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ERIC Number: ED554394
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 141
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-3031-9244-9
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Integrating Mindfulness Practices into the Elementary Curriculum to Improve Attention-to-Task Behaviors and Social Relations
Kanagy-Borofka, Lori
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
This study examined effects of integrating mindfulness practices into the 5th grade curriculum to improve attention-to-task, including inattention and executive functioning, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and social relations. As academic requirements become more rigorous, students have been expected to demonstrate increased skills in attention-to-task and social relations, and social relations and attention-to-task challenges have been shown to affect learning in school. Within a pragmatic paradigm, this study used a mixed methods model encompassing 2 phases consisting of a larger pre/post between group quasi-experimental design embedded with a secondary qualitative design. A control group increased reliability and validity. The researcher hypothesized that the group with curriculum-integrated mindfulness training, the independent variable, would have significantly improved scores on all 5 dependent variables, overall attention-to-task, inattention, executive functioning, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and social relations. Pre/post testing consisted of standardized rating scales from the Conners 3(TM)-Teacher long form for establishing a baseline for each student and comparing the results of each phase. Combining confirmative quantitative results from RANOVA and paired t-tests with supportive supplemental qualitative results from teacher interviews, this research showed that, when compared to the control group, the group receiving treatment, curriculum-integrated mindfulness training, significantly improved performance in attention-to-task, inattention, executive functioning, and social relations. Hyperactivity / impulsivity noticeably decreased relative to the control group; however, the control group experienced relative improvements from significant classroom interventions, affecting the discrepancy needed for significance. The treatment teacher experienced increased connections with her students, a softer, more compassionate teaching style, and more awareness of the personal needs of her students, while the control teacher showed little change in her teaching style and general teaching experience. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Conners Teacher Rating Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A