Teaching Mindfulness to Teachers: a Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

Abstract

School teachers report high levels of stress which impact on their engagement with pupils and effectiveness as a teacher. Early intervention or prevention approaches may support teachers to develop positive coping and reduce the experience and impact of stress. This article reviews research on one such approach: mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) for school teachers. A systematic review and narrative synthesis were conducted for quantitative and qualitative studies that report the effects of MBIs for teachers of children aged 5–18 years on symptoms of stress and emotion regulation and self-efficacy. Twelve independent publications were identified meeting the inclusion criteria and these gave a total of 13 samples. Quality appraisal of the identified articles was carried out. The effect sizes and proportion of significant findings are reported for relevant outcomes. The quality of the literature varied, with main strengths in reporting study details, and weaknesses including sample size considerations. A range of MBIs were employed across the literature, ranging in contact hours and aims. MBIs showed strongest promise for intermediary effects on teacher emotion regulation. The results of the review are discussed in the context of a model of teacher stress. Teacher social and emotional competence has implications for pupil wellbeing through teacher–pupil relationships and effective management of the classroom. The implications for practice and research are considered.

Improving emotion regulation and mood in teacher trainees: Effectiveness of two mindfulness trainings

“…The present study is the first to investigate to what extent mindful- previous meta-analyses, both for the general population and in-service teachers (Emerson et al, 2017;Hofmann et al, 2010;Hwang et al, 2017;Klingbeil & Renshaw, 2018;Lomas et al, 2017), were largely replicated. It should, however, be noted that increases in distraction appeared to partially go back to teacher effects-groups taught by author 1 demonstrated higher increments than groups taught by the other authors, independent from the respective curriculum (mindfulness or awareness activities).…”

“…Although no mindfulness‐based benefits were found for suppression, self‐focused rumination, general, and anxious mood, this hypothesis can be regarded as widely corroborated because superior development of the active controls over the passive controls was not observed at all. Hence, results of previous meta‐analyses, both for the general population and in‐service teachers (Emerson et al, ; Hofmann et al, ; Hwang et al, ; Klingbeil & Renshaw, ; Lomas et al, ), were largely replicated. It should, however, be noted that increases in distraction appeared to partially go back to teacher effects—groups taught by author 1 demonstrated higher increments than groups taught by the other authors, independent from the respective curriculum (mindfulness or awareness activities).…”

“…According to initial empirical investigations, mindfulness training can be considered a promising solution to improve teachers' ER skills and mood (overviews: Emerson et al, ; Hwang, Bartlett, Greben, & Hand, ; Klingbeil & Renshaw, ; Lomas, Medina, Ivtzan, Rupprecht, & Eiroa‐Orosa, ), with potential downstream effects on classroom performance. In their systematic review of mindfulness‐based interventions for schoolteachers, Emerson et al () considered a range of outcomes and suggested the greatest potential for ER. However, in the systematic review by Lomas et al (), only three out of 19 studies reported on ER, with most studies looking at rather distal outcomes such as stress and burnout, but not at whether these effects are linked with more adaptive ER skills.…”

“…According to initial empirical investigations, mindfulness training can be considered a promising solution to improve teachers' ER skills and mood (overviews: Emerson et al, 2017;Hwang, Bartlett, Greben, & Hand, 2017;Klingbeil & Renshaw, 2018;Lomas, Medina, Ivtzan, Rupprecht, & Eiroa-Orosa, 2017), with potential downstream effects on classroom performance. In their systematic review of mindfulness-based interventions for schoolteachers, Emerson et al…”

How Is Stress Reduced by a Workplace Mindfulness Intervention? A Qualitative Study Conceptualising Experiences of Change

“…Good et al 2015;Klatt et al 2009), and their effectiveness in reducing stress been indicated (Allen et al 2015;Hyland et al 2015) among working adults exposed to high occupational stress, including doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals (e.g. Bazarko et al 2013;Irving et al 2009; Martín-Asuero and García-Banda 2010); teachers (Emerson et al 2017); those working in occupations with high emotional labour (Hülsheger et al 2013); and with indices of poor mental health (Huang et al 2015).…”