Sebrina L. Doyle Fosco
Assistant Research Professor in Human Development and Family Studies
State College, Pennsylvania, United States
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Dr. Sebrina L. Doyle Fosco is a researcher and practitioner interested in exploring novel and sustainable ways to support wellbeing in social services. She is particularly interested in the use of mindfulness-based programming and SEL for youth and adults in PreK-12 educational settings. Sebrina is a certified facilitator and master trainer for Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE), a mindfulness-based professional development program for teachers and administrators. She is also the co-developer of the Mindful Awareness Program (MAP) for Wellness in Juvenile Justice.
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Mindfulness & Ethics: An Analysis of Ethical Frames, Prosocial Motivations, and Pedagogies in School
School-based mindfulness programs (SBMPs) are becoming more prevalent in K-12 schools, yet little is known about whether and how they foster students’ ethical development.
Using a qualitative content analysis, this study examined how 3 school-based mindfulness curricula promoted ethical literacy. All curricula include SEL and mindfulness but one focused explicitly on compassion, one on secular ethics, and one on the science of the brain. We examined the prevalence of specific ethical frames and prosocial motivations, the curricular tools used to foster prosociality, and the prevalence of SEL domains.
The primary ethical frame was Care with little evidence of Justice and Rights. The main Prosocial Motivation overwhelmingly focused on Perspective-Taking. The primary pedagogical tool used was Reflection, with Skills and Knowledge used to a lesser extent. The five SEL domains showed different prevalence across the curricula. Within each curriculum, explicit terms related to morals/ethics were scarce.
Some of the differences between each curriculum can be traced to the aims. Also, the emphasis on relational-related ethical frames and prosocial motivations represents a shift toward a more nuanced view of children’s moral development that represents a dynamic interplay between self and other marked by compassion and empathy as opposed to adherence to externally determined rules.
Challenges & supports impacting implementation of the school-based Peace of Mind program
Research on school-based mindfulness programs (SBMPs) suggests that a variety of factors may impact successful implementation and sustainability including, alignment with school mission, support and training of educators, community perception, curricular integration, and time. This presentation centers on investigating challenges and supports for implementation of the Peace of Mind (PoM) program, an SBMP used in multiple East Coast urban K-8 schools; these schools were in a variety of different stages of curriculum adoption and implementation. Interviews/focus groups (n=28) and mixed-methods surveys (n=23) were collected from PoM program staff, teachers, administrators, and specialized staff. The interview protocol was based on the Kitson et al. (1998) PARiHS framework which focuses on context (e.g., culture), facilitation (e.g., training) and evidence (e.g., benefits). Data was coded thematically to understand implementation and the factors that impact using PoM. Several challenges were indicated including lack of time for implementation, missing resources, and language barriers. Noted supports included program alignment, personal mindfulness practice, teachers’ familiarity with PoM, and administrative support. This presentation will also report on practices that have helped others to successfully integrate an SBMP into their schools with consistency and sustainability.
Sebrina L. Doyle Fosco
Assistant Research Professor in Human Development and Family Studies
State College, Pennsylvania, United States
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