Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that mindfulness has in early childhood and elementary classrooms, as well as the benefits of the teachers. The central research question was: What effects does mindfulness have in the classroom? The study hoped to find what the effects of mindfulness are on a teacher's ability to teach, the impact of mindfulness on a students' ability to learn, and the perspectives of teachers and students regarding the impact of mindfulness on learning. The research concluded demonstrates that implementing mindfulness in the classroom has various benefits on students including increased attention, improved behavior, self-regulation, happiness, self-confidence, and much more. Research also indicates that students are faced with challenges. According to Maslow (2016), "students' stress and anxiety continue to rise". As a result, educators must take on the crucial role of explicitly teaching students how to manage strong emotions before they impede students' success. This was a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Participants involved were three teacher interviews, google surveys for teachers in the school, and between seven to fifteen students in K-2 classrooms (the amount of students present during the time of the observation in six different classrooms). Data was collected through google surveys, teacher interviews, and classroom observations. The researcher utilized interview question guides, and observation charts created by the researcher. The findings presented in this study suggest that mindfulness has multiple positive benefits on students both academically, socially, and emotionally, in early childhood classrooms.

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