Author

Jakob Lauffer

Date of Award

Summer 2019

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

James Kirylo

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact mindfulness sessions had on the dispositions of eight third-grade students. In the Spring of 2019, mindfulness practices were presented to third-graders in their regular classroom setting every Monday and Thursday over the six-week qualitative action research study. During this time, the teacher-researcher administered 15-minute mindful lessons that aimed to help increase coping strategies in the student population. The instruments used for data collection in this qualitative action research study were: a pre/post-intervention questionnaire, weekly exit slips utilizing multiple choice and open-ended questions, field notes, and digital video recordings. Students utilized Google classroom to respond to the questionnaires and weekly exit slips. The teacher-researcher also wrote detailed field notes immediately following the daily sessions and then would use the videotaped recording to probe deeper into the interventions to look for themes to emerge. The findings support the inclusion of practicing mindfulness sessions in elementary school to positively impact student dispositions. After the comparison of the data was completed, three distinct themes emerged: (a) universal understanding of mindfulness, (b) enjoyment, and (c) value of future practice.

Rights

© 2019, Jakob Lauffer

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