Elementary School Teachers’ and Students’ Attitudes toward the Utilization, Learning, and Teaching of Mindfulness
Abstract
Mindfulness practices have become commonplace in many schools. This research examined the perceptions of elementary teachers and students. Teachers completed surveys that categorized their responses into two areas: perception and utility. There was a significant finding that teachers with more training/awareness found mindfulness to be a favorable practice over teachers with less training and awareness. Students also completed surveys resulting in a Mindfulness Attitude Index. The significant findings were that females had a more positive perception than males, and younger elementary students (grades 1 & 2) had a more favorable attitude toward mindfulness than older elementary students (grades 3, 4, & 5). Implications are that as more schools implement mindfulness practices, considerations should be made based on the gender and age of the children. Training teachers leads to more favorable perspectives toward mindfulness, suggesting that training is a key component to the success of these practices.