33rd Annual Student Research Conference
Mindfulness Practices in the High School Classroom
Jacqueline N. Arnold♦
Dr. Barbara Price, Dr. Summer Pennell, and Dr. Priscilla Riggle, Faculty Mentors
When faced with high stakes testing in small rural schools, rising levels of stress about even the smallest projects can have students doubting themselves and their work. Educators are tasked with keeping students in control and focused, all while looking to the End of Course Exams as D-Day. Together, this can create a learning environment steeped in anxiety, not acceptance. In an attempt to combat this, supported by the pedagogical research of social emotional competency (SEC), mindfulness practices were used in the classroom to help the students ground themselves in their learning and reduce writing anxiety and procrastination. This case study looks at how these practices, such as present awareness tasks, self-reflection, and group discussion, impacted the students directly. Building on previous research, the results provide a jumping off point for implementing mindfulness into classrooms to increase student productivity.
Keywords: Mindfulness, Social Emotional Competency, High Stakes Testing, Procrastination, Writing Anxiety, English Language Arts, High School
Topic(s):English, Secondary MAE Research
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA