There is no ‘mindfulness’ without a mindfulness theory–teachers’ meditation practices in a secular country

Abstract

The implications of mindfulness theory, created within a post-positivist tradition, in the context of education and connecting it to a social constructivist methodology are a challenge. We carried out this study using a mixed method approach: questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in a pilot project with a purposeful sample of 27 teachers; and a cross-sectional main study with 145 nursery school teachers and 225 secondary school teachers around Estonia. The aim of the study was to explore Estonian teachers’ religiosity, meaning of meditation, meditation practices and their perceived impact, trait mindfulness and experiences of using meditation exercises in teaching. NVivo content analysis, SPSS descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were used. The religious group of teachers has perceived the positive impact of meditation exercises on their state more often than the undefined group. The teachers who practise meditation exercises regularly have noticed a positive impact more frequently. The MAAS trait mindfulness scores did not vary depending on teachers’ religion, regularity and length of their meditation practices. The study shows that trait mindfulness should not be measured in populations who are not educated in mindfulness and stresses the role of mindfulness theory itself in developing regular meditation practices and the trait.