TY - JOUR
T1 - A qualitative investigation of a mindfulness-based yoga program for educators
T2 - How program attendance relates to outcomes
AU - Schussler, Deborah L.
AU - Harris, Alexis R.
AU - Greenberg, Mark T.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PY - 2020/7/1
Y1 - 2020/7/1
N2 - Contemplative professional development interventions seek to help educators manage stress and improve emotion regulation, yet the mechanisms of action revealing how they result in positive psychological and physical outcomes remain unclear. Using focus groups based on levels of attendance, this qualitative study examined how educators with different levels of attendance perceived their experiences in Community Approach to Learning Mindfully (CALM), a mindfulness-based yoga program. Using theory-driven and data-driven codes, two researchers adopted a thematic analytical approach to independently code interviews. Results suggest that individuals across all groups indicated participation in CALM stimulated awareness of some kind—somatic, emotional, or awareness of thought patterns. However, participants who attended more frequently were more likely to practice mindfulness informally during routine activities. This increased skill integration was associated with improved outcomes. Program acceptability was high across attendance groups although those with low attendance felt stressed making time to attend the program. Collegiality emerged as an important benefit and catalyst for reinforcing practices. Implications for professional development are discussed, including the role of collegiality and the importance of program readiness.
AB - Contemplative professional development interventions seek to help educators manage stress and improve emotion regulation, yet the mechanisms of action revealing how they result in positive psychological and physical outcomes remain unclear. Using focus groups based on levels of attendance, this qualitative study examined how educators with different levels of attendance perceived their experiences in Community Approach to Learning Mindfully (CALM), a mindfulness-based yoga program. Using theory-driven and data-driven codes, two researchers adopted a thematic analytical approach to independently code interviews. Results suggest that individuals across all groups indicated participation in CALM stimulated awareness of some kind—somatic, emotional, or awareness of thought patterns. However, participants who attended more frequently were more likely to practice mindfulness informally during routine activities. This increased skill integration was associated with improved outcomes. Program acceptability was high across attendance groups although those with low attendance felt stressed making time to attend the program. Collegiality emerged as an important benefit and catalyst for reinforcing practices. Implications for professional development are discussed, including the role of collegiality and the importance of program readiness.
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U2 - 10.1002/pits.22374
DO - 10.1002/pits.22374
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85083044999
SN - 0033-3085
VL - 57
SP - 1077
EP - 1096
JO - Psychology in the Schools
JF - Psychology in the Schools
IS - 7
ER -