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Exploring the infuence of cultivating awareness and resilience in education (care) professional development program on school administrators well-being and leadership

Author
Mahfouz, Julia M.
Published
[University Park, Pennsylvania] : Pennsylvania State University, 2017.
Physical Description
1 electronic document
Additional Creators
Schussler, Deborah Lynn
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Open Access.
Summary
In a culture in which schools are results driven, focused on student achievement, and increasingly placed under scrutiny, principals are under unprecedented pressure. They must work in dynamic, rapidly changing environments and are expected to adapt while remaining composed and positive. Therefore, principals must utilize strategies and develop skills that enable them to interact with others consciously, with full awareness of how their actions impact themselves, others and their environments. Practicing mindfulnessthe ability to be self-aware, to observe and accept the thoughts, sensations, and emotions one experiences without attempting to alter them (Baer, 2003; Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt, & Walach, 2004; Kabat-Zinn, 1994; Marlatt & Kristeller, 1999), could be a valuable tool for school leaders, enabling them to contemplate the thoughts and sensations they experience, remain aware and attentive, and break habitual think-feel-act patterns. Such a practice could potentially help them reconfigure preexisting categories and examine biases that may exist by paying close attention to each situation and context (Langer, 1989), especially when making decisions. However, the effects of mindfulness practices on educational leaders remains unexplored. I address this research gap by using qualitative grounded theory to explore the influence of Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE), a mindfulness-based professional development program, on the leadership and well-being of 13 school administrators from a school district comprised of six schools situated in a rural cluster area in central Pennsylvania. Specifically, I examine: (a) the stressors school administrators face, (b) their experiences with the CARE program, and (c) receptivity to the CARE program. I collected data during the Spring 2016 semester by conducting in-depth interviews with 13 school administrators before and after the implementation of CARE program, shadowing their activities, attending the CARE program sessions as a participant observer, taking detailed field notes, and reviewing other artifacts. Employing the prosocial classroom model (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009) and using Mezirows (1991) framework of adult transformative learning as a theoretical foundation, I engaged in an ongoing, iterative data analysis process, following the coding and interpretive analysis techniques of grounded theory. The findings show that the school administrators experience stress related to work, relationships and time. The CARE professional development program helped them deal with these stresses by improving their self-awareness, self-management, and self-compassion. Participants reported an improved ability to recognize their emotional reactions, which enabled them to better understand their leadership roles in shaping their school climates. The findings also show that the school administrators motivation, their understanding of the value of mindfulness, and their personal and leadership dispositions mediated their receptivity to the CARE professional development program. This study highlights the potential role of a school administrators well-being in shaping the overall school climate, which could affect school improvement processes as well as student achievement. The findings reveal significant insights about the implementation of social-emotional, mindfulness-based professional development with school administrators and potential outcomes.
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Dissertation Note
Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University, 2017.
Reproduction Note
Microfilm (positive). 1 reel ; 35 mm. (University Microfilms 28213053)
Technical Details
The full text of the dissertation is available as an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file ; Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view the file.
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