Mindfulness in the Emotional Autonomy of Early Childhood. Approaches in Colombia and Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction: It is imperative to address and intervene from an early age to mitigate the exacerbation of emotions, thereby averting potential social, familial, and academic complications. M aterials and methods: This qualitative research aims to implement mindfulness as a pedagogical strategy to educate emotional autonomy in early childhood, through the sociocritical paradigm, based on the research “Action in the Classroom.” The present study was conducted with a purposive sample of 24 students from the EducationalInstitution ofCotopaxi (Ecuador) and 60 students from two educational institutions in Popayán, Colombia. Results: The study describes the analysis of field diaries, which were determined based on the lesson plans and later analyzed in the Atlas.ti software (version 9), enabled the children to identify theiremotionsandwhattheyfeelwhenwitnessingdaily life situations. Conclusion: The study highlights how mindfulnessbased pedagogical strategies improved their ability to manage emotions, selfesteem, and confidence. Additionally, it is essential to understand the context for developing these strategies and the need to create educational policies that integrate mindfulness into teacher training in future research.