100 Chapter 6 So far, several studies on the effectiveness of MBIs in the educational field have been conducted. For example, results from a recent meta-analysis (Klingbeil & Renshaw, 2018) on 29 studies on MBIs for the educational field, delivered in 2 to 36 weeks with a dosage ranged from 1.67 hours to 74.75 hours, indicated that MBIs are effective in increasing K-12 teachers’ mindfulness (k = 17 studies N = 1,001 teachers), psychological well-being (k = 23, N = 1,248) and in decreasing psychological distress (k = 27, N = 1,469). Results for classroom climate and teaching practices (k = 8, N = 536) showed a small treatment effect. It was concluded that mindfulness training may enhance enactment of effective teaching practices. However, none of these studies specifically focused on elementary school teachers and 28 out of 29 studies had a small sample size varying from 16 to 102 teachers. More recently, two studies on the effectiveness of MBIs have been published, with positive results. First, a study (N = 23) by Taylor et al. (2021) found that even a relatively short, adapted MBI of four sessions reduced stress levels, burn-out, and depression in high school teachers. Second, a study by Hirshberg et al. (2020) showed that preservice teachers (N = 88) showed improvements in teaching practices (e.g. instructional supports, emotional supports, and classroom organization) up to six months after participating in an MBI. Daily mindfulness practice was significantly associated with these improvements. There were no group differences observed on well-being. Although these studies on the effectiveness of MBIs in education provide important insights, none of the studies tell us about how elementary school teachers experience participating in standard MBSR and the possible relation between participating in MBSR and their personal functioning, their professional functioning and their classroom climate quality. Therefore, using a qualitative design the current study will examine how teachers in elementary schools experience the effects of standard MBSR on their personal and professional functioning and on the classroom climate quality. By using a qualitative research design, it is perhaps possible to not only examine direct effects, but also to zoom in on potential working mechanisms of MBIs. From a systematic review of the empirical literature on the impact of mindfulness on the well-being and performance of educators (Lomas et al.,2017), it has been suggested that more research is needed to understand how mechanisms operate. They suggested that mindfulness involves self-reflective practices that help develop attention and awareness abilities. These abilities can lead to improved emotional regulation and intelligence, which includes the ability to view things from different perspectives. Improved emotional regulation and intelligence can support multiple positive health and well-being outcomes. In the current study we will explore potential mechanisms by including questions in our topic list that relate to the suggested mechanisms. So far, few studies on MBIs in the education field adopted a qualitative design examining how teachers reflect upon what they have learned during the intervention. Only a number of qualitative studies, all with a mixed teacher population, show hopeful results. For
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