Mindfulness in the classroom: An exploration of teachers' perceptions of well-being in relation to mindfulness-based classroom practices
type: CreativeWork
description: The intersection between mindfulness and well-being is particularly salient, given a nascent field of international study has grown out of interest in what mindfulness can offer to enhance human well-being. Despite well-being forming an integral part of the health and physical education learning area of the New Zealand curriculum, there is a surprising paucity of current research into teacher well-being in New Zealand, and an even greater scarcity of New Zealand based research into the potential impact of mindfulness-based practices on teacher and student well-being. This thesis aims to address this significant gap by exploring teachers’ perceptions of well-being in relation to mindfulness-based practices. Drawing upon hermeneutic phenomenology as a method of inquiry, this study reveals the essence of the ontological experiences of a group of nine New Zealand primary (elementary) school teachers as they explored the notion of well-being, considered the mindfulness construct in relation to their personal and professional well-being, interpreted and ultimately applied mindfulness principles to their classroom programmes. Data were collected in two phases over a 10 week period by way of teacher focus group meetings, in-class observations, de-briefings, and student focus group meetings. Researcher reflexivity is acknowledged through the use of autobiographical diary entries, woven throughout, as the super-ordinate themes of well-being and mindfulness are explored in relation to identity, authenticity, autonomy and ‘Being’. The findings have implications for educational theory, policy and practice. A key finding points to the development of a theory signifying the paradoxical nature of well-being as both an experience and a state of ‘Being’, and not necessarily as the result of being well. A second theory introduces the concept of authenonomy, suggesting the continuous interplay between authenticity and autonomy, when acknowledged and acted upon, may heighten teacher wel…
abstract: The intersection between mindfulness and well-being is particularly salient, given a nascent field of international study has grown out of interest in what mindfulness can offer to enhance human well-being. Despite well-being forming an integral part of the health and physical education learning area of the New Zealand curriculum, there is a surprising paucity of current research into teacher well-being in New Zealand, and an even greater scarcity of New Zealand based research into the potential impact of mindfulness-based practices on teacher and student well-being. This thesis aims to address this significant gap by exploring teachers’ perceptions of well-being in relation to mindfulness-based practices. Drawing upon hermeneutic phenomenology as a method of inquiry, this study reveals the essence of the ontological experiences of a group of nine New Zealand primary (elementary) school teachers as they explored the notion of well-being, considered the mindfulness construct in relation to their personal and professional well-being, interpreted and ultimately applied mindfulness principles to their classroom programmes. Data were collected in two phases over a 10 week period by way of teacher focus group meetings, in-class observations, de-briefings, and student focus group meetings. Researcher reflexivity is acknowledged through the use of autobiographical diary entries, woven throughout, as the super-ordinate themes of well-being and mindfulness are explored in relation to identity, authenticity, autonomy and ‘Being’. The findings have implications for educational theory, policy and practice. A key finding points to the development of a theory signifying the paradoxical nature of well-being as both an experience and a state of ‘Being’, and not necessarily as the result of being well. A second theory introduces the concept of authenonomy, suggesting the continuous interplay between authenticity and autonomy, when acknowledged and acted upon, may heighten teacher wel…
author: Mazza-Davies, Laurie Lynn
keywords: mindfulness, well-being, phenomenology, classroom practices, hermeneutic phenomenology, autonomy, authenticity, teacher well-being
license: https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstreams/8698c29f-2ac2-4bd5-a82e-bf0c16286767/download
date published: 2015
date modified: 2026-07-24T05:57:30Z
provider: University Waikato
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Waikato