Examining the Relationship Between School Mindfulness and Organizational Trust

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between organizational trust and school mindfulness. To achieve this purpose, a quantitative approach and relational design were preferred, and School Mindfulness Scale and Organizational Trust Scale were used as data collection tools. The study sample consisted of 495 participants working in public schools in İstanbul province. The data was evaluated using arithmetic mean, correlation and regression analysis. According to the results, trust in the principal and colleagues improves school mindfulness. Furthermore, trust in the principal increases the mindfulness of the school principal, while trust in colleagues enhances mindfulness among the faculty. It can therefore be said that school principals may prefer to strengthen organizational trust to increase the level of mindfulness within the school.

Mindfulness and Executive Functions: Making the Case for Elementary School Practice

This study explores the use of mindfulness school-based intervention program in an elementary school. Mindfulness training is an accepted and effective didactic approach to improve the executive functions (EFs) of elementary school students. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the Mind Yeti program on the executive functions of elementary school students. A diverse sample of third, fourth, and fifth grade elementary school students (n = 177) participated in their natural classroom setting, with six sessions per week for six weeks. Students self-reported their EFs on the Executive Function Student Questionnaire (EFSQ) pre- and posttest. Paired-sample t-tests indicated that students significantly improved on the three of the six EFs examined. Additionally, students in fifth grade responded better to Mind Yeti than students in third grade. Results were consistent with the hypothesis, suggesting that Mind Yeti is an appropriate and effective intervention for improving the EFs of students.

School bullying, school mindfulness and school academic performance: A structural equation modelling study

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of school bullying on school mindfulness and school academic performance through a structural equation model. The study was framed around the correlational design method; school bullying was taken as the independent variable and school mindfulness and school academic performance were used as the dependent variables. The study participants consisted of 156 high school teachers working in three of the schools selected from various school districts by means of the maximum variation sampling method. The data were collected via the School Bullying Scale (Tintorer, 2004), the School Mindfulness Scale (Hoy, Gage, & Tarter, 2006), and the average scores on the Higher Education Transition exam for each school. Path analysis was conducted to enable associating measurement errors in both latent and observed variables. Our study findings show that school bullying negatively affects school mindfulness and academic performance and that school mindfulness positively affects academic performance. In addition, the findings reveal that verbal bullying, consisting of behaviours such as harassing phone calls, taking someone’s money or belongings by force, intimidating actions with violent threats, name calling, racist expressions and teasing, swearing, lying to others or insulting them, is more frequently observed than other bullying types.

SCHOOL MINDFULNESS: CONCEPTUAL REVIEW OF 21ST CENTURY TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICE

The advent of information and technology world demands the transformation of the education system towards the 21st-century education landscape. The Ministry of Malaysia Education (MOE) expects 21st-century teaching and learning (PAK21) methods to be cultured in all schools ahead of Wave 3 of PPPM (2021-2025). However, MOE’s aim will not succeed without the dedication and commitment of teachers and school principals. Therefore, in order to implement PAK21, principals' commitment and teacher readiness during the teaching and learning process need to be emphasized so that the aspirations of national education can be implemented. However, one of the factors that prevented the successful implementation of PAK21 was the attitude and perception of teachers. Teachers who are not ready are difficult to change traditional pedagogical methods to mindful learning which is a PAK21 element. Teachers are less likely to apply Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) and prefer using passive information delivery. Additionally, teachers are reportedly still unprepared to implement PAK21 although they have been given training related to higher-order thinking skills in the teaching and learning process. Five key principles based on mindfulness theory have been identified as a significant factor in school mindfulness to help teachers willing to accept the latest pedagogical changes.