ERIC Number: EJ1157024
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-8543
EISSN: N/A
"Your Brain Becomes a Rainbow": Perceptions and Traits of 4th-Graders in a School-Based Mindfulness Intervention
Keller, Julia; Ruthruff, Eric; Keller, Patrick; Hoy, Robert; Gaspelin, Nicholas; Bertolini, Katherine
Journal of Research in Childhood Education, v31 n4 p508-529 2017
Although mindfulness, or the self-regulation of attention, has been found beneficial in reducing teacher stress and burnout and in increasing students' cognitive and emotional regulatory skills, no study has explored students' attitudes toward meditation practices in depth. This mixed-methods study reports results from a randomized, controlled trial of a 10-week mindfulness intervention in a public school setting with 28 4th-grade students from lower income and ethnic minority backgrounds. Over the course of the intervention, students were asked to respond to writing and drawing prompts about their feelings and attitudes toward mindfulness. At the end of the intervention, the experimental teacher rated students on how often they had practiced mindfulness breathing during class. Qualitative analysis of journal entries yielded personality traits of students who were receptive or resistant to mindfulness training. Practical strategies for identifying and remediating resistant students and for implementing mindfulness interventions in a school setting are discussed.
Descriptors: Grade 4, Elementary School Students, Metacognition, Intervention, Attention, Student Attitudes, Mixed Methods Research, Randomized Controlled Trials, Public Schools, Minority Group Students, Low Income Students, Personality Traits, Longitudinal Studies, Resistance (Psychology)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Grade 4
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A