Teachers "Finding Peace in a Frantic World": An Experimental Study of Self-Taught and Instructor-Led Mindfulness Program Formats on Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Mechanisms.
View / Open Files
Authors
Crane, Catherine
Ford, Tamsin J
Williams, J Mark G
Sonley, Anna
Lord, Liz
Dalgleish, Tim
Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne
MYRIAD team
Publication Date
2021-11Journal Title
J Educ Psychol
ISSN
0022-0663
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Volume
113
Issue
8
Pages
1689-1708
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Montero-Marin, J., Taylor, L., Crane, C., Greenberg, M. T., Ford, T. J., Williams, J. M. G., García-Campayo, J., et al. (2021). Teachers "Finding Peace in a Frantic World": An Experimental Study of Self-Taught and Instructor-Led Mindfulness Program Formats on Acceptability, Effectiveness, and Mechanisms.. J Educ Psychol, 113 (8), 1689-1708. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000542
Abstract
Mindfulness training (MT) is considered appropriate for school teachers and enhances well-being. Most research has investigated the efficacy of instructor-led MT. However, little is known about the benefits of using self-taught formats, nor what the key mechanisms of change are that contribute to enhanced teacher well-being. This study compared instructor-led and self-taught MT based on a book (Williams & Penman, 2011) in a sample of secondary school teachers. We assessed expectancy, the degree to which participants believed the intervention was effective, their program engagement, well-being and psychological distress, and evaluated whether mindfulness and self-compassion skills acted as mediators of outcomes. In total, 206 teachers from 43 schools were randomized by school to an instructor-led or self-taught course-77% female, mean age 39 years (SD = 9.0). Both MT formats showed similar rates of participant expectancy and engagement, but the instructor-led arm was perceived as more credible. Using linear mixed-effects models, we found the self-taught arm showed significant pre-post improvements in self-compassion and well-being, while the instructor-led arm showed such improvements in mindfulness, self-compassion, well-being, perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout. Changes over time significantly differed between the groups in all these outcomes, favoring the instructor-led arm. The instructor-led arm, compared with the self-taught, indirectly improved teacher outcomes by enhancing mindfulness and self-compassion as mediating factors. Mindfulness practice frequency had indirect effects on teacher outcomes through mindfulness in both self-taught and instructor-led arms. Our results suggest both formats are considered reasonable, but the instructor-led is more effective than the self-taught. Trial registration: ISRCTN18013311.
Keywords
Teachers, Well-being, Mindfulness, Mediation, Self-compassion
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (via University of Oxford) (107496/Z/15/Z?)
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00005/4)
Identifiers
34912129, PMC8647626
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000542
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/333263
Statistics
Total file downloads (since January 2020). For more information on metrics see the
IRUS guide.