Date of Award
5-2018
Document Type
Action Research Project
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Education, Montessori
First Advisor
Amanda Perna
Department/School
Montessori Early Childhood, Elementary Education, Montessori Elementary Education
Abstract
The purpose of this action research project was to measure the effects of daily mindfulness practice with peer-support on teacher stress reduction. Nine female Montessori teachers participated in study and taught at private Montessori schools in suburban or rural settings. The participating teachers practiced a short mindfulness activity daily such as the body scan, sitting meditation, yoga, or mandala coloring and wrote reflections in their daily journal for four weeks. The teachers also participated in a weekly peer support group for community building and wrote reflections in their weekly journal. The teachers participated in a pre- and post- intervention stress questionnaire and attitude scale. A majority of the teachers in this study showed a decrease in teacher stress and an increase in positive attitudes towards colleague support and school climate. The majority of the teachers also shared mindfulness with their students, and the overall results were positive. Further studies should consider whether mindfulness or community building was the more effective intervention in reducing teacher stress.
Recommended Citation
Vitolo, Dana. (2018). The Effects of a Peer-Supported Mindfulness Practice on Teacher Stress Reduction. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/250
Included in
Early Childhood Education Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons