Literature Review 10 PAGES DUE APRIL 1 BY 8PM!!!!!!

Running head: QUALITATIVE ARTICLE REVIEW 0

Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a yoga and mindfulness intervention for school teachers

This paper is an academic review of a qualitative research article written by Matthew R. and Tamar Mendelson (2014) entitled: Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a yoga and mindfulness intervention for school teachers. Holistic Life Foundation, a nonprofit organization implemented a 6-session yoga and mindfulness program for teachers in seven urban public schools. The purpose behind the case study was to examine how the challenges of overcrowded classrooms, academic and emotionally challenged students, and lack of sufficient administrative resources effect teachers. My evaluation of this article is a holistic interpretation of a qualitative research project and is based on my understanding of this type of study. The study used seven urban schools randomly selected to either receive the intervention or to a no-intervention control condition. The participants were volunteer elementary and middle school teachers in Baltimore city public schools in low income neighbor hoods. The students test scores was the same in math, reading, and science. 21 teachers were used in the intervention and 22 teachers was used control arm. Qualitative feedback was collected, from the intervention instructors and participants. The participants also completed self-report measures of stress and burnout at baseline and post-test to provide preliminary information about intervention effects. Data collection techniques is a collaboration of observation, interviewing and data analysis (cite). Throughout the study, teachers were questioned, and observed in which the findings are outlined in the results section of the report. As finding emerge the hypotheses uncovers that the intervention may be beneficial for some teachers, but the recruitment response highlighted feasibility challenges. As a qualitative study, (author) research involves a certain level of subjectivity and suggestions can be implemented to enhance yoga-mindfulness feasibility for advanced research on this subject matter. There is a need for research on implementation of mindfulness and yoga programs in schools. Forman and colleagues wrote “high-quality intervention research cannot be conducted with analysis consideration of issues (2013). Obtaining qualitative feedback from selected participants and from the intervention instructors showed intervention feasibility which was explored by gauging ease of recruitment, tracking participant retention and attendance in the intervention, and the data collected seems to be relatively clear and explicit. However, the study was short. Therefore, opportunities for further research was open: in another study over a 16-week school-based mindfulness and yoga program there were four themes related to program implementation barriers and facilitators emerged: program delivery factors, implementer communication with teachers, and instructor qualities (cite). Moreover, between the studies threats of validity and bias can be questionable on the part of researchers: (1) The time line suggests the study was not long enough. (2) Not all of the participants were available for the description and explanation of the study. (3) The recruitment was in cohesive. Furthermore, the authors of this research article state “they did not have adequate resources in the small study to accommodate adequate participants”. Therefore, the study was deemed preliminary and exploratory. ( author) is appropriately perspectival in that they are able to identify with the flaws of the study “the program of yoga being incorporated into the school curriculum has not yet been adequately studied, the program required lots of time in which this study was very short”. Through phenomenological, ethnographic and case study research data was collected and analyzed. This study assessed feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a yoga and mindfulness intervention for elementary and middle school teachers in urban low-income school settings. The experience recruiting teachers for the stud highlighted feasibility issues related to voluntary teacher participation in a after school mindfulness and yoga program. Attendance rates and qualitative feedback from teachers who participated in the program, however, suggest that the program was acceptable and well received by the self-selected group. The preliminary data indicates that the program may hold potential for reducing perceived stress and emotional exhaustion. Solid attendance rates among teacher who went to more than one session suggest that once engaged, teachers enjoyed the program and made time for regular participation despite their busy schedules. Qualitative feedback from teachers also indicates that they found the program worthwhile and valued the opportunity to learn stress reduction techniques for use in their day to day lives.

References

Forman, S. G., Shapiro E.S., Codding, R. S., Gonzales, J. E., Reddy, L.A., Rosefield, Stoiber, K. C. (2013). Implementation science and school psychology. School psychology quartly, 28, 77-100.