Abstract
In a complex and demanding higher education , environment wellness for scholars is an ethical imperative and is an essential component of self-care , required to prevent burnout , distress, and impairment. As we navigate the contemporary higher education environment, it is important to look at ways of working that bring to the forefront self-care and mindfulness . In this chapter, we explore how scholars understand and apply the concept of mindfulness in higher education contexts. We examine ways academics implement mindfulness practices that build the capacity to accept, tolerate and transform mind and body states without reacting so intensively to them by drawing on concepts such as compassion , kindness , gratitude , curiosity , self-awareness and non-judgmental stances. We explore how mindful ways of researching, writing , learning and teaching , leading and engaging with others leads us to be self-aware and engaged in the present. We introduce the notion of Dramaturgical Theory of Social Interaction as a framework for examining mindful practices in academia . This chapter presents a thematic analysis of the work of the authors presented in this volume, situating this in a broader discussion of mindfulness , and we raise questions for further consideration.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Back, L. (2016). Academic diary: Or why higher education still matters. London: Goldsmiths Press.
Beer, L. E., Rodriguez, K., Taylor, C., Martinez-Jones, N., Griffin, J., Smith, T. R., et al. (2015). Awareness, integration and interconnectedness. Journal of Transformative Education, 13(2), 161–185.
Berg, M., & Seeber, B. K. (2016). The slow professor: Challenging the culture of speed in the academy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Block-Lerner, J., & Cardaciotto, L. (Eds.). (2016). The mindfulness-informed educator: Building acceptance and psychological flexibility in higher education. London: Routledge.
Bush, M. (2013). Mindfulness in Higher Education. In M. G. Williams & J. Kabat-Zinn (Eds.), Mindfulness: Diverse perspectives on its meaning, origins and applications (pp. 183–197). London: Routledge.
Cannizzo, F. (2017). ‘You’ve got to love what you do’: Academic labour in a culture of authenticity. The Sociological Review, 66(1), 91–106.
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (1998). Asking questions about telling stories. In C. Kridel (Ed.), Writing educational biography: Explorations in qualitative research (pp. 245–253). New York, NY: Garland.
Courpasson, D., Dany, F., & Clegg, S. (2012). Resisters at work: Generating productive resistance in the workplace. Organization Science, 23(3), 801–819.
Cranton, P., & Taylor, E. W. (2012). Transformative learning theory: Seeking a more unified theory. In E. W. Taylor & P. Cranton (Eds.), The handbook of transformative learning (pp. 3–20). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Dantiz, S. B., & Orsillo, S. M. (2014). The mindful way through the semester: An investigation of the effectiveness of an acceptance-based behavioral therapy program on psychological wellness in first-year students. Behaviour Modification, 38(4), 549–566.
Driscoll, C., & Wiebe, (2007). Technical spirituality at work: Jacques Ellul on workplace spirituality. Journal of Management Inquiry, 16(4), 333–348.
Forbes, D. (2012). Occupy mindfulness. CUNY Academic Works. Retrieved from http://academicworks.cuny.edu/bc_pubs/95.
Fitzgerald, T., & Gunter, H. (2017). Editorial—Debating the agenda: The incremental uberisation of the field. Journal of Education Administration and History, 49(4), 257–263.
Goffman, E. (1959). The Presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Doubleday.
Goller, M., & Harteis, C. (2014). Employing agency in academic settings: Doctoral students shaping their own experiences. In C. Harteis, A. Rausch, & J. Seifriend (Eds.), Discourses on professional learning (pp. 189–210). Dordrecht: Springer.
Hanh, T. N. (2009). You are here: Discovering the magic of the present moment. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications Inc.
Hanh, T. N., & Weare, K. (2017). Happy teachers change the world. Berkley, CA: Parallax Press.
Healey, K. (2013). Searching for integrity: The politics of mindfulness in the digital age. Nomos Journal. Retrieved from http://nomosjournal.org/2013/08/searching-for-integrity/.
Health and wellbeing, Monash University. (2017). Mindfulness for academic success. Retrieved from http://www.monash.edu/health/mindfulness/programs/mindfulness-for-academic-success.
Hunter, K. H., & Devine, K. (2016). Doctoral students’ emotional exhaustion and intentions to leave academia. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 11, 35–61.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full catastrophe living: How to cope with stress, pain and illness using mindfulness meditation. London, UK: Piatkus.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2016). Mindfulness for beginners: Reclaiming the present moment—and your life. Boulder Co: Sounds True Inc.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2017). Too early to tell: The potential impact and challenges—Ethical and otherwise—Inherent in the mainstreaming of Dharma in an increasingly dystopian world. Mindfulness, 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0758-2.
Kasworm, C., & Bowles, T. (2012). Fostering transformative learning in higher education settings. In E. Taylor & P. Cranton (Eds.), The handbook of transformative learning (pp. 388–407). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Lynch, C. (2010). Carelessness: A hidden doxa of higher education. Arts & Humanities in Higher Education, 9(1), 54–67.
Manathunga, C., Selkrig, M., Sadler, K., & Keamy, K. (2017). Rendering the paradoxes and pleasures of academic life: Using images, poetry and drama to speak back to the measured university. Higher Education Research and Development, 36(3), 526–541.
McAlpine, L., & Åkerlind, G. S. (Eds.). (2010). Becoming an academic: International perspectives. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
McCloskey, L. E. (2015). Mindfulness as an intervention for improving academic success among students with executive functioning disorders. Social and Behaviour Sciences, 174, 221–226. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815007016.
McNaughton, S. M., & Billot, J. (2016). Negotiating academic teacher identity shifts during higher education contextual change. Teaching in Higher Education, 21(6), 644–658.
Morrissey, J. (2015). Regimes of performance: Practices of the normalised self in the neoliberal university. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 36(4), 614–634.
Mountz, A., Bonds, A., Mansfield, B., Loyd, J., Hyndman, J., & Watton-Roberts, M. (2015). For slow scholarship: A feminist politics of resistance through collective action in the neoliberal university. ACME: An International E-Journal of Critical Geographies, 14(4), 1235–1259.
Pinnegar, S. (2005). Identity development, moral authority and the teacher educator. In G. Hoban (Ed.), The missing links in teacher education design (pp. 257–279). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013, August 31). Beyond McMindfulness. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html.
Purser, R. E., & Milillo, J. (2015). Mindfulness revisited: A Buddhist-based conceptualization. Journal of Management Inquiry, 24(1), 3–24.
Ramsburg, J. T., & Yumans, R. J. (2013). Meditation in the higher-education classroom: Meditation training improves student knowledge retention during lectures. Mindfulness, 5(4), 431–441. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-013-0199-5.
Ryan, M. (2013). The pedagogical balancing act: Teaching reflection in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 18, 144–155.
Sullivan, L. G., & Weissner, C. A. (2010). Learning to be reflective leaders: A case study from the NCCHC Hispanic leadership fellows program. In D. L. Wallin (Ed.), Special issue: Leadership in an era of change. New directions for community colleges, No. 149 (pp. 41–50). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group. (TEMAG). (2014) Action Now: Classroom ready teachers. Retrieved from https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/action_now_classroom_ready_teachers_accessible.pdf.
Tillot, S., O’Donnell, M., Harper, J., & Leinonen, E. (2015). Mindfulness and transition pedagogy. STARS Conference paper. Retrieved from http://www.unistars.org/papers/STARS2015/05E.pdf.
Wang, V. C., & Cranton, P. (2012). Promoting and implementing Self-Directed Learning (SDL): An effective adult education model. International Journal of Adult Vocational Education and Technology (IJAVET), 3, 16–25.
Webster-Wright, A. (2013). The eye of the storm: A mindful inquiry into reflective practice in higher education. Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 14(4), 556–567.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McDonough, S., Lemon, N. (2018). Mindfulness in the Academy: An Examination of Mindfulness Perspectives. In: Lemon, N., McDonough, S. (eds) Mindfulness in the Academy. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2143-6_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2143-6_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-2142-9
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-2143-6
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)