33 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction intervention for elementary school teachers: a pilot study relying solely on self-reporting questionnaires may have resulted in socially desirable responses. Future research could benefit from incorporating observations and qualitative methods to provide a more comprehensive understanding. Based on the results of this pilot study, participating MBSR training could potentially contribute positively to reducing perceived stress, enhancing mindfulness skills, selfcompassion, and mental health among elementary school teachers. A future RCT is warranted to further validate the effectiveness of MBSR training in reducing perceived stress among elementary school teachers. Recommendations for the future Many school organizations seek ways to alleviate teachers’ perceived stress and reduce absenteeism without compromising teaching quality, education standards, or pupil performance. This research could pave the way for further investigation into whether the broader implementation of MBSR within the education sector could be a viable solution to this concerning trend. While this research primarily focuses on teachers, the benefits of MBSR may extend to other professionals working in educational settings. Internal and external educational psychologists, for instance, are tasked with providing support and guidance to teachers in schools. Implementing MBSR training could be one of the recommendations. Although this study did not investigate the positive correlation between teacher well-being and aspects such as the quality of the pupil-teacher relationship, the classroom climate, and pupil performance, it provides grounds for further exploration. This could also be of interest to educational psychologists. Lastly, it is crucial that when addressing stress, we consider not only the individual but also the system in which the teacher operates, including the educational organization, the education system itself, and society. Notes 1The term ‘school weight’ refers to the percentage of pupils considered at risk of educational disadvantage. During this study, a pupil’s weight was determined based on the educational level of their parents. 2 The percentage of weighted pupils in the schools where participating teachers worked ranged from 0% to 65%. Given that teachers from both city center schools and schools in the outskirts of the municipality of Rotterdam took part, and considering the limited power of this pilot study, the average percentage of weighted pupils in the area (17% per school) was used as the baseline for categorizing teachers. Teachers were classified as either having less than 17% or equal to or greater than 17% weighted pupils for analysis purposes. 2
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