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ERIC Number: ED639071
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 182
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3803-0909-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
More than Mindfulness: The Effectiveness of an Ecospiritual Fellowship in Building Connection, Promoting Wellness, and Transforming the Ecological Worldviews of Teachers
Medora West Willmore
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Antioch University
Action towards planetary well-being requires more than environmental awareness, acquisition of knowledge, or technological fixes; it necessitates a sacred connection, recognizing interdependence, and an ethic that maintains dignity for all non-human beings. It requires a shift in our ecological consciousness from the dominator and exploitative (I-it) view to the connected and participatory (I-thou) view which is best facilitated by an emerging paradigm called ecospirituality. For the next generation to adopt this paradigm, teachers must first adopt it. The research goal was to transform teachers' relationship with the natural world by enlisting ecospirituality as central in supporting teacher wellness, as an intervening variable for proenvironmental behaviors, and in developing robust ecological identities among teachers and correspondingly their students. The literature review focused on several intersecting but distinct theoretical approaches including holistic learning theory, spiritual identity development, nature-based education, the indigenous worldview, and ecospirituality. For this dissertation, an immersive, spiritually enhanced, eco-curriculum called More than Mindfulness: A Teacher Fellowship in Ecospirituality was developed. It was then implemented in order to cultivate ecospiritual mindsets among the participants. The research sample drew from a 28 member, preschool-8th grade teaching faculty employed by a private, holistic school. The study was a convergent parallel mixed methods design and utilized a focus group technique where participant reflection was the source of qualitative data and pre and post surveys yield both quantitative and qualitative data. The research suggests that ecospirituality serves as a uniquely transformative paradigm for educators. The teacher fellowship changed the way the educators situate themselves in relation to the natural world as the data showed a significant increase in participant connectedness to nature. It provided them with an ecospiritual framework that bolstered their wellness as evidenced by a notable increase in spiritual wellness scores. It impacted their pedagogy by encouraging a more ecocentric approach in their teaching, as determined by the qualitative results. Suggestions for future research are included and the program modules are found in the appendices. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A