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A Qualitative Exploration of Implementation Factors in a School-Based Mindfulness and Yoga Program: Lessons Learned from Students and Teachers.

Jacinda K Dariotis, Roxanne Mirabal-Beltran, Fallon Cluxton-Keller, Laura Feagans Gould, Mark Greenberg, Tamar Mendelson

Psychology in the Schools November 28, 2016 DOI: 10.1002/pits.21979 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Population Fifth and sixth grade students and their classroom teachers in three public schools serving low-income urban communities
Intervention Mindfulness and yoga program
Duration 16-week program
Topics Meditation
Keywords Students Urban Implementation Schools Teachers Yoga School-based Barriers Facilitators Program delivery
Key findings Students and teachers identified four themes shaping implementation of a 16-week school-based mindfulness and yoga program: program delivery factors, program buy-in, implementer communication with teachers, and instructor qualities. The authors contend that this feedback should guide implementation, adaptation, and future development of school-based mindfulness and yoga programming in urban settings.

Abstract

Identifying factors relevant for successful implementation of school-based interventions is essential to ensure that programs are provided in an effective and engaging manner. The perspectives of two key stakeholders critical for identifying implementation barriers and facilitators - students and their classroom teachers - merit attention in this context and have rarely been explored using qualitative methods. This study reports qualitative perspectives of fifth and sixth grade participants and their teachers of a 16-week school-based mindfulness and yoga program in three public schools serving low-income urban communities. Four themes related to program implementation barriers and facilitators emerged: program delivery factors, program buy-in, implementer communication with teachers, and instructor qualities. Feedback from students and teachers is discussed in the context of informing implementation, adaptation, and future development of school-based mindfulness and yoga programming in urban settings.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in Theravāda, Zen, and Tibetan... 2017 Qualitative study with mixed-methods
The Effects of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Nurse Stress and Burnout Nurses in a hospital system 2004 Implementation study with mixed methods
An exploratory mixed methods study of the acceptability and effectiveness of mindfulness -based cognitive therapy for patients with active depression and anxiety in primary care Primary care patients with recurrent depression or recurrent depression and anxiety 2006 Exploratory mixed methods study n = 13
A qualitative study of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy for depression Participants in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in a mental-health context 2001 Qualitative study n = 7
Effortless awareness: using real time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators' self-report Meditators 2013 Qualitative study using grounded theory methodology

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