Mindfulness Practices in a First-Grade Classroom: Impact on Student Behavior and Student and Teacher Perceptions

Author

Lesslie PicenaFollow

Campus Location

Abilene Campus

Date of Award

Spring 5-12-2023

Document Type

Manuscript

Department

Teacher Education

Degree Name

Master of Education in Teaching and Learning

First Advisor

Kim Hardin

Second Advisor

Andrew Huddleston

Abstract

There has been a rising interest in examining the effectiveness of implementing mindfulness practices to improve students’ behavior. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects that implementing mindfulness practices had on first-grade students’ off-task behaviors during lessons and transitions and to understand students’ and their teacher’s perceptions of the mindfulness practices that were implemented. A mindfulness intervention was implemented for three weeks. Tally sheets and journal entries were gathered to record and reflect on student behavior. Post-intervention surveys, individual student interviews, and a teacher interview were utilized to gather the participants’ perceptions. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. Both the quantitative and qualitative data indicated that there was a limited impact on student behavior. Survey results indicated that most students had positive perceptions about the mindfulness intervention. The classroom teacher’s perceptions emphasized suggestions for improvement.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Picena, Lesslie, "Mindfulness Practices in a First-Grade Classroom: Impact on Student Behavior and Student and Teacher Perceptions" (2023). Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning. 65.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/metl/65