Conceptualizing and Measuring Mindfulness in School Settings: A Mixed Methods Study and Development of Mindfulness in School Scale

Abstract

This study aimed to explore how mindfulness is perceived and experienced by teachers and to develop and validate the Mindfulness in School Scale (MSS) for use in school settings. An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was employed. In the qualitative phase, phenomenological interviews were conducted with 23 teachers selected through purposive maximum variation sampling. Content analysis identified six themes: Self-Observation, Environmental Observation, Self-Awareness, Environmental Awareness, Acceptance, and Reactive Control. These findings informed the development of the MSS. In the quantitative phase, the scale was administered to 663 teachers. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses supported a five-dimensional structure comprising Self-Observation, Environmental Observation, Self-Awareness, Environmental Awareness, and Acceptance, explaining 51.46% of the total variance. Standardized CFA factor loadings ranged from 0.50 to 0.90, and the measurement model demonstrated satisfactory fit (χ2/df = 1.20, RMSEA = 0.028, CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.981). The five dimensions also demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.80 to 0.93. Correlations among the dimensions were generally low to moderate, indicating that the MSS captures related but distinct aspects of mindfulness in school settings rather than a single underlying construct. The findings further suggest that mindfulness in schools is shaped by both intrapersonal and interpersonal processes, with environmental awareness emerging as a contextually salient dimension. Overall, the MSS provides initial evidence for the validity and reliability of its five dimensions as a multidimensional instrument for assessing mindfulness among teachers in school settings while offering a context-specific framework for future research examining the relationship between mindfulness and emotional intelligence.