Cultivating Compassion in the Classroom: Exploring the Phenomenon of Compassion in an Upper Elementary School Classroom Community
Abstract
This research is concerned with “cultivating compassion,” as a means of helping the individual see the interconnectedness of being. This study of the phenomenon of compassion in a classroom community, draws on Wilber’s model of Integral theory for its conceptual framework, development of research questions, methodology, and data analysis. The perspectives of integral methodological pluralism were employed in this mixed-methods research design, where narrative inquiry was complemented with additional methods to tell the story of the grade 4/5 classroom under study. The aim was to provide a comprehensive exploration of the use of mindfulness techniques in this classroom, for supporting the development of compassion in this group of preadolescents.
Themes of enhanced self-awareness, increased calm, and happiness were evident, not only in the students, but in their teacher as well. This perceived calm and self-awareness created a shift in the behaviours observed in the classroom—and in the relationships within it. The study explored the classroom, as it is situated within the context of the school and its mandates, as well as within the school district and provincial policies. The analysis of data determined that the impact of the mindfulness program was centered on this classroom, and the teacher. The idea of the positive potential of the inclusion of mindfulness teaching, at the system level also arose from the analysis. A number of implications and recommendations were identified for the implementation of whole-school programming by system leaders, as well as for the integration of meaningful mindfulness activities in classrooms.
Description
Keywords
Education, Education--Curriculum and Instruction, Education--Elementary, Education--Guidance and Counseling, Education--Health, Education
Citation
Tebay, G. (2017). Cultivating Compassion in the Classroom: Exploring the Phenomenon of Compassion in an Upper Elementary School Classroom Community (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25499