A Qualitative Analysis of the Effects of Mindfulness Practice on Self-Regulation in a Finnish Classroom

Abstract

This thesis examined the use of a mindfulness practice in a Finnish elementary school. Mindfulness-based practices have risen in the field of education in recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects the mindfulness practice has regarding the students’ attention distribution and self-regulation during a mathematical problem-solving task. We reviewed the topic with an embodied cognition approach. The study was conducted as a qualitative research and aimed to expand understanding of the studied phenomenon. Participants were 15 students and their teacher in the region of Pirkanmaa. A mathematical problem-solving task was executed in three study sessions including a mindfulness practice conducted by the teacher and three sessions without the practice. Data was gathered through video-recordings, self-report scales and the assessment of the performance in the mathematical tasks. The analysis was carried out in three phases: the analysis of observable behaviours; the analysis of children’s self-reports and the outcomes from the mathematics tasks. Results from the three analyses were viewed and compared individually and together. Study findings are supportive of previous research indicating positive effects of mindfulness practices. Results show increase in engagement and decrease in disengagement examined looking at the students’ eye direction, unsettled movements and observed actions. A variance between participants was detected, but the results are still encouraging. This study joins the body of research enlightening the use of mindfulness practices as tools in the school context and contributes to the discussion of the impacts of these practices, while evidencing that future research on the topic is needed.