The Impact of Mindfulness in the Classroom Environment at the Conclusion of a Mindfulness Program
Open Access
Author:
Southmayd, Jennifer Gayle
Area of Honors:
Elementary and Kindergarten Education (University College)
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
James F Nolan Jr., Thesis Supervisor James F Nolan Jr., Thesis Honors Advisor Gwendolyn Monica Lloyd, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
Mindfulness Education Elementary Classroom Environment Professional Development School
Abstract:
Through my work as a Professional Development School intern at Gray’s Woods Elementary, I had the opportunity to observe a Mindfulness program with three classrooms. Dr. Phillip Montgomery * conducted 15 twenty-minute sessions in three classrooms, kindergarten, first, and second grade, over the course of eight weeks. After observing these sessions, I found myself wondering, “How is this going to continue?” This then developed into my inquiry investigation during which I embarked on research to determine the impact the mindfulness program had on students after the conclusion of a professionally led program. To evaluate this impact, I used systematic classroom observations, surveys, and interviews collected from both students and classroom teachers to determine what effect mindfulness has had on these three classrooms. After conducting the research, I found that although greatly enjoyed by the students and teachers, the program would need to be altered in order to incorporate mindfulness effectively into the classroom.
