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.]
Descriptors: Metacognition, Elementary School Students, Grade 5, Attention Control, Classroom Techniques, Control Groups, Validity, Reliability, Pretests Posttests, Qualitative Research, Executive Function, Hyperactivity, Conceptual Tempo, Interpersonal Relationship, Rating Scales, Statistical Analysis, Interviews, Teacher Attitudes, Elementary School Teachers, Intervention, Teaching Styles, Student Needs, Teacher Student Relationship, Behavior Change, Teaching Experience, Outcomes of Education, Quasiexperimental Design, Mixed Methods Research
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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