Education Commons^™

Impact Of Mindfulness Training On Test Anxiety In College Students, Lindsay Alcock

ELAIA

Background Mindfulness is defined as the state of giving full attention to a stimulus, internal or external, without inducing judgment or becoming reactional about the feelings experienced, positive or negative (Davis & Hayes, 2012). Previous studies have investigated the relationship between mindfulness techniques and the reduction of anxiety (Chambers et al., 2008; Macdonald & Olsen, 2020); a smaller number of studies have considered test anxiety (Cho et al., 2016; Sparks, 2017). Prior research has used multiple mindfulness techniques to measure the impact on test anxiety, but few have isolated mindfulness trainings to compare the relative impact of each type on …

Room For Breathing: Mindfulness, Currere, And Contemplative Practices In Teacher Education, Hongyu Wang, Jo Flory

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This paper explores the intersections of using autobiographical (currere) writing and mindful meditations as two forms of contemplative practices in teacher education, from the perspectives of both a secondary classroom teacher and a teacher educator. An experientially-based conceptual inquiry, it is contextualized through first-person autobiographical narrations reconstructed from the authors’ currere writings and mindfulness practices, in order to draw connections between both through the theme of making room for breathing. The pedagogical contexts surrounding how students practice mindfulness and currere in teacher education are discussed, and the body, emotions, temporality, space, and relationality are analyzed as intersecting and complementary …

A Mindful Search For Basic Writing Identities: Constellating Contemplative Classroom Pedagogies, Classroom Community Circles, And Critical Discourse Analysis In A Cultural Rhetorics Ecology, Elizabeth Edwards Weems

English Theses & Dissertations

Many Basic Writing students have stories which are informed by traumas, othering, and marginalization. Finding pedagogies which address students’ stories, in addition to meeting academic goals, is crucial. Sometimes, students question how improving their reading and writing skills can help them navigate other areas of their education and experiences, especially their lives outside of academia. I have worked to create a kairotic pedagogy which invites students to read and write ‘the word and the world’ (Freire, 1970; 1988). Using Contemplative Classroom Pedagogies, I attempted to follow Freire’s (1992) call to make “teaching a creative act, a critical act, and not …

Positive Effects Of Mindfulness Practices On Academic Performance And Well-Being, Katia G. Karadjova-Kozhuharova, Ruth L. Baker

Library Faculty Publications

This qualitative study explored potential positive effects of mindfulness practices among university students. The mindfulness practices were provided at an experiential space, the Brain Booth at the university library, meant to learn about the mind-body connection, reduce stress, and optimize learning. The Brain Booth activities were available to students at any time during the library working hours. The findings showed that the Brain Booth was experienced as helping students to 1) Relax and Destress; 2) Calm down; 3) Foster focus and clarity; 4) Actively engage and reenergize. A strong preference was outlined for mindfulness activities without a digital component or …

Resilient, Mindful, And Satisfied Educational Professionals, Stephen J. Caldas, Gina M. Pin

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

This study conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using both the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 25) and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) to create a validated, synergistic, higher-order factor we call Invicti Anima based on the responses 630 teachers and building-based educational leaders in three northeastern USA states. Controlling for important contextual variables including educator sense of agency, our structural equation path model mapped the relationships between educator role, level of Invicti Anima, and Job Satisfaction, as measured by the Job Satisfaction Index (JSI). The educators in our study who were strong in Invicti Anima …

The George-Anne Daily, Georgia Southern University

The George-Anne Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Trauma-Informed Practices For Test-Taking Anxiety At The Elementary Grade Level, Kate Campbell, Shalini Mathew

Journal of Research Initiatives

Test -Taking Anxiety (TTA) is a challenging experience for children of all ages. Childhood exposure to trauma and adverse experience has been increasing. Fortunately, trauma-informed practices, such as mindfulness activities have become more widespread in schools throughout the last few years. Existing school counseling literature offers limited perspectives on how school counselors can support elementary students for TTA. This conceptual article explores the effects of trauma-informed practices on elementary-age students' test anxiety and overall academic success in schools and offers implications for practice.

Assessing Stress In College Students After Breathing Meditation With And Without Music, Joshua L. Le Clerg

Graduate Theses

College students face increased levels of stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which can adversely affect their academic performance. Therefore, it is critical for students to have access to practices that reduce stress, such as breathing meditations and listening to calming music, which are cost effective and require minimal time commitment. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of combining breathing meditation and listening to music for five minutes a day, five days a week, for two weeks. Fifteen undergraduate students completed the study and were randomly assigned to a control group who completed the breathing meditation without music (n=8) …

Examining The Relationship Between Burnout And Mindfulness In Government Employees: A Closer Look At Mindfulness In Positive Psychology, Simona C. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Burnout has been an ongoing problem that negatively impacts organizations, their leaders, and employees. While burnout is a highly researched topic, there is less information on burnout and mindfulness in government employees in the United States. According to research, mindfulness, a state of being conscious or aware, has shown to improve well-being and reduce stress and burnout in employees. Previous studies showed that burnout is a common problem that can lead to negative mental, emotional, and physical outcomes. The goal of this quantitative correlational study was to determine to what extent a relationship exists between mindfulness and burnout among government …

Teaching With The Genius In Mind: Enacting Literacy As A Civil Right, Katie Glupker, Pam Gower, Angela Knight

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Because literacy is a civil right, educators are responsible for designing and implementing literacy education that is designed with the excellence of all students in mind. In order to learn about ways to ensure that literary practices are equitable for all students, the authors joined an educators’ book club to read Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Gholdy Muhammad. Muhammad describes the Black literary societies of the past and challenges educators of today to enhance classrooms by upholding equity and excellence through a five-layered framework: Identity, Skills, Intellect, Criticality, and Joy.

We studied Muhammad’s …

Increasing Student Employee Engagement And Knowledge Retention Using Grounding And Mindfulness Practices, Jeffrey Fox

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

Higher education students have a critical need to be fully present and engaged in the learning space that they participate in. Incorporating grounding and mindfulness practices at the start of student employee training and team building seminars was tested to determine if their engagement level and knowledge retention increased. Grounding and mindfulness practices have predominantly focused on the classroom experience, failing to address additional shared learning environments that students occupy. In my action research, I implemented a multifaceted and fundamental grounding and mindfulness-guided practice for student employees in the Student Activities and Involvement department. I used control groups, whole-group guided …

An Examination Of Mental Health In First-Year College Students, Emily Jolin Luettke

Masters Theses

Research shows that first-year college students are likely to struggle with their transition into a higher education institution, which can lead to an influx of various mental health issues. This project explores factors that impact the adjustment to college as well as examines barriers that individuals face that keep them from seeking professional help. As mental health issues are on the rise, especially with the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to have conversations with students on mental health. The goal is to educate students in an effort to reduce mental health stigma and share information about resources …

The Impacts Of Learning 2 Breathe On Rumination, Adessa Flack

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The present study examined the impact of Learning2Breathe (L2B), a mindfulness-based stress reduction program developed for use with adolescents on rumination. The program was applied to rumination in college-age men and women. Our experiment utilized a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 50 undergraduate students that were placed in either the experimental or control group. Data was collected pretest and posttest through a variety of measures including the Rumination Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) which consisted of a rumination and reflection subscale, and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). A two-way mixed ANOVA design was used to analyze data. There was no …

Mindfulness & Mindset: The Winning Combination? The Exploration Of The Unstuck Method® On Developmental Math Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Edite Birnbaum, Edith L. Birnbaum

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

Many students enter colleges having to take non-credit-bearing courses, and many do not pass these courses due to numerous factors, including anxiety and stress, especially in mathematics. Current literature shows how mindfulness-based interventions (Bamber, & Schneider, 2016; Dvořáková et al., 2017; Hidman, 2013; Miller et al. 2019; Regehr et al., 2013) and a growth mindset (Blackwell et al., 2007; Boaler et al., 2018; May, 2009) have a positive effect on student stress, anxiety, and academic success. This mixed-method study focused on the unSTUCK strategy’s impact, a mindfulness-inspired tool, on foundation math students. The unSTUCK strategy is a mindfulness-inspired program. The …

Making Mindful Moments: Encouraging Self-Care Practices With Resident Assistants, Michael Herbison

West Chester University Master’s Theses

In this intervention, we will be discussing the use of mindful practices and how they will be incorporated into training for the residence life and housing staff. Through experience and research, there is a recognition of the amount of stress that impacts the resident assistant’s (RA) day to day life. Often times, an RA will neglect their own health for the sake of helping others. These stressors can then not only impact their work performance, but their mental health as well. Through a mindful practice training, the RA will be able to identify resources that they can utilize in their …

Lowering Perceived Stress Levels In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Caitlin Dodd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project analyzed the effects of guided meditations and a stress management class on undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students’ perceived stress levels. College students and professional nurses are both susceptible to having high stress levels. Mindfulness activities have been shown to lower stress levels. Undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students participated in this project determining the effects of guided meditations and a stress management class on perceived stress levels in a quantitative, pre- and postinterventional study. Participants in the project completed a stress management class and 18 guided meditation sessions in an undergraduate classroom setting. The researcher used the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) …

Relax And Recharge Club, Katherine Osmundson, Alec Miller

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

An afterschool club that focuses on providing calming and stress relieving activities that also help them build healthy coping mechanisms to stress at a young age.

Bridging The Ivory Tower: Culturally Responsive Education Connects Content To People, Velma Cobb

Graduate School of Education Publications and Research

Higher education institutions shape the professions which are the conduit for the disciplines’ ways of knowing, the worldview or mindset of the professions, and the intellectual frameworks by which problems and policies are defined. The generational, conscious and unconscious agreements between higher education and the professions perpetuate the status quo, resulting in continued disproportional impacts based on race, gender, ethnicity, language, orientation, and differing abilities in every major industry sector; including education, health, employment, housing, finance, technology and the criminal justice system. Cultural responsive pedagogy provides a process of altering these agreements by surfacing the dual consciousness of our multiple …

Cats And Cows Yoga Club, Kate Gaulke

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

Numerous studies have shown that yoga can be very beneficial for kids. Cats and Cows Yoga Club will help children learn the postures of yoga, but also teach them the importance of mindfulness. I include lessons that preach kindness and gratefulness which compliments the practice of yoga very well. Ultimately, children will become aware of how it feels when they deep breathe and the difference it makes in your mood when you focus on mindfulness in your body, mind, and spirit.

“To Study The Self Is To Forget The Self”: Zen Lessons On Ego And Leadership In Higher Education, Jody Condit Fagan

Libraries

Theories of charismatic leadership present leadership as an influence process where part of the leader’s role is to attract followers through individual example and vision. Charismatic leadership acknowledges the potential dangers of narcissism in the leader and leader-obsession among their followers. Meanwhile, central tenets of Zen philosophy include that of non-attachment to self, interdependence of all beings, and impermanence. Interviews with four American Zen practitioner-leaders were analyzed for themes related to the influence of ego on leadership. This paper presents findings from the interviews, and discusses these along with observations from other Zen scholars and practitioners. The discussion is complemented …

An Evaluation Of A Brief Mindfulness And Values Training On Cyber Bullying Behavior In College Students, Emily M. Boduch

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Cyber bullying is associated with many negative outcomes for both the bully and the victim (Fahy et al., 2016; Kowalski et al., 2014; Merrell et al., 2008; Quintana-Orts & Rey, 2018). There has been a large research focus on the causes (Barlett & Gentile, 2012; Mehari & Farrell, 2018) and consequences (Fahy et al., 2016) of cyber aggression, but there has not been as much focus on the evaluation of prevention and intervention strategies (Gaffney et al., 2018). While cyber bullying is primarily targeted in adolescence, Tynes, Rose, and Markoe (2013) showed that online aggression occurs amongst university students as …

Construction Of A Scale Of Contemplative Practice In Higher Education: An Exploratory Study, Maryann Krikorian, Randy T. Busse

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Some scholars have formed a more expansive view of knowledge that moves beyond the cognitive notion of intellect. For example, emotional intelligence theory posits that human intelligence encompasses both cognitive and emotional competencies, providing a framework for a relatively new concept known as contemplative practice. The purposes of this study were: (a) to develop a self-report measure, the Scale of Contemplative Practice in Higher Education (SCOPE), and (b) to explore issues of validity and reliability related to the SCOPE. An extensive review of the literature, reference to personal experiences, and consultation with an expert panel were used to generate scale …

The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Leadership: How Mindfulness Practices Affect Leadership Practices, James Van Auken

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The aim of this study was to explore and understand the relationship between mindfulness practices and actual leadership practices. This qualitative study utilized narrative inquiry with phenomenological interviewing techniques to explore selective leaders who use mindfulness practices, and see how they used mindfulness in their leadership practice. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted and thematic analysis was utilized. Eleven themes were identified with multiple sub- and sub-sub-themes, including: “Personal, Internal Mindfulness Practice,” “Being Mindful Toward Self,” “Being Present with Others,” “Being Present with a Group,” “Mindful Shift of Focus/Attention,” “Emotional Intelligence,” “Buffering of Reactivity,” “Resilience and Recovery,” “Alignment,” “Improved Job Performance,” …

The Compatibility Of Mindfulness-Based Therapy And Adventure Therapy For Effectuating Change In Sud Populations, Kelly Oberbillig

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Mindfulness-based therapy causes neurological changes that reduce reactivity to drug cues through modulation of regional activation, functional connectivity, and gray matter concentration. These neural mechanisms of mindfulness translate to reduced reports of craving, increased psychological well-being, and the development of acceptance, awareness, non-judgment, and non-reactivity. All of which attribute to the effectiveness of mindfulness-based relapse prevention as a therapeutic treatment for Substance Use Disorder (SUD). Adventure therapy programs who provide psychological therapy in wilderness contexts should consider the integration of mindfulness-based therapy into their practice for the treatment of SUD. Mindfulness-based therapy and adventure therapy approaches have many coinciding program …

Mindfulness As A Pedagogy Of Supervision: Reclaiming Learning In Supervised Practices In Student Affairs, Henrique G. Alvim, Allison Barnhart

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

As graduate students prepare to enter the student affairs profession, supervision serves as a critical component of their overall self-development. However, for a number of reasons (e.g., the fast-paced nature of higher education, time constraints, etc.), supervision in the context of internships often centers solely on productivity and task-oriented activities. While worthy and necessary, these can neglect a central component of supervised practices: learning. This article seeks to reorient aspiring and seasoned student affairs professionals (supervisees and supervisors) toward certain pedagogy of supervision that makes room for mindfulness, which can bolster the quality of these learning experiences.

Design And Evaluation Of A Course On Social And Emotional Learning And Classroom Management For Future Teachers In Colombia, Andrea Bustamante

Dissertations

Research has evidenced the importance of supporting future teachers so they are prepared to effectively model and foster prosocial attitudes and behaviors in their students. However, these aspects are often disregarded in teacher education programs. The purpose of this study was to address this gap by designing, implementing, and evaluating a course for future teachers in Colombia. The course intended to promote future teachers’ own social and emotional competencies (SEC) and well-being, as well as their classroom management knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs. It included three components: (1) development of SEC, (2) classroom management approaches and strategies, and (3) mindfulness …

Therapeutic Relationship And Outcome Effectiveness: Implications For Counselor Educators, Nicole A. Stargell

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor and client pairs from a university training clinic were analyzed, and therapeutic relationship was the strongest predictor of counseling outcome effectiveness as it progressed across time. In this quantitative study, therapeutic relationship accounted for 25% of the overall variance in outcome effectiveness. The results of this study support the idea that the therapeutic relationship is positively related to counseling outcomes and can be intentionally improved across time.

Contemplative Practices And Post-Secondary Well-Being: Potential Methods For Reducing Test Anxiety, Shannon S. Hayden

MSU Graduate Theses

Students encounter numerous sources of stress in college from school work to examinations. A proposed method for reducing test related anxiety is contemplative practice (namely, mindfulness meditation and expressive writing). These interventions were used immediately prior to an exam to determine effectiveness on students’ mood and test grade. Although the study produced few statistically significant results, a promising trend in utilizing these interventions for increasing exam grades, increasing positive mood, and decreasing negative mood was uncovered. Each intervention appears to have dissimilar effects on different types of students (i.e., varying degrees of dispositional mindfulness and cognitive test anxiety; for example, …

The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Stress Among College Students, Elizabeth Marie Vonderheyde

Theses and Dissertations

College students who have high levels of stress have reported difficulties with functioning on a daily basis, whether it be high anxiety due to classes or an increase in unhealthy habits like smoking or overeating. Studies have shown that those who practice mindfulness every day learn how to live with accepting the stresses in their lives (Siegel & Allison, 2016). This study explored the relationship between mindfulness and stress in college students from a medium size public university in the northeast. Two self-report measures were used to collect data though an online survey. Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential …

Examining The Differences Between University Students' Levels Of Resilience On Mindfulness, Psychological Distress And Coping Strategies, Aileen M. Pidgeon, Louisa Pickett

Aileen M. Pidgeon

University students can face numerous stressors which can contribute to the development of psychological distress shown to be associated with decreasing completion and retention issues throughout Australian universities (Willcoxson, Cotter, & Joy, 2011). A positive predictor and outcome of successful student coping and adjustment to university and retention outcomes is resilience, the ability to cope in difficult situations and bounce back from adversity. Mindfulness has also been shown to be promote resilience. The present study examined differences in psychological distress, mindfulness, and coping strategies (adaptive vs. maladaptive) in university students (N = 122) with high and low levels of resilience. …