First Advisor
Hess, Robyn S.
Document Type
Dissertation
Date Created
12-2019
Department
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, School Psychology, School Psychology Student Work
Abstract
Every year, more than 500,000 students drop out of school, often after years of growing disinterest and disengagement. As a result, models of school engagement are commonly used as a framework to guide interventions. Unfortunately, some students may experience high levels of dysregulation and poor executive functioning which interfere with their ability to engage in school. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a school-based mindfulness intervention would support school engagement behaviors with adolescents at an urban charter school. It was hypothesized that mindfulness would support students’ executive functioning in the areas of attention, cognitive flexibility, and emotion regulation. Changes in students’ executive functioning were assessed through pre- and post-measures and progress monitoring. The nine participants’ outcomes were assessed using multiple, single-case analysis and cross-case comparison. Results suggested that implementing a mindfulness intervention in a high school setting is feasible and may be effective in supporting factors related to school engagement. The most promising effects were observed in increased cognitive flexibility skills and improved academic performance. Participants did not show any differences in attendance or emotion regulation. The other assessed outcomes, including on-task behavior, emotional engagement, rule-following behavior, lowest grade performance, and attentional skills did not result in significant cross-case analysis, but several participants did demonstrate improvements in each of these behaviors. The results of this study contribute to a growing body of literature linking mindfulness-based interventions with increased executive functioning skills. It also provides evidence of mindfulness-based interventions’ utility in supporting the overall well-being of adolescents.
Extent
197 pages
Local Identifiers
Groark_unco_0161D_10786.pdf
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Recommended Citation
Groark, Sarah, "Mindfulness Intervention to Support School Engagement With At-Risk Students at an Urban Charter High School" (2019). Dissertations. 615.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/615