman class
trained in mindfulness, and informally extending this offering to other grade levels throughout
the school has been effective, because of a continued school-wide commitment of financial
resources and time. But a broadening of both the scope as well as the impact of the mindfulness
effort will require the administration to articulate a clear and sustained vision that aligns with a
supportive school culture.
Population
In order to assess these assumed knowledge, motivation, and organization influences on
performance, as presented in Table 2, a qualitative study was conducted, including both a survey
DEEPENING AWARENESS 52
and interviews. Teachers at Miramonte High School and the on-site therapist were interviewed
for this study. The sample size consisted of nine teachers and one on-site therapist, each of whom
integrates some kind of mindfulness offering into classrooms with special focus placed on those
that teach the freshman cohort. The on-site therapist was a significant focus of this research since
his efforts are integral to the current offering and overall mindfulness effort. Data were collected
through instruments that included a survey, interviews, and documents. This was followed by
classroom observations of teachers and students as they engaged in the training itself. During
interviews, open-ended questions were asked of this study’s subjects. A set of survey questions
incorporated 4-point Likert scale questions as well as multiple-choice, and short answer
questions. Document analysis was limited to an exit survey conducted by the on-site therapist
one year before this research began. These data were included in the analysis as were classroom
observations.
Data Collection
This research was endorsed by the University of Southern California’s Institutional
Review Board prior to administering any of the instruments involved in data collection,
including surveys, interviews, and classroom observations. This variety of instrumentation
worked effectively to triangulate data and ensure trustworthiness of this study’s conclusions. The
instruments were administered according to a participatory hierarchy with those involved with
the mindfulness training being surveyed. Five teachers and the site therapist also were involved
in follow-up interviews. The anonymous survey, comprised of 48 questions, was administered
online. Interviewees had their identities protected in the reporting, and the information they
provided was password-protected with all information kept confidential. The interviews,
comprised of 10 open-ended questions, were conducted privately, in-person, on the Miramonte
DEEPENING AWARENESS 53
campus. All questions were in English and, added together, both the survey and the interview
took approximately one hour of each respondent’s time.
Surveys
Nine of Miramonte’s teachers involved with mindfulness training, as well as the school’s
on-site therapist, took and completed a survey in the fall of 2017. Those taking the survey were
involved either in the freshman cohort or they were actively offering mindfulness training in
some capacity in their classrooms. The survey of questions sought to gain an understanding of
the knowledge, motivation and organizational needs of Miramonte’s teachers in order to
effectively incorporate mindfulness practices into their classrooms and, ultimately, reach the
organizational goal related to improving students’ overall mental well-being. The instrument
involved in this part of the research included 48, multiple-choice, short answer and Likert scale
questions. Each of these surveys was administered online, with the answers anonymously
recorded and securely stored. The summative analysis of information was then used to support
conclusions relating to how mindfulness, and its integration in Miramonte’s classrooms, has had
an effect on the teacher’s interpretation of student health, the school’s climate, and his or her
personal well-being. Additionally, this information was used to evaluate how the assumed needs
were met in terms of achieving Miramonte’s performance goals.
The survey instrument can be found in Appendix A.
Interviews
Five of Miramonte’s teachers involved with engaging their freshman students in
mindfulness practices, as well as the on-site therapist were interviewed with 10 open-ended
questions, each varying slightly according to the job assignment. The therapist, for instance, has
a supervisory role in the implementation of Miramonte’s mindfulness program. His questions,
DEEPENING AWARENESS 54
therefore, were slightly different than the participating teachers’ questions in that his position
focused on specific administrative functions and pedagogical delivery. Teachers’ questions, on
the other hand, helped ascertain the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that
both contributed to and, perhaps, inhibited a broader integration of the mindfulness effort
throughout the school. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. Three of the teachers, it
should be noted offered mindfulness training to their 9th grade students as well as to the students
in the other grades that they taught. The interview instrument can be found in Appendix B.
Observations
An informal series of classroom observations were used for interpretation purposes. For
example, three 9th grade classrooms that were implementing the mindfulness curriculum were
monitored. Additionally, one group comprised of students from grades nine through 12, who
regularly met with the on-site therapist as a wellness group were also observed. Lesson plans,
curricular integration, and applied practice were observed and subjectively analyzed as they
related, especially, to assumed knowledge needs.
Document Analysis
One exit survey, administered to 67 freshmen, one year prior to this research, was used in
order to determine student evaluation of applied mindfulness training and their perceived
evaluation of the training’s offering.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 55
Validation of Influences
The instruments documented in Table 3 below validated assumed performance needs:
Table 3
Summary of Assumed Knowledge Needs and Validation
Assumed Needs Survey Interviews Observation Document Analysis
Knowledge needs X X X
Motivation needs X X X X
Organizational needs X X X
Summary
Each of the assumed stakeholder knowledge, motivation and organizational needs were
assessed and either validated or not in order to inform solutions to expand the mindfulness effort
at Miramonte High School. This qualitative approach to gathering data, using a combination of
surveys, interviews, observations, and document analysis, was used to uncover ways in which
mindfulness practices that are currently in place might be further supported as the school seeks to
advance their sustainability and their growth.
Trustworthiness of Data
Trustworthiness of data was sought through a variety of ways. Surveys were anonymous,
and both the survey and interview data were kept confidential. Data in these instruments were
triangulated and measured against classroom observations. Taken as a whole, these instruments
should be seen as effective gauges relating to how the assumed knowledge, motivation, and
organizational influences are at play both as supports, and as potential hindrances, of the overall
mindfulness effort at Miramonte High School and beyond.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 56
Role of the Investigator
This researcher was involved in supporting the beginning of this mindfulness effort when
he was an administrator at Miramonte High School from 2011 until 2014. He organized training
for interested teachers, several of whom participated in this study. While his tenure the school
ended in June of 2014, it should be noted that he was instrumental in getting this program into
place and that he served in a supervisory capacity for the two years he was involved with the
school. Currently, this researcher has no relationship with anyone on the Miramonte campus that
could affect either performance evaluations or job advancement.
Data Analysis
Comprehensive, descriptive statistics were used in this qualitative effort. Data were
culled from the surveys after they were submitted, documents were analyzed, and interviews
were transcribed and then coded thematically in order to align with the aforementioned
categories: knowledge, motivation, and organizational support. The number of surveys was
limited to the nine teachers and one therapist involved with integrating mindfulness practices and
training into classrooms. The interviews were administered to five teachers as well as the on-site
therapist. Since the dataset is relatively small, report frequencies were the mode of analysis.
Limitations and Delimitations
Some limitations resulted from the design of this research. The number of individuals
involved in this effort, for example, was small. Accordingly, the sample size inhibits broad-based
conclusions in terms of significant relationships that might exist from statistical tests, general
data, and/or any kind of widespread generalization of conclusive evidence. In addition, the study
largely evaluated only one key stakeholder group’s experience. While the data may be reliable
and its correspondence with studies represented in current literature are consistent, it should also
DEEPENING AWARENESS 57
be reiterated that this researcher has established a previous relationship with nearly all of those
surveyed and interviewed. Indeed, many of those interviewed were integral to forming the basis
of the mindfulness practice at Miramonte as well as the freshman cohort with the support of this
researcher in 2011. Bias in this regard should be noted.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 58
CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS
The focus of this evaluation study was to determine the degree to which Miramonte High
School is meeting its organizational goal of decreasing student stress and supporting students’
overall psychological well-being through mindfulness practices. Using a mixed-method
approach, survey, interview, classroom observation, and document analysis were utilized to
examine the knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs and influences required to
improve performance in this area. As covered in Chapters One and Three, there are three
questions that have guided this study: (a) What are the knowledge and motivational influences
that relate to the teacher and on-site therapist’s integration of mindfulness practices into
Miramonte classrooms, (b) What are the interactions between organizational culture and context
as well as the knowledge and motivation of the teachers and on-site therapist, and (c) What are
the recommendations for organizational practice in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and
organizational resources?
The first two questions are addressed in this chapter while the third question is addressed
in Chapter Five. The findings presented in this chapter will relate directly to the six assumed
teacher knowledge-related needs, the four assumed teacher motivation-related needs, and the
four assumed organization-related needs.
There were nine teachers and one on-site therapist selected for this study with six out of
the 14 assumed needs validated. All 10 of these individuals completed a survey, six of these
stakeholders were interviewed, three of their classrooms were observed, and internal documents
relating to programmatic evaluation were used in order to determine whether the listed assumed
needs were validated.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 59
Knowledge Findings
The six assumed knowledge-related needs evaluated in this study fell into one of 3 sub-
categories delineated as declarative conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge, noted
in the table below (Table 4).
Declarative conceptual knowledge pertains to a teacher’s ability to discern categories,
process models, principles, and relationships. In this study, two assumed needs are addressed:
first, teachers need to know how to assess the connection between mindfulness and student well-
being, and second, teachers need to know how to integrate and embed mindfulness practices into
their curriculum.
Procedural knowledge involves a stakeholder’s capacity to integrate, in this case, both
internal and external procedures in order to enhance mindfulness practices. There were two
assumed needs addressed in this sub-category: first, teachers need to know how to model
mindful behaviors supported by a consistent mindfulness practice, and second, teachers need to
know what supports the successful integration of mindfulness practices into their classrooms.
Lastly, metacognitive knowledge identifies the need for stakeholders to reflect internally
on their progress, their process, and their skills. There are two assumed needs in this sub-
category: first, teachers need to know how to reflect on their personal progress as they integrate
mindfulness into their personal lives, and second, teachers need to know how to deepen their
skills as practitioners and teachers of mindfulness.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 60
Table 4
Summary of Teacher Knowledge Findings
Assumed Knowledge Need Sub-category Validated Not Validated
1. Teachers need to know how to assess
the connection between mindfulness and
student well-being.
Conceptual X
2. Teachers need to know how to integrate
and embed mindfulness practices into
their curriculum.
Conceptual X
3. Teachers need to know how to model
behaviors supported by a consistent
mindfulness practice.
Procedural
X
4. Teachers need to have knowledge of
the factors that lead to the success of
mindfulness integration into their
classrooms.
Procedural X
5. Teachers need to know how to reflect
on their personal progress as they
integrate mindfulness into their personal
lives.
Metacognitive X
6. Teachers need to know how to deepen
their skills as practitioners and teachers of
mindfulness.
Metacognitive X
Declarative Conceptual Knowledge
Teachers need to know how to assess the connection between mindfulness and
student well-being. All 10 survey respondents either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that
mindfulness practices supported their students’ well-being. However, respondents were unclear
on how to measure this connection between mindfulness practice and well-being. Eight
respondents self-reported that they either somewhat disagreed or strongly disagreed with the
notion that they could assess their students’ progress as it related conceptually to mindfulness
DEEPENING AWARENESS 61
practices and their outcomes (Figure 2). Despite their anecdotal assessment, teachers were
unclear how to assess student progress in terms of well-being in a data-driven capacity. One of
the respondents recognized the value of the mindfulness training but then said, very directly,
“We need data.”
Figure 2. Number of instructors understanding how mindfulness supports student well-being and
how to assess student progress in this regard.
Being able to see value for their students in the training and its associated outcomes is
important if future decisions on the value of mindfulness training can be appropriately made.
During interviews, all six of those interviewed responded positively when asked, what kind of an
impact, if any, does the application of mindfulness have on [their] students. One of the
respondents referred to the way that mindfulness practice “suddenly” settles her students down
despite “plenty of distractions.” She continued, saying “walking them through this beautiful, four
or five minutes of just settling into this space,” brings her students “back” into focus.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I have an understanding of
how mindfulness practices
support my students' well-
being.
I know how to assess student
progress in terms of
mindfulness practices and
their outcomes.
Strongly Agree
Somewhat Agree
Somewhat Disagree
Strongly Disaree
DEEPENING AWARENESS 62
Two of those interviewed also mentioned that they were “convinced” that this work was
making a difference academically but that there had not been a coordinated effort yet to measure
the impact at a level that would reflect this. These data, in both survey responses and in
interviews, show that teachers believe that there is a connection between mindfulness and student
well-being even though they are unsure of how to measure it. Being able to use data more
effectively in this capacity would allow for policy and curricular decisions to be data-driven.
This need was validated based on the fact that teachers could recognize the link between
mindfulness and their student’s well-being, however, those involved in the effort “have no idea”
how to measure its effectiveness.
Teachers need to know how to integrate and embed mindfulness practices into their
curriculum. There is a contradiction in responses relating to this assumed need, based on survey
and interview data. Survey responses suggest that teachers can integrate and embed mindfulness
practices independently within their classrooms (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Number of teachers knowing how to integrate and embed mindfulness practices.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 63
On the other hand, interview responses, and classroom observations suggest that this
understanding may be incomplete. One possible explanation for this could be that conceptual
knowledge is difficult to assess through a self-reported survey. Respondents may believe, in
other words, they know how to integrate and embed mindfulness into their classes. However,
only one of those interviewed for this study sees that they are integrating mindfulness into their
classroom experience. Based on interviews and classroom observations, the other teachers, while
engaged in the process, are relying on the expertise of the on-site therapist to lead the practices
for them.
According to the survey, there was little variance of response to this conceptual need. Of
the 10 respondents, seven either strongly or somewhat agreed that they knew how to integrate
mindfulness into the classes that they currently teach. Similarly, eight either somewhat agreed or
strongly agreed that they could embed mindfulness training into their curriculum. And yet, while
the survey responses suggest that the majority of teachers know how to deliver mindfulness
training into their classrooms conceptually, the interview responses and classroom observations
suggest that the teachers, in general, are not able to do so in practice. One interview respondent
mentioned that she does not integrate mindfulness in any formal capacity. “I’m still at a point,”
she said, “where I need to work on making my own practice more consistent before I really feel
confident about putting it out there [as an] expert.” Another respondent who stated, “I have
attempted to try a mindful walk on the track with mixed results”, supported this theme. Yet
another teacher explained, “We pretty much leave it to [the on-site therapist].”
Furthermore, despite the survey data pointing to eight respondents either strongly
agreeing or somewhat agreeing that they could embed mindfulness practices “on [their] own,”
only one of those interviewed felt confident enough to do so with this same teacher
DEEPENING AWARENESS 64
independently extending training to all of his students saying, “I teach 10-minute lessons to all
my classes.” This contradiction may relate to an important feature of Miramonte’s approach to
mindfulness integration: in order to support the effort of embedding mindfulness practices in
classrooms, the on-site therapist has been going into all 9th grade classrooms in order to lead the
teachers and the students. This study suggests that nearly all of Miramonte’s mindfulness effort
depends on this model, where an “expert” comes into classrooms and leads the training, rather
than teachers themselves integrating and embedding these practices independently. One teacher
interviewed pointed out how integrating mindfulness into the classroom has proven “tricky”
because the subject matter is both “content” and a “practice.” Based on survey data, Miramonte’s
teachers appear to know how to integrate, implement, and embed practices. Interviews, however,
suggest that with only one exception, more support on how to independently weave mindfulness
practices into their classrooms within lessons is needed.
This need was validated, despite the survey results, based on interviews and classroom
observations.
Procedural Knowledge
Teachers need to know how to model behaviors supported by a consistent
mindfulness practice. Unlike traditional curricular delivery, which most often involves verbal
communication through lecture or group activities, mindfulness practices must be shown and
“lived” procedurally for students. Teaching mindfulness, therefore, is not as simple as mastering
concepts and content in order to externally deliver them. Instead, mindfulness training requires
that its instructors develop a degree of conceptual, or external, mastery of the work. They must
also internally embody the teaching. This may be among the most significant barriers to
broadening a mindfulness effort in any organization (Jennings et al., 2013; Lawlor, 2014).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 65
In the case of Miramonte High School, two of the 10 surveyed strongly agreed that they
could model mindful behaviors based on the mindfulness training they have received (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Number of teachers who believe they can model mindful behavior.
The remaining teachers self-report that they only somewhat agree or somewhat disagree
that they can model the behaviors that mindfulness practice supports. Therefore, this group of
teachers sees itself as unable to confidently show students what mindfulness practices should
look like. For a mindfulness program to reach its potential, teachers need to be able to
comprehensively deliver a curriculum that both shows their external comprehension of content as
well as an ability to behaviorally demonstrate an internal embodiment of what the teaching offers
(Crane & Reid, 2016; Jennings et al., 2013; Lawlor, 2014).
Despite the apparent apprehension about modeling mindful behaviors, interview
responses suggest that teachers may be doing a better job of this than they self-report. When
asked how integrating practices into their classrooms has affected their behaviors personally,
responses suggest that teachers are in the process of learning to embody mindful awareness. One
respondent, for example, mentioned that his personal practice of 20 minutes each morning,
DEEPENING AWARENESS 66
“helps keep me grounded, more calm, more present, and less reactive.” Another commented how
she uses her focus on breathing, “to calm feelings of nervousness or anxiety.” In terms of
relationships with students, still another commented how she effectively uses her mindfulness
practice when she finds herself “quickly angered by a student. I am able to feel my body make
changes and can diffuse the situation.” These data suggest that teachers may, despite their
misgivings, be modeling mindful behaviors.
This corresponds to what was observed in classrooms; therefore, this need was not
validated.
Teachers need to have knowledge of the factors that lead to the success of
mindfulness integration into classroom curriculum. During interviews, when individuals were
asked to describe the most effective mindfulness practices that they have actually used in their
classrooms, six of 10 teachers referred to focusing on their breath. This technique is the basis for
mindfulness training since this simple awareness is something that can be explored by those
involved in training and those being trained at any given moment. Beyond this example,
however, there were few responses that suggested teachers knew how to successfully integrate
mindfulness into their curriculum.
Classroom observations and open-ended responses on the survey show that the
Miramonte faculty is still at the beginning stages of establishing a wider, more integrated
program. For example, two of the six respondents interviewed spoke of how their own personal
practice has helped them begin to attempt the teaching of mindfulness in their classrooms.
Another respondent noted his use of an app on his smartphone that he uses with his students.
Moreover, two of the 10 survey respondents noted how the continuous help from someone else
DEEPENING AWARENESS 67
(the on-site therapist) was the only approach they had used in terms of classroom training of their
students in mindfulness practices.
Teacher responses to this particular area of the study show both an internal and an
external appreciation of various techniques, with open-ended answer responses on the survey and
interviews also suggesting that there is recognizable procedural knowledge that may lead to a
more successful integration of mindfulness into their classrooms. Respondents also showed
reticence in terms of knowing how to best work with their perceived limitations. Comments like,
“we need more training,” and “we need time to make this work” reflected feelings from four of
the six interviewed in this study. One respondent commented during an interview, “I have no
idea what I’m doing” in terms of the curricular integration of mindfulness practice. This teacher
routinely invites the on-site therapist into her classroom to work with her students.
Taken as a whole, the majority of participating teachers suggest that they may have
knowledge of what would make the effort more beneficial to more students, but it is, as yet,
unclear that they know what might lead them to successfully integrate the practice into their
classrooms.
This need was validated based on open-ended survey questions and interviews showing
that few respondents could identify the causes and conditions that lead to effective integration of
mindfulness practices into their own classrooms.
Metacognitive Knowledge
Teachers need to know how to reflect on their own progress as they integrate
mindfulness into their personal lives. In order to integrate mindfulness training into their
classrooms, teachers need to be able to give deep consideration to their personal practice. This
requires metacognition, or an ability to meet their experience with awareness and an
DEEPENING AWARENESS 68
understanding of their own experience as it relates to mindfulness practice. Research, as
previously noted, suggests that if teachers cannot effectively model mindfulness, the skills will
be more difficult for students to access (Lawlor, 2014). An intrapersonal integration of
mindfulness practices cannot be done as effectively without teachers reflecting on their own
practice, since modeling mindful behavior is such a significant part of a successful effort
(Jennings et al., 2013).
Teachers were asked to consider their own experience as their practice has developed in
survey and through interview questions. The survey revealed that nine out of 10 teachers self-
reported feeling anxious either sometimes or most of the time during a typical day. Yet despite
these self-reported levels of anxiety, survey data also indicates that, during a typical day, seven
teachers reported feeling “open to experience,” six felt “present,” and four practicing teachers
reported that they felt “at peace” during a typical day. While this research may not be able to
point to the causes of this apparent contradiction, mindfulness training may have led to greater
acceptance of teachers’ day-to-day stress (Keng et al., 2011). With this high level of teachers’
self-reported anxiety, it should be noted that in monitoring their own mindfulness practice, as
shown in Figure 5, nine out of 10 believe that the training has made a difference in their own
sense of well-being, with five out of these nine strongly agreeing. In fact, all of the teachers
surveyed report that they strongly agree that they feel positive about the outcomes of their
personal practices. These data point to an interesting potential finding: as mindfulness practice
unfolds and teachers begin to reflect on their personal progress in the effort, they report feeling a
fundamental shift in the quality of their lives. As Figure 5 suggests, mindfulness practice is
making a difference in the teachers’ sense of well-being and they are feeling positive about this.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 69
Figure 5. Number of teachers recognizing positive personal outcomes relating to their
mindfulness practice.
During interviews, one respondent was asked if she felt Miramonte’s overall effort of
integrating mindfulness into classrooms was good for teachers. She said, “It’s huge for teachers,”
then went on, “I’ll continue to gain confidence in practicing [mindfulness] in a more intentional
way. I guess that’s what my true confession is. Not where I want to be yet, but it infuses my
whole teaching style and attitude every day in a way that was just not the same before.” In
relation to formal, intrapersonal monitoring of his practice, another teacher responded, “I don’t
think that I do. Maybe just that it makes me feel much more calm and less reactive.” Another
interviewee mentioned how appreciative she was of how the practice “slows [her] down,” while
another appreciated how mindfulness allows for him to “clear [his] brain before class starts.”
One teacher was appreciative that the mindfulness effort sought to address the “pressure cooker”
of Miramonte by helping everyone “respond instead of react,” to both academic and
interpersonal situations. In another instance, a respondent credited mindfulness practice with
“eating better, making better choices at home, reading more. I play my guitar more. I feel like the
frivolous things in my life are getting minimized, and the more meaningful parts of my life are
getting enhanced.”
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While there is no formal process of reflection being engaged among respondents, in both
survey and interviews, teachers feel like their mindfulness practice is making a difference in their
personal lives, supporting a greater felt sense of wall-being.
This need was not validated based on the fact that despite the lack of a formal process of
practice reflection, every teacher recognized that positive results come from integrating
mindfulness into their lives.
Teachers need to know how to deepen their skills as practitioners and teachers of
mindfulness. As they reflect on the encouragement they have received in terms of training, all of
the teachers surveyed suggested that Miramonte’s administration is very supportive of their
efforts to integrate mindfulness practices into their curriculum. Further, all six interview
respondents agreed that the administration was supportive in terms of providing them with
opportunities to enhance both their own practices as well as the overall effort. During two
interviews, when asked if they felt they could get assistance to supplement an advancement of
their training, respondents mentioned independently that anyone seeking mindfulness training
would get it. “Whatever you need” was the response given by an administrator when a
respondent asked for financial support in getting further training.
This need was not validated because survey and interview data show that teachers do
know how to get individual support to deepen their skills should they wish to do so.
Summary of Knowledge Findings
In terms of declarative conceptual knowledge, survey and interview data show that
teachers see mindfulness practice as supportive of their students’ well-being despite the fact that
they are not clear how they might measure this observation. Also, there continues to be
challenges with tying these practices to student achievement. Additionally, this study’s survey
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data suggests that teachers feel comfortable with how to integrate and embed mindfulness
practices independently within their classrooms, but interview data and classroom observation
suggests that actual application of this knowledge does not correspond with this self-reported
assertion. On the contrary, implementing mindfulness training mostly falls upon one individual
who leads the training in classrooms once each week while the spontaneous integration of
mindfulness throughout a trained teacher’s classroom curriculum is being met by one of the
teachers.
Teachers in this study self-report that their procedural knowledge only reflects their
ability to model mindful behaviors in limited ways. Survey data show that there is limited self-
reported confidence in how well respondents model mindful behaviors. Yet interviews suggest
that they may be doing a better job of it than they think. In terms of what factors lead to
successful programmatic integration, there are still gaps in procedural knowledge. But as this
study unfolded, it became apparent that despite a lack of recognition of these procedural
components, significant progress in the overall effort has still occurred. Resources that map this
kind of knowledge and its sustained application could support Miramonte High School’s further
success in this effort.
Survey and interview data suggest that metacognitive knowledge among participating
teachers show that these individuals currently reflect on their own practice and that this is having
an impact both personally and, indirectly at least, in their classrooms. Lawlor (2014) argues that
a teacher’s planning, monitoring, and modification of the offering are either enhanced, or
inhibited, by the educator’s internal sense of their own personal progress as it relates to
mindfulness practice. While this reflection is not occurring in a formal sense, it is happening and
having an effect on their ability to deliver mindfulness more effectively to their students. Both
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survey and interview data show that teachers know where to turn should they want more training
but questions remain if the lack of collaborative efforts will limit the school-wide effort.
Motivation Findings
The findings presented in this section relate directly to the four assumed motivation-
related needs discussed in Chapter Two and summarized in Table 5. Of these needs, one was
validated based on the administered survey, the interviews, classroom observation, and document
analysis.
The assumed motivation needs addressed in this study were classified as reflecting task
value or affect, as delineated in the table below.
Table 5
Summary of Teacher Motivation Findings
Assumed Motivation Need Sub-category Validated Not Validated
1. Teachers need to feel like they
can collaborate with other
teachers in order to support
the school’s mindfulness
effort.
Task Value X
2. Teachers need to feel positive
about the outcomes of their
efforts at integrating
mindfulness into their
personal lives.
Task Value X
3. Teachers need to view
mindfulness practices as a
priority, worthy of time and
resources.
Task Value X
4. Teachers need to feel positive
about their efforts in relation
to student outcomes.
Affect X
DEEPENING AWARENESS 73
When a stakeholder values a task, motivation is enhanced (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Motivation, as well as subsequent learning and performance will be enhanced if people value the
tasks they are asked to do. This study addressed how tasks are valued because of utility,
perceived importance, and benefit of mindfulness training. In addition, this study addressed how
teacher affect, or the sense that they are contributing to positivity and reducing negativity among
their students, enhanced the integration of mindfulness practices in their classrooms.
Task Value
Teachers need to feel like they can collaborate with other teachers in order to
support the school’s mindfulness effort. According to Bandura (1997), a person’s belief about
their capabilities to influence situations significantly affects their sense self-efficacy. This
internal sense can be applied to teaching when, for example, a teacher recognizes that a change
in his or her approach to curricular delivery positively supports student learning. This self-
efficacy can be enhanced and can support greater motivation, especially through collaboration
(Durksen, Klassen, & Daniels, 2017). Durksen et al. (2017) points out that successful schools are
characterized by a collective, or shared, efficacy wherein teachers’ well-being and motivation is
nurtured through ongoing relationships with peers. This shared efficacy, by extension, is related
to student achievement and a positive school climate (Durksen et al., 2017). While there is the
belief among teachers that mindfulness practices are of benefit to themselves, to students, and to
the Miramonte’s culture, only half of those surveyed identified collaboration with colleagues as
something that supports the overall effort at the school (Figure 6).
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Figure 6. Teacher-identified beliefs relating to mindfulness training.
Motivation, therefore, suffers without the shared efficacy that collaboration offers. In
relation to teaching mindfulness to students, one teacher said in an interview, “I just didn’t really
feel confident enough.” Another respondent echoed, “I’m not wholeheartedly comfortable
leading [trainings] on my own.” These respondents admitted to having the on-site therapist lead
the training of students, despite the fact that each of the respondents had been through training
themselves. One respondent mentioned, “I just hand it over” to the on-site therapist, which
suggested that teachers might feel less of a need to collaborate. Observation and interviews
suggested that this reliance allowed teachers to see collaboration as being not as necessary as it
might otherwise have been, had they needed to shoulder more of the curricular responsibility as a
group.
Respondents expressed in both the survey and in interviews that maintaining the effort
has been more of a challenge because of a lack of collaboration. With seven out of 10 teachers
stated that they only sometimes collaborated with other colleagues, and three stating that they
DEEPENING AWARENESS 75
never collaborate with their colleagues, any skills that might be established in initial training may
ultimately end up being compromised (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Teacher collaboration.
Time was another factor. “We need to have more conversations about it and make time
for that,” one respondent mentioned. Another respondent said, “just talking about it as colleagues
more, and really being more thoughtful about it, and taking the time to discuss it” would help
this person’s practice and, in his view, the school’s overall effort. “We just don’t have time set
aside to meet” in order to support a more calibrated offering to students, said one of those
interviewed. Similarly, a respondent said, “It’s a time thing,” addressing how having another
person come into the class to do the training meant they did not have to concern themselves with
preparation. If teachers feel as if there is no designated time to collaborate and that it may not be
necessary, motivation may be compromised. Collaboration facilitates motivation because it
allows for skillsets to be built collectively and shared efficacy to be enhanced. When established,
these conditions both build a programmatic foundation while at the same time help teachers
integrate mindfulness practices independently in their classrooms.
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One respondent identified how he felt the lack of teamwork might inhibit future growth
of the program and general mindfulness instruction. Based on observations, this situation may be
creating an even greater curricular dependence on Miramonte’s on-site therapist in order that
mindfulness training can be offered to students. A lack of collaboration, however, does not mean
that teachers are unaware of how to deepen their skills in terms of mindfulness practice. In fact,
teachers know how to deepen their skills, but sustaining the application of this learning requires
that more time be allotted both personally and institutionally in order to support the broader
mindfulness effort.
It should be noted that, in each of the six interviews, respondents remarked on the
powerful contributions made by the on-site therapist, and how his participation has helped the
project. His lead in this effort has been especially important in helping those teachers who feel
less confident in administering mindfulness training on their own to, at least, begin the process.
“I just watched him,” said one teacher. “He came once a week for a whole semester,” the teacher
continued, explaining how after that term ended, she handled the training independently. This
teacher’s observations of the on-site therapist gave her, “greater confidence.” This teacher was
not alone, with three of the six respondents noting, in one way or another, how they “feel
supported” by the current model. This support may, on some level, be seen as a form of
collaboration, but it is limited in its capacity and its potential sustainability.
This need was validated because teachers expressed there being too little time to
collaborate, and the current approach may prevent teachers from feeling like collaboration is
necessary.
Teachers need to feel positive about the outcomes of their efforts at integrating
mindfulness into their personal lives. When survey respondents were asked if they felt like the
DEEPENING AWARENESS 77
learned mindfulness practices have supported their own sense of well-being, five of 10 strongly
agreed with this statement, four agreed, and one respondent disagreed (Figure 8). As shown in
Figure 8, eight teachers strongly agreed that they felt positively about the outcomes that
mindfulness practices have offered on a personal level.
Figure 8. Teachers’ personal sense of well-being.
Despite the fact that the personal integration of mindfulness practices on the part of
teachers has not always presented itself consistently within each of their classrooms, teachers are
feeling overwhelmingly positive about the outcomes of their efforts at integrating mindfulness
into their personal lives.
This need was not validated based on the survey data.
Teachers need to view mindfulness practices as a priority, worthy of time and
resources. More than half of the 9th grade students exit-polled at the end of last year (n=67) saw
mindfulness practices as either valuable or extremely valuable. Teachers surveyed for this
research see the effort more favorably, with eight respondents saying that they either somewhat
DEEPENING AWARENESS 78
agree or strongly agree with the notion that outcomes brought on by the mindfulness practices
are positive. Moreover, eight survey respondents self-report that they have made efforts to
support the practices offered currently at Miramonte High School (Figure 9).
Figure 9. Support and positivity relating to student practice.
The survey and interview data together suggest that teachers see mindfulness practices as
valuable for students as well as themselves. As a result, the school has decided to offer a new
course next year, Health and Human Development. In this course, students will focus on a
number of issues, many of which have come into focus through the mindfulness effort. While the
curriculum for this new course was not available at the time of this writing, this project aims in
part to address student well-being in general and seeks to mitigate student stress specifically. In
addition, while the number of teachers participating in the current effort is just over 10% of the
total faculty, mindfulness practices are valued and appreciated. One teacher said how, “there’s
lots of really good stuff going on.” Another respondent said, “something powerful is happening,
DEEPENING AWARENESS 79
it appears.” This teacher went on to suggest how he saw this effort as being not only a priority
for the current administration but by a wider margin of faculty.
This need is not validated due to the fact that teachers continue to value, prioritize, and
see merit in the effort. These sentiments are also supported in action and deed by the current
administration.
Affect
Teachers need to feel positive about their efforts in relation to student outcomes. As
mentioned earlier in this chapter, all teachers surveyed viewed mindfulness as beneficial to their
students and to the overall culture of the school (Figure 6). However, these data, while positive,
are anecdotal and do not relate to a specific, measurable student outcome or set of student
outcomes. For example, there is a lack of data around achievement and its relationship to
mindfulness. Quantifiable data that directly relates Miramonte’s mindfulness efforts to
mitigating student stress and anxiety does not yet exist. With this said, Figure 9 shows that eight
of the 10 surveyed either strongly agree or somewhat agree that they feel positive about student
outcomes as they relate to mindfulness practices.
As mentioned, teachers struggle with their ability to measure this perception. “I need
data,” said one respondent. When another was asked if their work was making an impact on
students, he said simply, “I have no idea.” Despite the teacher-identified need for measurable
results, they still feel positive about their relation to the effects that mindfulness practices are
generating for their students. Asked if she felt her efforts in teaching her students techniques in
mindfulness were making a difference to her students, one teacher responded with a shoulder
shrug and a smile, saying, “I have no way of really, truly knowing at this point.” She went on to
say, “But something seems to be working.”
DEEPENING AWARENESS 80
This need is not validated based on survey and interview data which suggest that teachers
feel very positive about their mindfulness practice efforts and how they relate, albeit anecdotally,
to student outcomes.
Summary of Motivation Findings
This research suggests that teachers appear to have the motivation to integrate
mindfulness practices into their classrooms. They see the positive impact it has on themselves,
their students, and the school. More collaboration and less reliance on the school’s on-site
therapist may enhance this motivation and, simultaneously, give them the confidence needed to
engage in the independent integration of these practices in their classrooms. Despite the lack of
formal collaboration, however, teachers feel supported by each other and by the school
administration.
Two important questions arise at this point: to what extent is collaboration important for
this type of effort, and what should collaboration look like? Based on survey and interview
responses, the mindfulness training and practice in which both teachers and students are
currently engaging is enhancing motivation, learning, and performance. Perhaps the indirect
model they are using, wherein a teacher-leader (in Miramonte’s case, an on-site therapist) runs
the training for most of the classroom teachers, supplants the need for what might be viewed as
traditional collaboration. At least, this indirect approach might be seen as an appropriate first step
for schools looking to engender support for such an offering
It is important to recognize that the common refrain among interviewees was that
something very positive, albeit as yet unquantifiable, is happening because of mindfulness
training. Interviews and document analysis also show that the effort is popular, meaningful, and
supportive of well-being among both teachers and students. Still, there are issues that merit
DEEPENING AWARENESS 81
further investigation such as how to best build upon growing teacher confidence and self-
efficacy as they continue to integrate mindfulness practices in their classrooms. While practical
and appropriate for the short run, relying on another to do the training for them may not be
sustainable.
Organization Findings
The findings presented in this section will relate directly to the four assumed
organization-related needs discussed in Chapter Two and summarized in the table below. Of
these needs, three were validated by the results found in the administered survey, the interviews,
classroom observations, and document analysis. Each of these needs fell into one of two sub-
categories, noted here either as cultural models, recognized as invisible, or cultural settings,
identified as visible. Cultural models are recognized in this research as those values, beliefs, and
attitudes that are automated and unseen (Clark & Estes, 2008). Cultural settings, on the other
hand, are visible representations of these values, beliefs, and attitudes that appear, in this case,
within the school setting. Both invisible and visible aspects of Miramonte’s culture are noted in
Table 6.
Table 6
Summary of Organization Findings
Assumed Organization Need Sub-categories Validated Not Validated
1. Teachers need to feel that the broader
school culture supports this effort.
Cultural Models
(invisible)
X
2. Teachers need to have adequate
resources to integrate mindfulness
practices independently into their
classrooms.
Cultural Models
(invisible)
X
3. Teachers need support from
experienced role models within the
school to help guide the effort’s growth.
Cultural Settings
(visible)
X
DEEPENING AWARENESS 82
Table 6, continued
Assumed Organization Need Sub-categories Validated Not Validated
4. Teachers need to know that their
administration is committed to this effort
and that leadership has a clear vision as
to how mindfulness will be integrated
across the school.
Cultural Settings
(visible)
X
Cultural Models
Teachers need to feel that the broader school culture supports this effort.
Respondents to surveys and interviews had mixed sentiments as to how the school culture
supports the current mindfulness effort. It is known, for example, based on document analysis of
a survey of 67 students, that approximately half of the students view mindfulness training
favorably (Figure 10).
Figure 10. Student response to perceived value of mindfulness.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 83
Figure 10 shows that 35 of the 67 students polled felt mindfulness training was either
extremely valuable or valuable with 58 out of these 67 students also self-reporting that, aside
from mindfulness, they had few ways of managing their stress.
Nine out of 10 teachers either strongly agreed of somewhat agreed that their colleague’s
valued the mindfulness effort. Seven out of 10 somewhat agreed that Miramonte’s parent
community viewed the offering favorably (Figure 11).
Figure 11. Faculty and parent view of mindfulness training.
While these data are not necessarily negative, there is reservation among those surveyed
in terms of how mindfulness is perceived by two significant stakeholder groups: colleagues and
the parent community. When asked if the community was receptive to mindfulness practices, one
respondent said, “Have I noticed a change [in the parent community]? Yes.” The respondent then
went on to say, “Got a really nice email [about the mindfulness effort]. Granted this [was] from a
family where the mom teaches yoga.” Another respondent offered, “There’s been no negativity
about any of this [among staff],” then continued, “Sometimes a lack of negativity is not a good
sign. Like, some teachers are just trying to ride this out.” Another mentioned, “just keep feeding
DEEPENING AWARENESS 84
your people who are willing to push forward, and it will continue to grow and be more
powerful.”
This need was validated because while the administration is committed to this effort and
teachers also self-report that they have the motivation to integrate mindfulness practices into
their classrooms, the surveys suggest some reservations about the value placed on the effort by
other teachers and, in particular, the parents.
Teachers need to have adequate resources to integrate mindfulness practices
independently into their classrooms. There is agreement among those surveyed and
interviewed that Miramonte’s administration views the mindfulness effort positively and is
willing to commit resources to it, with eight of 10 respondents either somewhat agreeing or
strongly agreeing that adequate resources have been dedicated to its appropriate integration
within their classrooms. In terms of a financial commitment, the training for each of the teachers
involved is willingly covered by the school administration. During four of the six interviews,
teachers commented on how they felt supported in their efforts, with one of the respondents
saying she knew, in terms of the administration’s support of the mindfulness effort, that “this
matters.”
Despite the Miramonte’s current commitment of financial resources in order to support
the teachers interested in continuing the development of their practice as well as those interested
in beginning one, three of the six teachers interviewed commented directly on how they were in
need of time. One respondent lamented since the effort is not school-wide, interested teachers are
expected to take care of deepening their knowledge of mindfulness and its application on their
own. This teacher continued, suggesting that while she could get more training paid for, she was
equally confident that she would not be given critical time to develop curriculum. “Something’s
DEEPENING AWARENESS 85
got to give,” she suggested. Because of this, “a continual reliance” on the on-site therapist’s
knowledge and practice exists, according to another teacher. This limits the program’s growth.
This need was validated since, based on interviews, the critical resource of time is lacking
in terms of both personal and curricular development thus hindering independent integration of
the training in their classrooms.
Cultural Settings
Teachers need support from experienced role models within the school to help guide
the effort’s growth. Survey data suggests that Miramonte teachers see role models on their
campus that can support the mindfulness effort. Nine of the 10 surveyed responded that they
strongly or somewhat agree with this (Figure 12).
Figure 12. Role models and additional classroom support.
Despite the apparent approach of indirect instruction of mindfulness coming exclusively
from the onsite therapist, not one of the survey respondents strongly agreed that they rely on
others to train their students in mindfulness techniques. This apparent discrepancy could have
come from the fact that while the on-site therapist is widely, and highly, regarded as the de facto
DEEPENING AWARENESS 86
leader of the effort, his classroom presence alternates on what is known among teachers and
students as Mindful Mondays, where he shifts locations at each semester. Doing so offers at least
some of these teachers, who wish to engage the process, a chance to carry on the practices that
have been started by the on-site therapist. During an interview, one of the respondents admitted,
for example, that she had not had any formal training but “just watched” what the on-site
therapist did, and then carried the work forward. This situation may be replicating itself, which
might explain why six of the 10 surveyed teachers somewhat agree that they rely upon the on-
site therapist to train their students. Additionally, it is possible that those who either somewhat
disagree or strongly disagree with this notion are already at a point in their own practice where
they feel they are assuming a level of competence and capacity in the effort and can begin to do
some of the training on their own. This explanation, however, would need to be explored further.
This need was not validated because survey and interview data suggest that teachers have
both role models and support in terms of guiding the mindfulness offering’s growth.
Teachers need to know that administrations are committed to this effort and that
leadership has a clear vision as to how mindfulness will be integrated across the school. All
teachers surveyed for this research either strongly agree or somewhat agree that the site
administration supports the current integration of mindfulness in Miramonte classrooms (Figure
13).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 87
Figure 13. Perceived administrative support.
According to survey responses, those polled also believe Miramonte’s district
administration is committed to a clear set of guidelines for Miramonte and its other three
comprehensive high schools in its district. Nine of the survey respondents state that they either
strongly agree or somewhat agree that there is a district-wide commitment to decreasing student
stress and increasing student well-being.
How these goals are apprehended institutionally will fall upon site administrations and
the teachers they support. This feeling was mirrored in each of the six interviewed teachers, with
each offering comments about how they felt that the Miramonte administration was supportive, if
not “incredibly supportive” of the mindfulness effort. With this said, it is less clear among those
interviewed how the administration plans to do this. One respondent said, “I don’t think that it’s
sustainable right now. It should get there. But I think it’s being held together by a pretty small
group of people.” This assessment is important to consider since the program’s ultimate success
will depend on how the administration plans to build sustainability within the model that they are
currently supporting.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 88
This need was not validated based on the consistent recognition on the part of those
surveyed and interviewed that administration, both site and district, are committed to the
mindfulness effort.
Summary of Organization Findings
This study’s respondents suggest that Miramonte’s culture supports the efforts of those
who are working to integrate mindfulness into their classrooms. This support is especially felt by
the teachers at the site administrative level and at the district level, where those involved with
leading the district and its schools are designating financial resources. Time, however, is not
being designated in ways that could better support the effort. Still, this mindfulness offering, as a
whole, coheres with site-level and district goals in terms of aligning resources with student well-
being.
Conclusion
In terms of knowledge-based, motivation-related, and organization-related needs, a
system-wide approach to mindfulness integration in Miramonte classrooms has started. It is also
gaining momentum within the student population and appears to be doing the same within, as
yet, isolated sections of the broader Miramonte faculty.
But while teachers are currently working to reach the goal of integrating more
mindfulness practices into their classroom, reliance continues to rest on a select few and there are
worries that the current structure of the offering will not be sustainable. Teachers also feel that
there is considerable commitment on the part of both district and school administrators around
increasing student well-being, with mindfulness playing a significant role in achieving this goal.
Findings suggest that good progress is being made in terms of supporting teacher and student
efforts to access the training and both teachers and students seem to be motivated to continue the
DEEPENING AWARENESS 89
effort. Teachers, students, and administrators all appear to see value in mindfulness and its
related outcomes. Also, the organization itself continues to build capacity around the effort. Still,
work needs to be done, especially as it relates to knowledge needs. These will require both
further training in terms of how to best measure the effects of the effort. Also, an organizational
push towards offering teachers more time to learn how to best integrate mindfulness training into
their curriculum was suggested by the data as needed. Findings also suggest that extending this
culture to others in the community, especially to parents, in the unfolding effort requires
additional attention by the organization.
Another challenge presented in these findings is that unlike traditional curriculum where
content mastery can be learned by an instructor and presented factually, mindfulness practices
need to be internalized and then shared experientially. One of the respondents said during an
interview, “This stuff is caught not taught.” This generates a series of challenges for those
involved in delivering these practices and trainings to students since teachers have to be willing
to become living examples of mindful presence rather than repositories of information. This
challenge of becoming an exemplar should not be minimized, as it appears that this is among the
most significant challenges to expanding any mindfulness project. These efforts take courage,
which is supported by shared efficacy, which then needs to turn into confidence. While
confidence appears to correspond with the depth of one’s personal practice, more research is
needed in order to conclude that this will necessarily enhance the student experience.
Miramonte has proven to be successful in this regard with key individuals maintaining a
vision, a practice, and a plan that was supported, and valued by its administration. Significantly,
the approach exhibited by these individuals charged with the implementation of this effort points
toward a kind of leadership that centers on a continual internal, rather than external focusing of
DEEPENING AWARENESS 90
effort and application. So often, leadership theories focus on externalities and how they
influence, inspire, and affect others (Northouse, 2016). The individuals who have carried this
effort at Miramonte, showed how their internal, metacognitive approaches to mindfulness have
been of critical importance to the success and growth of the offering. Theirs is not a superficial
awareness but a process of integration, and subsequent internal availability, that influences,
inspires, and affects the well-being of an entire school culture and community.
In terms of implementation, the indirect model that is currently being used, whereby the
on-site therapist assists teachers by guiding students on Mindful Mondays for an entire semester,
should be considered valuable since it effectively integrates mindfulness practices into the school
culture. The on-site therapist, for example, can be credited with coordinating the effort and
helping to lead it in ways that brought the offering to students efficiently and supported teachers
effectively. This approach allowed for an organic movement to be carefully systematized so that
it continually improved just as it continually connected with every student at the 9th grade level.
Because of this method, nearly half of the entire student population has now had formal exposure
to mindfulness practice within two years. Though it remains to be seen how much of a
measurable impact mindfulness is having on student well-being, there is hope that improved data
collection will help guide the effort with greater precision into a space of greater impact.
Chapter Five explores solutions and recommendations to the validated knowledge,
motivation, and organizational needs. It will also present an implementation and assessment plan
around those solutions.
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CHAPTER FIVE: SOLUTIONS
The purpose to this chapter is to present data-driven recommendations for addressing the
validated knowledge-based, motivational, and organizational needs discussed in Chapter Four.
This chapter will also address the third stated research question, “What are the recommendations
for organizational practice in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources?”
Chapter Five is divided into four sections. First, proposed solutions to the validated needs
are presented. Second, an implementation plan that takes into account the resources required to
implement these solutions is considered. Third, a section is devoted to the evaluation of what is
implemented. Fourth, future research is addressed followed by this study’s conclusion.
Validated Needs and Proposed Solutions
Of a total of 14 assumed knowledge-based, motivational, and organizational needs, six
were validated as a result of data collection. Chapter Four presented these results in detail with a
summary of the findings in Table 7.
Table 7
Summary of Findings and Proposed Solutions
Validated Need Type of Need Finding Solution
1. Teachers need to
know of the connection
between mindfulness
and student well-being
and how to assess it.
Knowledge Participants recognized
that mindfulness training
was a significant support
to the well-being of
themselves and their
students but had no
established way to
measure this connection.
Apply data collection that
centers on baseline readings
from appropriate
instrumentation. These
should come from any of the
following: the Mindful
Attention Awareness Scale,
the Five Facet Mindfulness
Questionnaire, the Freiberg
Mindfulness Inventory, and
the Perceived Stress Scale
(Appendices C - F). Then
reassess using these same
instruments at the end of
each term to determine
impact.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 92
Table 7, continued
2. Teachers need to
know how to integrate
mindfulness practices
into their curriculum.
Knowledge Participants need more
training in order to
integrate the training into
their current curricular
delivery.
Support curricular
integration through any one
of the established
mindfulness training
organizations.
Mindfulschools.org, among
others, would benefit the
teachers and the overall
offering.
3. Teachers need to have
knowledge of the factors
that lead to the success
of mindfulness
integration into
classroom curriculum
Knowledge Participants need to be
more familiar with what
will lead to effective
integration of
mindfulness practices into
their own classrooms.
Support off-site visitations of
successful programs in other
schools.
4. Teachers need to feel
like they can collaborate
with other teachers in
order to support the
school’s mindfulness
effort.
Motivation
Participants do not
collaborate regularly with
each other in the efforts
associated with the
mindfulness effort.
Designated collaboration
time, specific to the
mindfulness effort, should be
offered within the school’s
professional development
model. This will allow for
the sharing of best practices.
5. Teachers need to feel
that the broader school
culture supports the
mindfulness effort.
Organization This effort is currently
supported and being
advanced by a limited
number of the faculty and
staff.
A more expansive
commitment needs to be
articulated and shared by the
Miramonte Administration
with all stakeholders. This
should include students,
teachers, administration, and
the parent community.
6. Teachers need to have
adequate resources to
integrate mindfulness
practices independently
into their classrooms.
Organization Teachers rely heavily on
the work of the on-site
therapist who does the
majority of the training.
Therefore, those teachers
who have received more
extensive training need to
both mentor less
experienced colleagues
and work more
independently in order to
integrate mindfulness into
their classrooms.
Experienced participants
need more advanced
training. This should extend
the offering more broadly to
other teachers through
mentoring. Teachers
showing interest in the effort
need to be recruited and
supported. Incentivized
personal development
opportunities, like retreats,
seminars, and gatherings,
need to be included in
professional developmental
goals. Time also needs to be
allocated in order to support
the effort’s growth.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 93
Table 7 illustrates the three knowledge-based, one motivational, and two organizational
needs, each with a corresponding finding and a proposed solution. In order to offer
recommendations and support these proposed solutions and their potential positive effect on
Miramonte’s mindfulness program, proposed solutions were offered to validated needs that
reflect challenges and opportunities in current offerings.
Proposed Solution 1: Use Data to Guide Mindfulness Instruction and Assess Its Impact
Systematically collecting information about the effectiveness of the effort’s attempt to
reduce stress and increase a felt sense of well-being will allow for data to drive programmatic
decisions. Data collection that centers on baseline readings from any one of a number of chosen
instruments would support the program. Tools such as the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale
(Appendix C), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Appendix D), or the Freiberg
Mindfulness Inventory (Appendix E) would work well in this regard (Brown & Ryan, 2003).
Following the establishment of a baseline with either one or multiple instruments, there should
be a follow-up reassessment at the end of the term in order to assess progress and impact.
The same kind of instrumentation could be used to measure student anxiety and stress
directly with the Perceived Stress Scale (Appendix F), first, to establish a baseline and followed
up at the end of the term to directly assess the effects that the training is having on both students
and the participating faculty.
In addressing these measurements, those individuals making programmatic decisions
would be able to directly address how well the mindfulness effort is affecting well-being within
the school culture and assess whether the training is helping the school achieve its overall goal of
decreasing student stress and anxiety with this intervention (Brown & Ryan, 2003).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 94
Proposed Solution 2: Actively Support More Structured Professional Development
Curricular integration through any one of the established mindfulness training
organizations would help address teachers’ needs related to integrating mindfulness practices
into their classrooms. While site administration is willing to support those interested in
mindfulness training, a more systematic approach, guided by organizations like Mindful Schools,
MindUp, and Mindfulness in Schools Project would go far to support a more structured approach
for teachers. This kind of commitment on the part of the Miramonte administration, to offer
training to those interested in beginning to offer mindfulness in their classrooms, then to follow
this up with more in-depth training is key to the effort’s sustainable growth (Lawlor, 2014).
Similarly, ongoing support of those who have already been sharing the practices with their
students would allow for the overall effort to strengthen as it makes it more likely that teacher
efficacy will be enhanced while burn-out will decrease (Frank, Jennings, & Greenberg, 2016).
Proposed Solution 3: Actively Support Collaboration
Time specifically designated for collaboration among teachers around mindfulness will
support programmatic growth (Durksen et al., 2017). Success in this regard can be achieved by
administrative prioritization in any number of capacities. For example, during professional
development opportunities, best practices can be shared among those involved. Guest speakers
and experts in the field can also be brought into the school environment in order to support
teachers and other interested staff. Site visits should also be considered as a way for teachers and
administrators to see how other schools are effectively integrating mindfulness into their own
lives as well as within school cultures (Crane & Reid, 2016). This orientation around
collaboration creates an environment of individual and collective efficacy and should not only
DEEPENING AWARENESS 95
increase motivation among leaders in the program but should help influence and motivate others
to participate (Durksen et al., 2017).
Proposed Solution 4: Stakeholder Outreach
A more expansive and clearly articulated commitment to mindfulness training needs to be
shared with all stakeholders which should include students, teachers, administrators, and
interested members of the parent community. For the effort to build its capacity within its
practitioners and within the school community, it must be seen as beneficial by those it serves
(Schonert-Reichl & Roeser, 2016). Currently, only a limited number of teachers are actively
participating in the effort, but reaching out and sharing a clearly articulated vision and supporting
its application can expand scope and capacity. With broad-based outreach being extended to the
entire school community, the goal of reducing student stress and increasing students’ felt sense
of well-being would be seen by all stakeholders as a priority. In this context, student well-being
needs to be recognized as something that is not limited to students, but linked to the entire school
community and its culture. This broad inclusivity and its messaging should increase engagement
and enhance the already desirable cultural shifts that are unfolding (Bolman & Deal, 1994).
Proposed Solution 5: Broaden the Effort
Incentives may play a part in supporting a deepening of the professional commitment to
the classroom practices that currently exist. These incentives would include more mentoring,
more allotted time for personal practice, which, for example, can be enhanced and developed
more fully if participating teachers are afforded chances to attend retreats that relate directly to
their work environments (Lawlor, 2014). Retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, such as
Spirit Rock and the San Francisco Zen Center, offer workshops and intensives that apply directly
to classroom teaching for Bay Area teachers, like those at Miramonte. Additionally, continued
DEEPENING AWARENESS 96
financial support of individual or groups of teachers who seek to attend personal and professional
growth opportunities will serve to enhance personal practices as well as what is integrated
independently within their respective classrooms (Lawlor, 2014; Meiklejohn et al., 2012).
Implementation
Solutions for each of the findings need the support of action steps, resources, and
timelines in which the process can effectively unfold. In this section, action steps, resources, and
the timeline for putting them into place will be addressed.
Table 8
Summary of Solutions with Action Steps and Associated Timeline
Solution Action Steps Timeline
Apply data collection that
centers on baseline readings
from the MAAS or other
scales. Then reassess using
this at the end of each term to
measure impact.
Those affiliated with
delivering mindfulness
training should gather data
using appropriate
instrumentation in order to
assess the utility of the
program.
This can be implemented at
the beginning of the next
school year for a baseline
reading at the beginning of
each year. These can be
administered again at the end
of each year to measure
progress.
Support curricular integration
through any one of the
established mindfulness
training organizations.
Mindfulschools.org, among
others, would benefit the
teachers and the overall
offering.
Participants showing interest
should be actively courted
and given incentives to
participate in training. Those
who feel ready to deepen
their practice should be
similarly supported in getting
more training so that they
might independently integrate
the training into their current
curricular delivery.
This can be implemented
immediately.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 97
Table 8, continued
Designated collaboration
time, specific to the
mindfulness effort, should be
offered within the school’s
professional development
model. This will allow for the
sharing of best practices.
Actively embedding
collaboration time
specifically for those
involved in the mindfulness
effort should begin.
This can be built into the
existing schedule at the
beginning of the next school
year.
A more expansive
commitment to clearly
articulating a vision and
outreach needs to be shared
with all stakeholders. This
should include, students,
teachers, administration, and
the parent community.
Communicating intent and
commitment to the fidelity of
the mindfulness program on
the part of administration will
support the school’s goal of
decreasing student stress.
Miramonte’s regular Parent
Education Nights are a
perfect venue for regularly
modeling mindfulness to the
wider community.
Conversations that define the
problem of student anxiety
and stress with key
stakeholders should happen
immediately with a
broadening of these dialogs to
continue thereafter.
The more experienced
participants need more
advanced training in order to
support other teachers
interested in participating in
the training. Additional
teachers need to be recruited
and supported. Incentivize
personal development
opportunities. Retreats,
seminars, and gatherings need
to be included in professional
developmental goals.
More mentorship and greater
support of independent
curriculum integration is
needed in order to expand the
effort. Those with the most
training need to actively
consider stepping into
leadership roles in order to
support the effort’s growth.
This will allow mindfulness
practices to be offered beyond
the 9th grade and into a wider
student population.
Moving the training beyond
9th grade, recruiting other
teachers into the effort, and
expanding a sense of
independence from the on-
site therapist can begin at the
start of the next school year.
Strategies and Action Steps
There are two levels at which implementation needs to take place within the organization.
First, internally, among the individual trainers, wherein those charged with delivering the
mindfulness curriculum are given opportunities to develop their own understanding of
DEEPENING AWARENESS 98
mindfulness practice and how to best integrate the offering into their classrooms. Second,
externally, whereby objective measures, outreach, and conscious support of expanding the
overall effort are implemented.
Internal. The administration and participating teachers can support the continued growth
of the school’s mindfulness effort if they pay close attention to the internal aspects of the work.
1. Personal development on the part of participants must be continually seen by the school
community, and advertised by the administration, as a long-term, school-wide priority.
Teachers need to be sent to training that both deepens their knowledge of the training and
enhances their current personal practices. These school-supported efforts can be extended
individually and also be supported for groups of educators or administrators that express
interest in attending trainings, seminars, workshops, or retreats. As the outcomes of these
events are then formally shared with the wider faculty others may be inspired to join the
effort.
2. This commitment to personal growth coupled with the support of conscious collaboration
would support programmatic growth. It is important for those involved with this effort to
remember that typical collaboration in educational settings involves using and then
sharing data to guide one’s instruction. Using data in this way is inherently external.
What came out of both survey and interviews during this research involves an internality
that is not being met with typical collaborative approaches. Therefore, it is recommended
that attention be paid to this need for teachers to share internal, qualitative experience as
well as quantitative, external, results of the practice. Collaboration, in this regard, might
take many forms, for example, those teachers who may have attended a particularly
noteworthy event relating to professional development, or those who have participated in
DEEPENING AWARENESS 99
a workshop, whether seen as valuable or not, need to have the space provided where the
internal experience can be shared and celebrated. Sharing this process of integrating
mindfulness into one’s life as well as into one’s classroom should benefit both the
offering as well as the entire school community’s sense of well-being.
External. In addition to supporting the internal, personal growth of the individuals
affiliated with the mindfulness effort, the external capacity of the school also needs to be
addressed.
1. Data collection from mindfulness scales, for example, will lead to data-driven decisions
relating to the program. These data should be collected, at a minimum, from students and
from the adult participants in the program. However, the collection of data need not be
limited to these stakeholders. For example, it also might be of interest to collect baseline
and end-of-term data from interested members of the parent community as a part of the
school’s outreach efforts.
2. External measures such as these tend to show significantly positive results in relatively
short amounts of time (Lawlor, 2014). Sharing these results regularly with the wider
community may have the desired effect of inspiring greater participation among faculty
and staff members as well as the parent community.
3. In addition to broadening the expression of the effort so that more people might show
interest in participation, another structural shift might make the burdens of the effort
more of a shared experience.
Resource Needs
There are three resources that the mindfulness offering needs if its implementation is to
be successful: time, money, and a shift in culture. Effectively meeting each of these needs is not
DEEPENING AWARENESS 100
insurmountable but may face challenges brought on by funding variability and the limited
commitment by faculty who are concerned that the effort, like others before it, is a temporary
trend.
Time. More time needs to be dedicated to this effort if it is to grow in scope and
effectiveness. This time should be directed at teacher training, teacher collaboration, outreach
within the school community itself, and out among the parent community. Doing so will show all
stakeholders that this effort is valued and seen as a priority not only for students but also for the
entire school community.
Time for planning needs to be offered to those who reasonably look to carry the effort
forward. Similarly, time for collaboration among those involved in the effort needs to be built in
to the existing schedule. Finally, time needs to be designated for student training on a regular
basis. The current approach, where the on-site therapist offers instruction on Mindful Mondays
should be maintained. But those teachers who are given extra training and feel able to integrate
mindfulness practices independently in their classrooms will free up time for the on-site therapist
to lead trainings in classrooms where teachers are either starting the process or are not as
comfortable as the more advanced practitioners.
Money. Costs vary for acquiring formal training through course work. For example,
currently budgeting roughly $350 per teacher allows for training specific to curricular integration
at MindfulSchools.org. Should the teacher wish to continue with the training, costs per
certification increase nominally.
Should the school or, as in Miramonte’s case, the Parents’ Club, or other outside funding
sources wish to support more professional and, in this case, personal growth, there are many
local opportunities to enhance teacher experience. For example, several retreat centers in the Bay
DEEPENING AWARENESS 101
Area offer workshops and retreats designed specifically for teachers. Taking advantage of these
opportunities can be more expensive than course work but retreats and intensives can afford
significant opportunities for personal and group reflection that can be brought back directly into
the classroom.
Finally, there is the cost affiliated with collaboration. While this is not directly felt
necessarily as a monetary outlay, collaboration exerts indirect pressure on time, which can
negatively affect budgets. There are a number of ways that administrators and teachers might
come up with effective ways of scheduling time to meet. For example, once each month, the
mindfulness group might be given time during what would otherwise be spent in departments or
with common subject teams. If this is too impactful, another solution might involve brief
meetings before or after school in ways that do not negatively impact expected norms of teacher
time commitments.
Culture. The school culture can offer among the most significant constraints if it is not
met with careful consideration. Mindfulness training, done appropriately, requires participants to
embody the training (Crane & Reid, 2016). Embodiment, in this context, requires an adjustment
for most teachers who are most often used to mastering content intellectually and then delivering
it in creative ways. This should continue to be celebrated, but it is also important for schools
wishing to integrate mindfulness practices into its classrooms to recognize this difference and
support the shift in mindset that is required. Mastering and then delivering mindfulness is not
like mastering and then delivering a set curriculum that meets agreed upon standards and
outcomes. Mindfulness requires that its teachers become the change they wish to see in their
students so that lives can be impacted. Stressed teachers will often beget stressed students. In the
same way, mindful teachers will often beget mindful students.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 102
Showing patience in this effort will benefit the overall stability and sustainability of the
program. Miramonte’s approach has involved five years of continual work. In this way,
Miramonte’s patience in developing the work has, perhaps unwittingly, created an optimal
situation for continued growth. For example,
1. The program began organically with a few teachers who became increasingly interested
in the offering and began to get more training with administrative support.
2. One of these individuals, the on-site therapist, had more flexibility than his colleagues in
terms of being able to offer instruction into a variety of classrooms at a variety of times
during the day.
3. Teachers scheduled the on-site therapist to come into their classrooms so that he could
offer direct training.
4. The on-site therapist’s participation led several teachers to eventually feel more and more
comfortable integrating the trainings into their classrooms on their own.
5. Interest continues to increase slowly, and organically, with significant support from the
current administration.
Constraints
Despite the fact that Miramonte is enjoying success in their program, traction in terms of
growth can slip if the naturally existing constraints are not met with purpose and planning. First,
motivation on the part of teachers who are showing interest, as well as those who are committed
to the work, will suffer if this program is not seen as a long-term priority for the administration
as well as the broader school community. Second, programmatic growth and sustainability will
be hindered if a focus on independent classroom integration on the part of each teacher involved
fails to be seen as a primary goal of any and all professional development. Third, this effort
DEEPENING AWARENESS 103
needs to be explained to all stakeholders as a way of mitigating student anxiety and stress while
at the same time it needs to be seen as a lifelong practice of self-care and well-being. Fourth, it is
important that patience assumes a primary role in establishing the mindfulness effort’s
sustainability. Going slow in order to go fast, in other words, will serve the current and future
success of this project.
Evaluation
According to the research done by Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2006), evaluating the
implementation and impact of the proposed solutions needs to be done on four levels
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). These include, at Level 1, Reaction; at Level 2, Learning; at
Level 3, Behavior; and at Level 4, Results.
Within this framework there an analysis should unfold that measures impact as opposed
to just outcomes (Dye, 1981). Leaders of this effort and its evaluation must be aware of their
own biases that may exist in this particular case which could inappropriately skew toward
positive results (Dye, 1981). On the other hand, learning processes along with political issues
and considerations might limit the expanse of the effort (Howlett & Ramesh, 2003). Regardless,
an effective evaluation plan will look to all four of these levels in order to develop a
comprehensive plan that can allow the school to both quantify and qualify their current efforts.
Adjusting the program based on an analysis incorporating these four levels should benefit both
the continued effectiveness of the program as well as its future viability.
Level 1: Reaction
The mindfulness effort needs to associate itself with data-driven decision-making. Doing
so will benefit the teachers currently involved, those thinking about joining the effort, and the
administrators charged with supporting the effort. First, applying questionnaires and scales
DEEPENING AWARENESS 104
appropriate to their specific program (Appendices C through F) and/or utilizing a survey
designed specifically for the school site would allow for an assessment that could point toward
strengths as well as areas of growth for the program as a whole. Second, engaging teachers in
dialog around the essentials specific to Miramonte’s mindfulness offering would allow for deep
discussions around their reactions and might help foster the kind of culture to which they aspire.
The statements related, but not limited to the following, might be a helpful guide (Kirkpatrick, &
Kirkpatrick, 2006):
1. I believe that the mindfulness program is of benefit to our students’ sense of well-being.
2. I believe that the mindfulness program is of benefit to my own sense of well-being.
3. I believe that the mindfulness program is aligned with our goals as a school community.
4. I believe that the mindfulness program is of value for our school culture.
5. I believe that I can independently integrate mindfulness trainings and practices into my
classroom.
Information gathered from these conversations would help measure teacher reaction to
the effort and help guide decision-making. However, as opposed to school administrators
collecting, analyzing, and sharing these data, the teachers directly involved with delivering the
classroom training would be the most appropriate people to do so. Those involved with the
proposed expanse of the mindfulness offering should be aware that this is a critical step, as there
is little chance of programmatic success if the reactions to mindfulness are negative. School
administrators should continually, and clearly, communicate the goals and vision, support broad
engagement, and maintain assurances related to continual training. But maintaining a sense
among those offering the training that this project is being built by them for the entire school
DEEPENING AWARENESS 105
community will support honest feedback that can then lead to effective modifications as the
mindfulness program continues to evolve (Bolman & Deal, 2013).
Level 2: Learning
An effective assessment of learning will measure the degree to which changes in attitude,
improvements in knowledge, and improvements in skills can remain permanent (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2006). This assessment at Miramonte will involve the use of those instruments
suggested in the previous section, such as the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Five Facet
Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Freiberg Mindfulness Inventory, and the Perceived Stress Scale
(Appendices C through F). Of particular interest, however, is the last of the aforementioned
dialog prompts, which states, “I believe that I can independently integrate mindfulness trainings
and practices into my classroom.” More training and mentoring should reflect a positive
correlation to this prompt showing that learning has occurred over time. The more this data point
increases, the more it would suggest that teachers feel more invested, and more comfortable, in
delivering the training to their students which should position the program for future expansion.
Additionally, it is important to note that the initial goal of the program was to reduce
student stress. The research suggests that the goal has organically evolved to include the
enhancement of student well-being. Also, the observed outcomes that came from this research
included unexpected, but noticeable, benefits to those administering the training. For example,
the teachers and the on-site therapist observed that while benefits to the students appeared, at
least anecdotally, to be significant, they also recognized how the knowledge, skills, and results of
their own participation was beneficial. In order to quantify this, data collected from the
questionnaires and scales (Appendices C through F), as well as any additional survey or dialog
prompts that are designed specific to the site, should be applied to those leading the effort and
DEEPENING AWARENESS 106
then analyzed. Doing so will give the school site a sense of how the learned skills brought about
by mindfulness practices are supporting the well-being of faculty, staff, and students, thereby
generating a measurable shift in school culture which should show that stakeholders feel more
invested and comfortable with the practices and how they deliver them.
Level 3: Behavior
The school needs to use evaluation tools in order to gather specific data relating to how
much change the mindfulness practices have supported among its stakeholders. But beyond the
systematic analysis of appropriately designed questionnaires and scales, observation will add to
the data set in ways that can determine if desired behavior has been transferred among students,
faculty, and staff (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). Rubrics, for example, for classroom
observation might be adjusted to include a mindfulness component. Tracking the frequency of
office referrals and suspensions could also be used. The on-site therapists could collect data on
the kinds of exchanges that they are facing in their meetings with students. Moreover, school
administrators could engage in the training themselves in order to simultaneously establish a
behavioral norm thus communicating, through their conscious participation, site leadership’s
commitment to the program.
Level 4: Results
Miramonte High School has sought to mitigate high levels of student stress and anxiety
while increasing their felt sense of well-being. This research suggests that they are on a path
leading to the achievement of these goals. But in order to determine the effectiveness of their
approach, baselines need to be established. Current data points to roughly 20% of the school’s
student population self-reporting that they experience significant levels of stress and anxiety
(Miramonte High School, 2017). The school needs to build and use measurements to see to what
DEEPENING AWARENESS 107
extent the proposed solutions are effective. If data collection can reveal decreases in stress levels
and increases in felt senses of well-being among students, and by extension teachers, and these
results can then be correlated with the school’s mindfulness program, then conclusions can be
drawn about programmatic efficacy (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). Furthermore, if it
achieves its goal of reducing student stress and anxiety, and increasing students’ felt sense of
well-being, Miramonte needs to develop plans for an expansion of the mindfulness offering in
ways that do not inhibit its ability to maintain its current gains.
Future Research
The majority of literature and research on the topic of mindfulness, especially as it
applies to the classroom, only arises out of the last decade. Moreover, the consensus among those
committing time and effort to understanding the implications of mindfulness, both in and out of
the classroom, is that it is a practice that supports well-being and happiness among people of all
ages. For example, according to Brewer et al. (2011), mindfulness training shows clinical
benefits in the treatment of pain, depression, substance use and anxiety disorders, and also helps
to increase psychological well-being in nonclinical populations. Basic psychological processes
that support student achievement and well-being, like improved focus and cognitive flexibility,
reduced affective reactivity, and shifts away from a distorted or exaggerated view of oneself also
arise out of recent research (Brewer et al., 2011). But just how the mechanisms within the
practice of mindfulness training actually promote apparent changes in actual brain function are
not yet clear (Hölzel et al., 2011; Keng et al., 2011). Further investigation of the neurobiological
implications of mindfulness practice and the resulting activation patterns that occur during
specific kinds of meditation practices may shed light in this area.
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Additionally, current technology offers some options that could prove beneficial to
students and others whether they live in urban or suburban settings. For example, there are
several smartphone applications that, when paired with appropriate headphones, can use binaural
rhythm patterns, or beats, in order to carry brainwaves to lower frequencies (delta wave patterns)
like those that experienced meditators achieve. Binaural technology may or may not offer an
inappropriate shortcut. Future research should pay close attention, for example, to whether or not
the use of binaural beat patterns could be used in lieu of classroom guidance (Fulpatil &
Meshram, 2014). Regardless, further research on the application of binaural beats could be of
significant benefit, especially to those individuals who may struggle with unsupported, or
minimally supported, practices that ask subjects to remain physically still.
In a more practical sense, it would be of interest to study the use of other available
technologies and their potential support of mindfulness practice. Research analyzing to what
extent effective mindfulness training could be taught online would be of benefit to schools and
districts that may not have the financial resources to support extra training and time for teachers.
Along these lines, of those interviewed for this research, three teachers pointed to their class
wide use of applications on students’ smartphones in order to support mindfulness. Among the
apps used were, Calm, Headspace, and Mindfulness. Uncovering to what extent these are helpful
could generate practical programmatic growth both at school and in home environments.
As a practice, mindfulness touches on the edges of some significant philosophical and
developmental issues. For example, if there is significant evidence that mindfulness practices
alter the brain and its function (Klimecki, Leiberg, Lamm, & Singer, 2012; Lazar et al., 2005;
Luders, Kurth, et al., 2012; Luders, Thompson, et al., 2012), the implications of its widespread
application should be explored more deeply in environments that extend beyond schools.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 109
Moreover, if further research points to a decrease in egocentrism, this may have implications on
collective egoic, or tribal-centric, behaviors (Brewer et al., 2011). Psychologically speaking, this,
in turn, could have implications on moral development and population’s respective world views
as well as the cultural bridges that could potentially be built if deeper understanding of our selves
leads to deeper understanding of others (Kegan, 2009; Wilber, 2000).
In addition, the literature shows that the benefits of mindfulness can be applied to schools
in urban settings facing different challenges from those faced by schools such as Miramonte
(Black et al., 2009; Fernando, 2013; Liehr & Diaz, 2010). Yet it would be of significant value to
determine how wide the generalizability of mindfulness applications can be in a variety of
settings and student populations. Studies in urban schools where both poverty and minority
populations are high have documented significant improvements in student behavior when
mindfulness are applied (Black et al., 2009; Fernando, 2013). Determining whether these results
can be duplicated across the United States, and more extensively on an international scale in a
variety of cultural contexts, would be valuable because findings could help guide more effective
applications of more far-reaching, school-based mindfulness efforts (Albrecht et al., 2012; Keng
et al., 2015; Kuyken et al., 2013; Weare, 2013).
Even though this research was limited in both depth and span, data revealed that
mindfulness is having an effect on the culture of a school community. This appears to be
supported by a kind of leadership that incorporates and balances inter-personal and intra-personal
skills. So often leadership models and leadership theories focus on externalities and how much
they influence, inspire, and affect others (Northouse, 2016). The model this research reveals
lands squarely on the integration of these externalities with the internalities of site and classroom
leaders, where metacognition and internality play fundamental roles in the organization’s
DEEPENING AWARENESS 110
successful implementation of its efforts. This, shall we say, integral model, where skills are
balanced between knowledge of self and an ability to communicate this to others skillfully, may
shed light on effective approaches to addressing knowledge and motivation needs in
organizations.
Future research would help determine to what extent this integral model of leadership,
where internal and external skillsets are put to use, could adjust the classroom culture of schools
and other organizations. The impact of this integral model of leadership on the Miramonte
campus, has made strides, even outside of the classroom. During interviews with both a site
administrator and one of the teachers, for example, an event was independently mentioned that
elicited an interesting response from those in attendance. At an evening presentation, a female
student was giving a talk on how she had recently emigrated from Myanmar as a Rohingya
refugee. The story was intense and, upon the completion of her talk, many members of the
audience were moved emotionally. Immediately, the student leaders in charge of the event, with
the support of site leadership, asked that the audience take a “mindful moment” to be with the
totality of the tragedy expressed, the emotions that were being felt, as well as the heroism that
was articulated. “There it was our mindfulness work in action,” said a site leader in attendance.
“It was beautiful.”
Conclusion
As suggested in the literature detailed in Chapter Two, efforts to advance SEL and its
core competencies of self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making,
relationship skills, and social awareness have been formally supported within school settings for
the last two decades (Lawlor, 2016). Pathologies like anxiety and depression within U.S. High
schools, however, are being reported at increasing rates (Schonert-Reichl & Lawlor, 2010).
DEEPENING AWARENESS 111
Mindfulness practice shows promise as an effective way of mitigating these occurrences within
and across adolescent populations (Black et al., 2009; Black & Fernando 2013; Fernando, 2013).
Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that teachers benefit significantly from the practice as
well (Meiklejohn et al., 2012).
Miramonte High School has embarked on a path to address student well-being, and is
beginning to enjoy success in this context, both for its students and its staff. As this study has
evaluated this school’s efforts, it has become clear that there are areas of growth that can be met
with purposeful planning, both at Miramonte and at other high schools interested in the
integration of mindfulness into their school culture. Miramonte’s approach, while still growing in
scope, should be seen as a map for other institutions looking to support the health and well-being
of their students. The conversations surrounding this work at Miramonte and elsewhere need to
continue. So does the research. After all, there may be no priority as important as the interplay of
academic, social, and emotional needs of students, teachers, and the communities in which they
learn. Mindfulness trainings and practices offer us all, in the United States and beyond, the keys
to unlocking this combined potential for generations to come.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 112
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program on pre- and early adolescents’ well-being and social and emotional competence.
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Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Roeser, R. W. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of mindfulness in education.
New York, NY: Springer. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3506-2
DEEPENING AWARENESS 124
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Shunk, D. H., Pintrich, P. R., & Meece, J. (2008). Motivation in education: Theory, research,
and applications. London, UK: Pearson
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11). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9415-2
Watts, D. M. (2009). Enabling school structure, mindfulness, and teacher empowerment.
(Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. (3390602)
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evidence and policy context, Journal of Children's Services, 8(2), 141–153.
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DEEPENING AWARENESS 125
Zeidan, F., Martucci, K. T., Kraft, R. A., Gordon, N. S., McHaffie, J. G., & Coghill, R. C.
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10.2011
DEEPENING AWARENESS 126
APPENDIX A
Teacher Survey
Background Questions:
These questions are designed to give context to this study.
1. What is your gender?
a. Male
b. Female
c. Prefer not to say
2. How many years have you been teaching at Miramonte High School?
a. Check-off
3. What subject do you spend most of your time teaching?
a. Short answer
4. On average, how many hours of sleep do you get each night?
a. Check-off
5. I have had formal training in mindfulness.
a. Yes/No
6. On a scale from 1 to 4 (with four being the most extreme), how anxious do you feel
during a typical day?
7. On a scale from 1 to 4 (with four being the most extreme), how “open to experience”
do you feel during a typical day?
8. On a scale from 1 to 4 (with four being the most extreme), how “at peace” do you feel
during a typical day?
9. On a scale from 1 to 4 (with four being the most extreme), how “present” do you feel
during a typical day?
10. On a scale from 1 to 4 (with four being the most extreme), how much physical pain
do you find yourself in during a typical day?
11. On a scale from 1 to 4 (with four being the most significant), how much would you
say you've integrated a mindfulness practice into your own life?
Knowledge Questions:
These questions are designed to get a sense of how you approach the knowledge you
have about mindfulness practices.
12. I have an understanding of what mindfulness practices in the classroom are.
Likert scale: 1, Not at all – 4, I understand it well
13. I have an understanding of how mindfulness practices support my students' well-
being?
Likert scale: 1, Not at all – 4, I understand it well
14. I know how to get mindfulness training should I wish to start participating or to
advance my training.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
DEEPENING AWARENESS 127
15. I know how to integrate mindfulness practices into the classes that I currently teach.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
16. I know how to assess student progress in terms of mindfulness practices.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
17. The mindfulness practices that I have been exposed to support my own sense of well-
being.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
18. I am finding that the mindfulness practices I have been exposed to are supporting my
ability to model mindful behaviors.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
19. How often do you collaborate with your colleagues on how to best integrate
mindfulness practices into the classroom?
Likert scale: 1, Never – 4, Nearly every day
20. Briefly describe the most effective mindfulness practice that you have used?
Long answer
21. Briefly describe how you monitor your own progress as a practitioner of mindfulness.
Long answer
Motivation Questions:
These questions are designed to get a sense of how much you find yourself to be
motivated in relation to the mindfulness effort.
22. Please check all that apply:
a. I believe that mindfulness training benefits me personally.
b. I believe that mindfulness training benefits the students.
c. I believe that mindfulness has had a positive impact on Miramonte's culture.
d. I collaborate with colleagues in order to support our mindfulness efforts.
23. I can effectively teach mindfulness practices to my students.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
24. It is important to integrate mindfulness practices into my classroom.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
25. Mindfulness practices are a priority in my classroom.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
26. Mindfulness practices are worthy of Miramonte’s time and resources.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
27. I rely on other individuals to train my students in mindfulness techniques in my
classroom.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
28. I can embed mindfulness practices into my curriculum at least once a week.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
29. I can model the behaviors that a mindfulness practice supports.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
30. I have made an effort to support the mindfulness practices currently offered at
Miramonte.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
DEEPENING AWARENESS 128
31. I feel positive about the outcomes of the mindfulness practices I’ve used on a
personal level.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
32. I feel positive about the outcomes of the mindfulness practices in relation to
Miramonte students.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
33. When considering the teaching of mindfulness practices, I often find that I worry
about making mistakes.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
34. Currently, how often do you implement mindfulness practices in your classroom?
a. Less than once a week
b. Weekly
c. Twice each week
d. At least three times each week
e. Daily
Organizational Questions:
These questions are designed to get a sense of how much you feel that Miramonte
values mindfulness training and its practice.
35. The administration supports me in implementing mindfulness practices in the
classroom.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
36. The administration is committed to a goal of decreasing student stress and increasing
student well-being.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
37. There are adequate resources dedicated to the integration of mindfulness into my
classroom.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
38. I rely on other individuals to train my students in mindfulness techniques.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
39. I am allowed to make decisions relating to the integration of mindfulness practices in
my classroom.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
40. Mindfulness training is valued by teachers.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
41. Mindfulness training is valued by parents.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
42. Mindfulness training is valued by site administration.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
43. Mindfulness training is a valued by students.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
44. I feel like there are instructors/models on campus who can support me as I work to
integrate mindfulness into my students’ classroom experience.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
DEEPENING AWARENESS 129
45. Having more time to collaborate with colleagues on mindfulness-related practices
would be helpful.
Likert scale: 1, Strongly Disagree – 4, Strongly Agree
46. What might the school administration do in terms of offering you enough support in
order to get mindfulness training into your classroom at least once each week?
Long answer
47. What might the school do in terms of supporting a school-wide effort to be a more
mindful organization?
Long answer
48. Please use the space below in order to articulate anything else that you would like to
express relating to the mindfulness effort at your school?
Long answer
DEEPENING AWARENESS 130
APPENDIX B
Interview Questions
1. Tell me how you integrate, or use, mindfulness techniques, or practices, in your classroom?
2. What kind of an impact, if any, does the application of mindfulness have on the students in
your classroom?
3. How has integrating mindfulness in your classroom affected you personally?
4. What is it about the integration, or use, of mindfulness that you find most challenging in your
classroom? In your personal life?
5. Do you feel supported by colleagues in terms of the mindfulness effort?
6. Do you feel supported by the administration in terms of the mindfulness effort?
7. Are there noticeable differences between students who have had training and those who have
not?
8. Have you noticed anything that gets in the way of either successful training or successful
implementation of mindfulness in classrooms?
9. Overall, do you feel that the mindfulness effort is helpful?
a. Please explain
10. Is there anything that might make your work with mindfulness more effective?
DEEPENING AWARENESS 131
APPENDIX C
Mindful Attention Awareness Scale
Scoring Information:
To score the scale, simply compute a mean (average) of the 15 items. Higher scores
reflect higher levels of dispositional mindfulness.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 132
APPENDIX D
Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
Scoring Information:
Observing items: 1, 6, 11.
Describe items: 2, 7R, 12.
Acting with awareness items: 3R, 8R, 13R. Non-judging items: 4R, 9R, 14R. Non-
reactivity items: 5, 10, 15.
Reverse-phrased items are denoted by ‘R’ after the item number, e.g. 14R.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 133
APPENDIX E
Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory
Scoring Information:
Add up all items to get one summary score. When scoring, please observe that there are a
couple of reversed items. For these you need to reverse the scoring, preferably by a recode
command that recodes 1 into 4, 2 into 3, 3 into 2 and 4 into 1.
The item to be recoded is “I am impatient with myself and with others.”
At the moment, we do not recommend to use separate factor-scale scores. If you wish to
do so, we recommend that you analyze your own data set and extract 4 to 6 factors according to
the data structure you find and then proceed accordingly, adding up item scores per scale.
DEEPENING AWARENESS 134
APPENDIX F
Perceived Stress Scale - 10
Instructions: The questions in this scale ask you about your feelings and thoughts during the last
month. In each case, please circle the number that best matches how often you felt or thought a
certain way
1. In the last month, how often have you been upset because
of something that happened unexpectedly?
0 1 2 3 4
2. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were
unable to control the important things in your life?
0
1
2
3
4
3. In the last month, how often have you felt
nervous and "stressed"?
0 1 2 3 4
4. In the last month, how often have you felt confident
about your ability to handle your personal problems?
0
1
2
3
4
5. In the last month, how often have you felt that things
were going your way?
0 1 2 3 4
6. In the last month, how often have you found that you
could not cope with all the things that you had to do?
0
1
2
3
4
7. In the last month, how often have you been able to
control irritations in your life?
0 1 2 3 4
8. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were
on top of things?
0
1
2
3
4
9. In the last month, how often have you been angered
because of things that were outside of your control?
0
1
2
3
4
10. In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties
were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?
0 1 2 3 4
Scoring Information:
PSS scores are obtained by reversing responses (e.g., 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1 & 4 = 0) to
the four positively stated items (items 4, 5, 7, & 8) and then summing across all scale items. A
short 4-item scale can be made from questions 2, 4, 5 and 10 of the PSS 10 item scale.
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Mindfulness practices build an attentive awareness of the present moment and appear to support the kind of well-being school communities seek to cultivate. Currently there are increases in demands for the services offered by crisis counselors, who work to serve students’ emotional needs. Students are increasingly reporting levels of chronic sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. This is reflected nationally with high school students around the country reporting increased incidents of stress and depression. This issue represents larger educational problems, which correlate increased stress levels and ineffective teaching of coping skills with more serious problems such as increased risk of teen suicide. The problem of practice addressed by this dissertation is how schools might best integrate mindfulness practices, the learned attentive awareness of the present moment, into this void and evaluate whether this approach to increasing students’ ability to pay attention to their immediate experience, helps mitigate the problems affiliated with increased levels of stress.
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McAlister, Michael Glenn
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Core Title
Deepening awareness: the integration of mindfulness practices in United States high schools
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Rossier School of Education
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Doctor of Education
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Global Executive
Publication Date
06/05/2018
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Tags
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