| dc.description.abstract | Many early childhood educators are experiencing an increase in stress, affecting their self-efficacy well-being (Hue & Lau, 2016). Mindfulness, which is the awareness, openness, and receptiveness of one’s present life (Seema & Sare, 2019), has been used in the classroom to help decrease stress and anxiety for students and teachers (Harris, 2017). Previous research has examined the use of mindfulness primarily as part of the student’s curriculum, but there has not been a focus on the teachers’ use of mindfulness. More research is needed on the benefits of teachers using mindfulness practices, specifically, meditation and gratitude, when practiced regularly (Meiklejohn et al., 2012). Combining self-efficacy, self-determination, and hope theory, a new theoretical model, Mindfulness Sequence Model (Evans, 2020), first illustrates how mindfulness is practiced. Next, A multiple case study design was used following five teachers during an eight-week intervention. Through daily audio recording reflections after meditation and gratitude practices, weekly interviews, and pre-post-surveys, the study explored the teachers’ experiences with meditation and gratitude and connections to their self-efficacy and hope. Teachers reported increased teacher self-efficacy, hope, decreased stress, and an increase in classroom community after practicing meditation and gratitude daily. Last, based on the theoretical model presented and the lived experiences, teachers are provided with a guide on how implementing a daily morning meditation and afternoon gratitude practice in their classroom. | en_US |
