Mindfulness: Views of Turkish Pre- Service Early Childhood Teachers

Abstract

The present study investigates the views of 21 pre- service early childhood teachers regarding mindfulness and its practice in early childhood settings. The participants were senior students attending early childhood education programs in Ankara, Turkey. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Students expressed positive views on mindfulness, such as the early childhood teacher being more able to focus on current activities, being more aware of themselves, and in control of negative emotions. Reservations included the practice requiring a long process, the risk of teachers becoming nonjudgmental, or insufficiently aware of events in the past or the future. Overall, participants agreed that mindfulness can be readily applied in education and is useful for reaching teachable moments. They also felt that mindfulness practices in the classroom would have a positive impact on children in terms of their future lives, their cognitive development and social-emotional development. Teachers and parents would also benefit personally and professionally, and their family relations would improve. All of the participants in the study indicated that they would like to practice mindfulness in the classroom. However, many had hesitations which were related to implementation and teachers’ efficacy.