Mindfulness Training in UK Secondary Schools: A Multiple Case Study Approach to Identification of Cornerstones of Implementation

Stephanie Wilde, Anna Sonley, Catherine Crane, Anam Raja, James Robson, Laura Taylor, Willem Kuyken (2019)
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This article explores the barriers and facilitating factors present as schools have embarked on implementing mindfulness into the school culture using a qualitative case study design. The authors sampled seven schools that were at various stages and progress in their efforts. All the schools had utilized the Mindfulness in School .B program or variation of it. They interviewed teachers, school leaders and staff as well as held focus groups to gain the range of perspectives. 

Not surprisingly, the authors report that the long-term success of the initiative across all the schools resulted from four major themes: people, resources, time and perceptions. The article provides many interesting comments to illustrate how these themes influenced successful implementation.
 
Critical seemed to be the availability of a person(s) who initially and continually championed the effort within the school as well as at least one another support person from staff leadership. Commitment of time for staff training as well as for embedding it into the curriculum was also a crucial factor. The importance of involving teachers in the process was believed to be essential and staff turnover was a significant barrier. Maintaining enthusiasm over time was recognized as a long-term challenge. Implementation was most successful when staff shared similar perceptions of what constitutes “mindfulness,” and its value for students. There was the recognition that the process of transformation of a mindfulness culture in a school takes a long time, with several stops and starts along the way. The authors indicated that these findings support what is known about the broader implementation efforts of programmatic mental health promotion in schools and mindfulness in healthcare settings.