ERIC Number: EJ1408716
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1082-3301
EISSN: EISSN-1573-1707
The Effects of a Relationship-Focused Professional Development Intervention on Infant and Toddler Teachers' Mindfulness-Based Strategies for Coping
Holly E. Brophy-Herb; Ann M. Stacks; Cynthia Frosch; Ahnalee M. Brincks; Jody L. Cook; Claire D. Vallotton; Haiden A. Perkins; Loria E. Kim; Russell Carson; Maria Muzik; Katherine Rosenblum; Patricia A. Jennings
Early Childhood Education Journal, v52 n2 p243-257 2024
Teaching is a demanding profession with teachers of very young children reporting high rates of stress and exhaustion. We tested the effects of a relationship-focused professional development intervention designed to enhance teachers' use of mindfulness-based strategies to support coping on trajectories of teachers' stress, exhaustion (emotional, physical, and mental), and coping. Infant and toddler teachers (N = 81) from Early Head Start (EHS) or EHS childcare partnerships (CCP) were randomized to the intervention or usual care control condition. Using ecological momentary assessment, teachers completed twice-weekly reports of stress, exhaustion, coping, and coping strategy effectiveness via smartphones for 40 weeks. Multilevel linear regression modeling, accounting for within-person repeated measures, showed no intervention effects on stress and exhaustion trajectories. Teachers in the intervention reported increased use of mindfulness-based strategies for coping over time as compared to the control group, although frequency of use peaked and then declined. While perceptions of stress and exhaustion did not change, teachers' increased use of mindfulness-based strategies suggests improvements in how teachers managed stress and exhaustion; however, the decline in use of coping suggests the need for ongoing support within the workplace.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Teachers, Infants, Toddlers, Metacognition, Coping, Intervention, Faculty Development, Stress Management, Emotional Response, Fatigue (Biology), Low Income Students, Interpersonal Relationship
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH); Administration for Children and Families (DHHS); National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) (USDA)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Head Start
Grant or Contract Numbers: R21HD090406; 90YR00920400; MICL02393; MIC02700