Date of Award

Spring 3-17-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in School Leadership

Department

Center for Leadership & Learning

College

College of Education

Committee Chair

Dr. Sarah Gordon

Second Committee Member

Dr. Pam Dixon

Third Committee Member

Dr. Danielle Stewart

Program Director

Dr. John Freeman

Dean of Graduate College

Dr. AJ Anglin

Abstract

Mindfulness training has been identified as a promising means for cultivating social and emotional competencies and reducing stress. The purpose of the quantitative pre-post study using convenience sampling of educators in a rural K-12 in the Arkansas River Valley was to examine whether teachers’ participation in mindfulness activities were associated with changes in levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and job satisfaction. The study used the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) and measured the responses from novice (0-3 years) and experienced (4+ years) teachers. The findings revealed that there was no difference between the control and experienced groups on the DASS-21 and the JSS surveys; however, there was a significant difference among the experimental groups self-reported pre and posttests (novice and experienced). Even though this was not an original hypothesis, it was found that those who participated in mindful activities such as meditation and breathing techniques reported decreased depression, anxiety, and stress scores on the DASS-21 posttest. Moreover, the mindful activities appeared to benefit the experimental novice teachers as reported on the pre and post JSS surveys.

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