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Students' Experiences of Reflective Practices as Pedagogy in Early Childhood Higher Education

Bibliographic Details
Title: Students' Experiences of Reflective Practices as Pedagogy in Early Childhood Higher Education
Language: English
Authors: Decker, Kalli B. (ORCID 0000-0001-5098-3824), Cook, Gina A. (ORCID 0000-0001-9763-6002), Brophy-Herb, Holly (ORCID 0000-0003-2186-6025), Torquati, Julia (ORCID 0000-0002-9051-0711)
Source: Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education. 2023 44(3):261-287.
Availability: Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 27
Publication Date: 2023
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Student Experience, Reflection, Early Childhood Education, Preservice Teachers, Teacher Student Relationship, Stress Variables, Stress Management, Well Being, Teaching Methods
DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2021.2020938
ISSN: 1090-1027
1745-5642
Abstract: Early childhood education is a demanding profession, and teachers' stress is inversely associated with the quality of their interactions with young children. In order to provide stress management tools to preservice teachers prior to entry into the field, there has been growing interest in the use of reflective practices as part of higher education pedagogy. There is initial evidence that reflective practices have the potential to positively influence preservice teachers' well-being and teaching practice. Instructors at two universities incorporated the use of reflective practices, including journaling, in-class discussions, and mindfulness, into their early childhood courses. Students from these courses were invited to participate in focus groups regarding their experiences with the use of reflective practices as part of their course's pedagogical approach; 21 students participated (n for Course 1 = 13, n for Course 2 = 8). Using constant comparative analysis, two primary themes emerged: 1) participants described important aspects of the process and structure of using reflective practices as part of their course, and 2) participants reported how reflective practices supported their social-emotional understanding and well-being. Implications for using reflective practices, including rich descriptions, examples, and practice suggestions, as part of early childhood higher education pedagogy are discussed.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2023
Accession Number: EJ1397812
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0171807703;[15u7]01jul.23;2023Sep11.05:29;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0171807703-1">Students' experiences of reflective practices as pedagogy in early childhood higher education </title> <sbt id="AN0171807703-2">Introduction</sbt> <p>Early childhood education is a demanding profession, and teachers' stress is inversely associated with the quality of their interactions with young children. In order to provide stress management tools to preservice teachers prior to entry into the field, there has been growing interest in the use of reflective practices as part of higher education pedagogy. There is initial evidence that reflective practices have the potential to positively influence preservice teachers' well-being and teaching practice. Instructors at two universities incorporated the use of reflective practices, including journaling, in-class discussions, and mindfulness, into their early childhood courses. Students from these courses were invited to participate in focus groups regarding their experiences with the use of reflective practices as part of their course's pedagogical approach; 21 students participated (n for Course 1 = 13, n for Course 2 = 8). Using constant comparative analysis, two primary themes emerged: 1) participants described important aspects of the process and structure of using reflective practices as part of their course, and 2) participants reported how reflective practices supported their social-emotional understanding and well-being. Implications for using reflective practices, including rich descriptions, examples, and practice suggestions, as part of early childhood higher education pedagogy are discussed.</p> <p>Decades of research has demonstrated that the quality of early care and education is crucial to young children's social, emotional, and cognitive development, and factors attributable to the classroom teacher, such as teacher-child interactions, are the primary source of that quality (Pianta, Downer, & Hamre, [<reflink idref="bib59" id="ref1">59</reflink>]). However, early childhood education is a demanding profession and teacher stress, burnout, and turnover are common (Cassidy, Lower, Kintner-Duffy, Hegde, & Shim, [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref2">12</reflink>]; Phillips, Austin, & Whitebook, [<reflink idref="bib58" id="ref3">58</reflink>]).</p> <p>High levels of early childhood teacher-reported stress are associated with spending less time teaching early literacy and numeracy (Fantuzzo et al., [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref4">20</reflink>]) and more conflict in teacher-child relationships (Whitaker, Dearth-Wesley, & Gooze, [<reflink idref="bib77" id="ref5">77</reflink>]). Early childhood teacher stress is also inversely associated with teacher self-efficacy (Jeon, Buettner, & Grant, [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref6">35</reflink>]) and professional motivation and positively associated with depressive symptoms (Jeon, Kwon, Walsh, Burnham, & Choi, [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref7">34</reflink>]) and perceptions of children's behavior problems (Friedman-Krauss, Raver, Neuspiel, & Kinsel, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref8">21</reflink>]). These findings create a cause for concern given that each of these factors can decrease the likelihood that young children experience the quality of care and education needed for healthy development. Thus, it is important for preservice teacher education programs to provide stress management tools to their students prior to their formal entry into the field.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-3">Using reflective practices as pedagogy in higher education</hd> <p>There is growing interest in the use of reflective practices as pedagogy in higher education, in part due to the recognition of the importance of "focus(ing) on the whole student" (Barbezat & Bush, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref9">2</reflink>], p. 23), including their social-emotional development (Roeser & Peck, [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref10">60</reflink>]; Schonert-Reichl & Roeser, [<reflink idref="bib68" id="ref11">68</reflink>]). Intentional use of reflective practices in higher education, often called contemplative education (Mind and Life Education Research Network [MLERN], [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref12">49</reflink>]; Weare, [<reflink idref="bib76" id="ref13">76</reflink>]), supports the development of social-emotional learning (Lawlor, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref14">44</reflink>]). Reflective practices include a variety of strategies that are designed to promote awareness of self (Roeser et al., [<reflink idref="bib62" id="ref15">62</reflink>]; Waters, Barsky, Ridd, & Allen, [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref16">75</reflink>]), which is thought to undergird conscious motivation and self-regulated learning (Roeser & Peck, [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref17">60</reflink>]). In the current study, we are addressing reflective practices used by higher education faculty as a pedagogical approach to fostering personal awareness, insight, and well-being in students to support their preprofessional development. Related to this purpose, there is growing concern about the mental health of college students (Oswalt et al., [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref18">54</reflink>]). Reflective practices that promote self-reflection and mindfulness (e.g., via journaling, small group oral reflections) are considered optimal pedagogy to promote undergraduate students' sense of belonging, engagement, and learning (Barbezat & Bush, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref19">2</reflink>]; Loughran, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref20">45</reflink>]; Masika & Jones, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref21">47</reflink>]).</p> <p>Within the construct of reflective practices as pedagogy, there are several strategies designed to promote personal reflection and awareness. We differentiate reflective practices as a broader pedagogical approach from the specific reflective strategies used to carry out this approach. Reflective practices in higher education as a pedagogical approach include strategies such as talking or writing about experiences thought to foster self-reflection. Collectively, reflective practices as an approach in higher education, are shown to positively support college students' learning (Cisero, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref22">13</reflink>]), physical health (Pennebaker, [<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref23">57</reflink>]; Pennebaker & Francis, [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref24">56</reflink>]), and grade point average (Pennebaker & Francis, [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref25">56</reflink>]). Strategies that characterize a reflective practice approach include written self-reflections, such as journaling, that support adults' abilities to cognitively process and become more aware of their lived experiences (Ullrich & Lutgendorf, [<reflink idref="bib73" id="ref26">73</reflink>]). Mindfulness, a particular type of reflective practice, has been defined as "the awareness that arises by paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally" (Kabat-Zinn, [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref27">36</reflink>], p. xxxv). Mindfulness practices are shown to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, and positively influence quality of life for healthy adults (Bränström, Kvillemo, Brandberg, & Moskowitz, [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref28">6</reflink>]; Khoury, Sharma, Rush, & Fournier, [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref29">37</reflink>]). When self-reflection practices intersect with aspects of mindfulness such as self-compassion, they are associated with stress reduction in undergraduate students (Samaie & Farahani, [<reflink idref="bib67" id="ref30">67</reflink>]). Reflective practices are central to transformative learning (Mälkki & Green, [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref31">46</reflink>]), as critical reflection supports examination of one's assumptions, prior knowledge, and new information, facilitating more authentic learning.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-4">Reflective practices in preservice teacher preparation</hd> <p>While the use of reflective practices has gained popularity in higher education, the promotion of reflective practices as part of preservice teacher preparation has long been identified as critical to the profession (National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref32">52</reflink>]). Use of reflective strategies in preservice education models a reflective stance for preservice teachers and provides opportunities for preservice students to practice and develop the self-reflection tools needed in the field (Dreyer, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref33">19</reflink>]). Moreover, teacher education programs are striving to build resilience in future teachers facing demanding careers (Meiklejohn et al., [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref34">48</reflink>]); thus, reflective practices may be an effective strategy in preparing preservice teachers for their careers. The skills developed through engaging in reflective practices are associated with high quality educational practices with children in the classroom (Greenberg & Turksma, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref35">26</reflink>]; Lawlor, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref36">44</reflink>]; MLERN, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref37">49</reflink>]), and likely promote teachers' well-being (Jennings, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref38">33</reflink>]). Two primary components of reflective practices, personal self-reflection and mindfulness, that can be used as a form of pedagogy in early childhood preservice teacher preparation are described below.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-5">Self-reflection</hd> <p>Oral and written self-reflection experiences are well-known strategies in higher education (Rogers, [<reflink idref="bib63" id="ref39">63</reflink>]; Ryan, [<reflink idref="bib65" id="ref40">65</reflink>]), and specifically within teacher preparation programs (Loughran, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref41">45</reflink>]; Pelliccione & Raison, [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref42">55</reflink>]) given that preservice teachers must develop their own teaching philosophies, goals for their teaching, and how they will reach these goals within their own classrooms (LaBelle & Belknap, [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref43">40</reflink>]). Learning journals, as well as small group discussions about these journals, can support students' engagement in introspective thought and reflection about their learning experiences (Burke & Dunn, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref44">8</reflink>]; Cornish & Cantor, [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref45">16</reflink>]) and have been positively associated with undergraduate student learning (Cisero, [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref46">13</reflink>]).</p> <p>Oral or written self-reflection such as journaling may play a unique role in teacher preparation (LaBelle, [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref47">41</reflink>]). These practices have been linked to preservice teachers' awareness of their own learning over time (Cornish & Cantor, [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref48">16</reflink>]; Sahin, Sen, & Dincer, [<reflink idref="bib66" id="ref49">66</reflink>]), as well as personal awareness, including recognition of personal biases and preconceptions about children as learners (Dreyer, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref50">19</reflink>]; Smith & Glenn, [<reflink idref="bib72" id="ref51">72</reflink>]). Journaling may also be an important strategy for helping preservice teachers connect theories learned in class with practices in the classroom (LaBelle & Belknap, [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref52">39</reflink>]) and critically reflect on their interactions with students during their preservice fieldwork (Carter & Kurtts, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref53">11</reflink>]; Sahin et al., [<reflink idref="bib66" id="ref54">66</reflink>]). Importantly, students' oral and written self-reflective experiences may elicit different but complementary content; oral self-reflection may elicit more depth related to their experiences, rationale for actions, and openness to share, while written reflections may lead to more generalized summaries of their experiences or learning (Lambert, Sorensen, & Elliott, [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref55">42</reflink>]). Taken together, both oral and written self-reflection can support preservice teachers' awareness, critical reflection, and learning, which has the potential to positively influence their interactions with children.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-6">Mindfulness</hd> <p>A rapidly expanding literature on mindfulness among early childhood teachers points to the benefits of promoting mindfulness as part of teacher education. For example, dispositional mindfulness among preservice teachers was related to stronger beliefs about the value of reflective practices (Brophy-Herb et al., [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref56">7</reflink>]). A mindfulness intervention with early childhood teachers demonstrated positive effects including reduction in perceived stress and burnout, and improved general health, mindfulness, and sleep quality, as well as more optimal patterns of stress hormone response (Hatton-Bowers et al., [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref57">27</reflink>]). Enhancing mindfulness in early childhood teachers has predicted more developmentally appropriate teaching practices (Hirshberg, Flook, Enright, & Davidson, [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref58">28</reflink>]; Jennings, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref59">33</reflink>]; Schussler, Jennings, Sharp, & Frank, [<reflink idref="bib69" id="ref60">69</reflink>]).</p> <p>Although research on mindfulness in early childhood teachers is nascent, studies suggest that mindfulness benefits teachers' beliefs, practices, and teacher-child relationships through several processes. First, improving teacher mindfulness has been associated with reductions in job stress and burnout (Gold et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref61">24</reflink>]; Roeser et al., [<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref62">61</reflink>]), factors associated with poorer teacher-child interactions (Gerber, Whitebook, & Weinstein, [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref63">23</reflink>]; Whitaker et al., [<reflink idref="bib77" id="ref64">77</reflink>]), and increases in self-awareness and self-compassion (Gold et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref65">24</reflink>]; Roeser et al., [<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref66">61</reflink>]). A recent study reported that mindfulness was related to less teacher-child conflict, in part via fewer depressive symptoms in teachers (Becker, Gallagher, & Whitaker, [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref67">4</reflink>]). Mindfulness is also shown to decrease teachers' reactivity (Jennings et al., [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref68">31</reflink>]), enhance their regulatory capacities (Schussler et al., [<reflink idref="bib69" id="ref69">69</reflink>]), and promote their perspective-taking skills, which relates to more compassionate attitudes about children and greater sensitivity (Jennings, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref70">33</reflink>]). Enhancing mindfulness has also been linked to improvements in preservice teachers' (Garner, Bender, & Fedor, [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref71">22</reflink>]) and early childhood teachers' (Jennings & Greenberg, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref72">32</reflink>]) emotional competence, which may promote children's competencies, thereby contributing to fewer behavioral challenges in the classroom (Jennings & Greenberg, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref73">32</reflink>]; Singh, Lancioni, Winton, Karazsia, & Singh, [<reflink idref="bib71" id="ref74">71</reflink>]). The limited qualitative studies on teachers' use of mindfulness show similar patterns of perceived stress-reduction (Bernay, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref75">5</reflink>]; Burrows, [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref76">10</reflink>]; Napoli, [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref77">51</reflink>]) and greater self-awareness that positively influenced interactions with or responses to children (Bernay, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref78">5</reflink>]; Burrows, [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref79">9</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref80">10</reflink>]; Hwang, Bartlett, Greben, & Hand, [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref81">29</reflink>]; Napoli, [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref82">51</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-7">Current study</hd> <p>This qualitative, exploratory study examined students' perceptions of the use of reflective practices within their higher education courses. We investigated the experiences of undergraduate students in two early childhood courses that integrated reflective practices via class activities, discussions, and in- and out-of-class assignments. The following research question guided our study: What are students' perceptions regarding the use of reflective practices, including mindfulness exercises, oral reflections, and journaling, as pedagogy in their higher education early childhood courses?</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-8">Methods</hd> <p>This study investigated the experiences of students enrolled in an early childhood course at two different universities. Both courses implemented reflective practices as pedagogy, and each instructor had personal experience with the use of these practices, as recommended (Roeser & Peck, [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref83">60</reflink>]; Weare, [<reflink idref="bib76" id="ref84">76</reflink>]). Analysis of samples of students in different settings with different instructors minimizes the likelihood that similar results across contexts are a function of setting or instructor and increases the likelihood that similar findings arise from the variable of interest, reflective practices as pedagogy (Cook & Campbell, [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref85">15</reflink>]). Similarities and differences in specific course learning experiences were identified; however, learning experiences in both courses were grounded in the same theoretical and philosophical base of reflective practices.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-9">Description of the courses</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0171807703-10">Overview of course 1</hd> <p>The first course included in this study was a 3-credit, junior- and senior-level course focused on social and emotional development for children ages 0–8 years, and is required for students earning a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education & Child Services. Course content focused on family, social, and community contexts in relationship to children's social-emotional skills, as well as effective strategies for facilitating children's healthy social-emotional development and learning. Primary topics included but were not limited to: adult-child interactions; attachment; emotion coaching; emotional expression; emotional intelligence; family life; mental health; prosocial behaviors; self-efficacy and esteem; and self-regulation and executive function. Readings included <emph>Raising an emotionally intelligent child: The heart of parenting</emph> (Gottman, [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref86">25</reflink>]), <emph>The whole-brain child: 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child's developing mind</emph> (Siegel & Bryson, [<reflink idref="bib70" id="ref87">70</reflink>]), and various research articles. Course 1 took place in-person two days a week for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The general format of the class included a mindfulness activity, small group discussion about their journals (once weekly), a reflection question, large- or small-group discussion of the readings, a brief student presentation, and a lecture that included discussions and/or activities throughout.</p> <p>In addition to learning about children's social-emotional development, this course also focused on students' ability to be self-reflective and notice how their own social-emotional development may influence their interactions with others, including the children, families, and colleagues with whom they interacted. Reflective practices, including mindfulness and journaling, were used as part of class assignments to facilitate students' self-reflection and focus on their own social-emotional development. The semester began by discussing the research about the effects of reflective practices, including the possible benefits of self-awareness and self-reflection for adults and those specifically in the field of early childhood. Mindfulness was introduced as "the awareness that arises by paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally" (Kabat-Zinn, [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref88">36</reflink>], p. xxxv); brief information was presented about the origin of mindfulness and that it does not align with, or require, any particular beliefs (Barbezat & Bush, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref89">2</reflink>]; Roeser & Peck, [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref90">60</reflink>]). Course "ground rules" were set via a discussion about what may make students feel safe or more comfortable participating. At the beginning of the semester, the small- and large-group discussions, journal prompts, and mindfulness-based activities focused on introductory topics such as breathing exercises (e.g., noticing the breath; introduction of square breathing), eating (e.g., the raisin activity; Kabat-Zinn, [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref91">36</reflink>]), and body scans. As the semester progressed the activities and prompts were aligned, in a broad sense, with the topic that was being covered in the course that week; see Table 1 for examples of links between course topics and activities that supported or facilitated reflection, including mindfulness, journaling, and small- and large-group discussions.</p> <p>Table 1. Examples of links between course topics and activities to support reflective practices.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Class Topic</td><td>In-Class Reflection Questions & Journal Prompts</td><td>In-Class Mindfulness Activities</td><td>Out-of-Class Mindfulness Activities with Journaling</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Introduction & overview of the course</td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Have you heard of reflective practice or mindfulness before? If so, what have you heard? If not, what do you think these terms may mean? Why would we discuss these terms in our early childhood social-emotional development class?</p></list-item></list></td><td><italic>Focus: Introduction to mindfulness</italic></td></tr><tr><td>Become aware of your breath and body: <list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Notice your chest, belly, and nose rise and fall as you breathe.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Take bubbles to class. Engage in deep, slow exhales while blowing bubbles.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Lead the class in a seated body scan. Start by encouraging students to notice one part of their body, such as the top of the head or tips of the toes. Mentally scan up or down the body, pausing to notice certain portions and how they feel.</p></list-item></list></td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Choose one routine that is typically part of your day (e.g., brushing your teeth, walking across campus, opening a door). Instead of rushing through this routine, take your time. Notice sounds, sights, smells, and sensations. What do you typical miss out on when you rush through this routine?</p></list-item><list-item><p>Give your brain a break occasionally. Rather than filling up every tiny space in your day by automatically reaching to check your phone, e-mail, or social media, instead take a moment to pause. How are you feeling?</p></list-item></list></td></tr><tr><td>Links between cognitive & social-emotionaldevelopment</td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Think about how the principles of "right-brained" and "left-brained" responses influence you when you have worked with children. For example, do you tend to get overwhelmed by emotions, and/or are you rigid in your responses?</p></list-item></list></td><td><italic>Focus: Cognitive tasks</italic></td></tr><tr><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Take copies of mazes to class. Set Insight Timer for 6 minutes with bells every 1 minute; let students know that if they finish early they can close their eyes and choose a focus (noises in the room, breathing, sensations, etc.)</p></list-item></list></td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Set a timer for 5 minutes. Try the 9 dots task. <ext-link ext-link-type="url" href="http://mymeditativemoments.com/thinking-outside-the-box-9-dots-puzzle/" /></p></list-item><list-item><p>Set a timer for 5 minutes. Using color sheets and colored pencils provided to you, or your own, color for 5 minutes.</p></list-item></list></td></tr><tr><td>Emotion coaching, expression, & vocabulary</td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>In your own words, define emotion coaching. Give an example of what empathizing and validating might sound like. How do you typically respond to children when they are angry, sad, etc.? What do you worry about? Have you noticed a time in the past week when you have felt worried? How did you respond to this emotion?</p></list-item></list></td><td><italic>Focus: Acceptance of emotions</italic></td></tr><tr><td>Thought diffusions: <list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>On the inhale say to yourself, "it is," and on the exhale, "what it is."</p></list-item><list-item><p>Visualize yourself sitting on the edge of a stream with a tree nearby. Each thought that comes to mind – positive, negative, or neutral – imagine as a leaf falling from the tree, landing in the stream, and then floating away.</p></list-item></list></td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Complete the "5 Minute Self Love Meditation" (6:07) by Michelle Chalfant on Insight Timer (this one focuses on loving oneself, a likely first step in accepting your own emotions as valid and then being able to accept others' emotions).</p></list-item><list-item><p>Take a minute at the end of the day to think about your emotions. What did you feel today? Use mindfulness to become more in tune with your feelings. Try to let go of judgment, and just be aware of the different emotions you felt.</p></list-item></list></td></tr><tr><td>Self-regulation & executive function</td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Think of the last time you were upset, what strategies did you use to regulate your emotions? When/how did you learn this strategy? What are some strategies that we have discussed that you would like to incorporate into your life?</p></list-item></list></td><td><italic>Focus: Attention</italic></td></tr><tr><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Lead the class in a standing meditation (side to side, forward to backward, etc.).</p></list-item><list-item><p>Lead the class in squeezing & releasing body movements (toes, hands, arched back/rounded back, core, etc.)</p></list-item><list-item><p>Use singing bowls & wind chimes to focus on individual sounds, how long they last, etc.</p></list-item></list></td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Color for at least 5 minutes while allowing other thoughts to dissipate.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Complete the "Walking Meditation" (6:43) by Mary Waldon on Insight Timer. Note: you will want to be in a comfortable space where you could walk back and forth, ideally with your shoes and/or socks off.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Slow down and notice the smells around you. Focus on the smells around you, were you aware of them before slowing down? What smells do you notice? Do they have any memories associated with them?</p></list-item></list></td></tr><tr><td>Self-efficacy, -concept, -esteem</td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Write a description of who you are. What or who has influenced your beliefs about yourself? Do you have an early memory that influenced the idea of who you are?</p></list-item></list></td><td><italic>Focus: Self-compassion</italic></td></tr><tr><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Exercise 3 from Kristin Neff's website: exploring self-compassion through writing (<ext-link ext-link-type="url" href="http://self-compassion.org/exercise-3-exploring-self-compassion-writing/" />); give students 4 minutes to write, and then do 1 minute of timed meditation to give students a chance to sit with their emotions.</p></list-item></list></td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Give yourself a moment to recognize something that has been a bit hard lately, or where you have been judgmental toward yourself. Complete the "Compassion for Challenging Emotions" (15:44) by Christina Sian McMahon, PhD on Insight Timer.</p></list-item><list-item><p>"Maintain perspective and cultivate gratitude" by Lisa Abramson (5:34) on Insight Timer</p></list-item></list></td></tr><tr><td>Temperament</td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Compared to my childhood, how is my temperament now? Is my temperament similar or has it changed? How does this affect my life?</p></list-item></list></td><td><italic>Focus: Self-Awareness</italic></td></tr><tr><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Think of some aspect of your temperament that makes you anxious or that you don't like. Focus on that aspect and reframe it. How can that aspect of YOU be a strength? How can it benefit others? Why does this aspect of your temperament bother you? Think about the emotions surrounding it. Allow yourself to let go of judgment.</p></list-item></list></td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Pay attention to the feeling of air on your skin for 10–60 seconds. This is best done when wearing short sleeves or with some skin exposed. Practice being in experiential processing mode, as opposed to evaluative "judging" mode, which is our typical default.</p></list-item><list-item><p>When feeling frustrated, angry, or upset, take a deep breath. While deeply breathing, make a starfish with one hand (fingers spread out wide). Using the pointer finger from your other hand, gently trace the outline of the starfish hand, slowly going up and down each finger. The focused concentration on the hand, combined with the soothing touch, can have a calming effect.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Focus on what motivates you, what actions you took, and the consequences. Every night write down something you did that day. What motivated your actions? What happened? What did you notice?</p></list-item></list></td></tr><tr><td>Prosocial behaviors</td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>What are typical ways that you encourage children's positive behaviors? What are ways that others encourage your positive behaviors? What tends to support children or you in engaging in positive behaviors?</p></list-item></list></td><td><italic>Focus: Loving-kindness</italic></td></tr><tr><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Bring someone or something, such as a beloved pet, to mind that brings you joy. Imagine that person; their smile, their positive energy. Imagine yourself giving them a big hug. Imagine the emotions you would feel. Allow that positive energy to flow through your body. Allow yourself to smile if that feels comfortable.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Use traditional loving-kindness mantras, starting with someone we cherish, someone we care about, someone we know but aren't well connected with, someone we disagree with, someone we don't know, then think of ourselves (e.g., May you/I be safe. May you/I be at peace. My you/I be healthy. May you/I live with ease.)</p></list-item></list></td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Hug or touch at least 1 person (that you normally wouldn't, but feel comfortable with and have permission to) each day for the next week. Recognize your gut response. How did they react? Observe and reflect on what you see, feel, think.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Complete the "5 Minute Lovingkindness Meditation" by Bodhipaksa on Insight Timer.</p></list-item></list></td></tr><tr><td>Mental health</td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Identify what you do <italic>now</italic> to manage the stress in your life. Brainstorm new strategies that you would like to begin to incorporate as part of your ongoing maintenance self-care – pay particular attention to the following areas: Mind, Body, Emotions, Spirit.</p></list-item></list></td><td><italic>Focus: Gratitude and Savoring</italic></td></tr><tr><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Quiet, written reflection: 3 moments recently that have brought about positive feelings</p></list-item><list-item><p>Take blank cards to class and give them time to write a note of gratitude to give or send to someone.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Take some chocolate/candies to class and do the "Thank the Farmer" card from Mindful Games.</p></list-item></list></td><td><list list-type="Bullet"><list-item><p>Take note of at least five separate "tiny pleasures" you experience during the week (or even within one day). When you notice a small moment to be appreciative of, pause and take in the moment. Savor the feeling of appreciation.</p></list-item><list-item><p>Instead of attempting to do mindful eating all the time, try mindful eating for the first two bites of any meal or snack. For the first two bites of any meal or snack you eat, pay attention to the sensory experiences – the texture, taste, smell, and appearance of the food, and the sounds when you bite into your food.</p></list-item></list></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <hd id="AN0171807703-11">In-class reflective practices</hd> <p>Each class session began with ~4-7 minutes of a mindfulness activity (see Table 1 for examples), followed by a brief discussion. Once per week, students also were given ~5-8 minutes to discuss their journals in small groups (described below) and share their experiences or insights with their peers. At the end of the semester, students were asked to lead a brief mindfulness activity of their choice in a small group.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-12">Out-of-class reflective practices</hd> <p>In addition to the use of mindfulness in class sessions, students were also asked to engage in mindfulness activities outside of class and reflect on these experiences. To facilitate this, students were required to have a journal (such as a lined notebook) and were asked to download the InsightTimer app on a smart device of their choice. Students without smart device access were encouraged to work with the instructor to make other accommodations; no students requested accommodations. InsightTimer is a free app that includes more than 15,000 guided meditations or can be used as a simple timer with bells, chimes, or background noise (Insight Network, [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref92">30</reflink>]). Each week, students were assigned a mindfulness activity to try that typically takes ~5 minutes (see Table 1 for examples) and were required to complete at least one additional form of reflection of their choice (e.g., pausing before responding, taking deep breaths, completing an additional guided meditation on InsightTimer, engaging in yoga, etc.). Related to these activities outside of class, students were asked to informally journal about their experiences. Students were encouraged to write a few sentences that included reflection about the experience (e.g., how it made them feel, things that came to mind, likes/dislikes of the practices they were trying, etc.). In order to support students' abilities to be open and honest in their reflections, their journals were not collected or read by the instructor or their peers. Students earned points, approximately 10% of their grade, by documenting whether they completed the assigned weekly task, an additional task, reflected in their journal, and were in class to discuss; this was done through an honor system where each student had a tracking sheet to document whether they had completed the tasks. Students' tracking sheets did include variation, which suggested their honest reporting of their engagement in these tasks. Lastly, as part of an observation assignment that students completed in an early childhood setting, students were asked to comment on either a time in which they witnessed an early childhood teacher using a form of reflection (e.g., taking a deep breath before responding to a child or coworker) or a time in which self-reflection could have been supportive of the early childhood teacher and, possibly, their subsequent interactions with others.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-13">Instructor positionality and reflective practices</hd> <p>The instructor of Course 1 (first author), a Caucasian female, participated in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course in 2014. Afterward, she continued to use aspects of mindfulness and journaling for years prior to incorporating reflective practices into the undergraduate course mentioned in this section. Course 1 outlined in this study is taught once per academic year and in the years leading up to the semester in which this study took place (year 4), information and experiences related to reflective practices had been gradually added into the course. The instructor started the process of incorporating reflective practices into Course 1 given the emerging literature related to how it may support teacher educators, both personally and professionally. In the first year of teaching Course 1, the content was solely focused on children's social-emotional development. After engaging in her own forms of reflective practice, the instructor realized how ignoring students' own social-emotional experiences and development made the class feel incomplete and inauthentic. Further, upon reflection it was evident that the social-emotional concepts discussed in this course were sometimes more difficult or personal for students, as they began linking course content to their own life experiences; students were regularly provided with resources related to mental health services on campus when they experienced distress due to associations between course content and their life experiences. Taking students' own mental health into consideration and given that children's social-emotional development is greatly influenced by those around them, including early childhood teachers, the deliberate choice was made to incorporate more reflective practices into Course 1. In the first two years, information was presented about reflective practices and how they could benefit adults and specifically those in the field of early childhood, and students were encouraged to try reflective practices on their own (e.g., noticing before responding, mindfulness, journaling, etc.). The instructor also engaged in these practices with students. The process of incorporating reflective practices slowly was deliberate, as Course 1 is taught in a politically conservative state; the instructor was concerned that students would either associate aspects of reflective practices (i.e., mindfulness) with aspects of religion in the classroom or that they would feel that it conflicted with their religion. Therefore, the instructor gathered formal student evaluations and held deliberate, but informal discussions with students. By reflecting on the experience of supporting students' reflective practices and by reviewing their feedback, it was clear that they appreciated the focus on reflective practices, especially opportunities to slow down and later reflect by journaling. Furthermore, students did not describe feeling as if the practices conflicted with their personal spiritual beliefs. Therefore, in years 3 and 4, reflective practices became fully integrated into Course 1, as described above. The instructor continues to fully participate in all aspects of reflective practices that students are asked to engage in during the semester that Course 1 is taught, as well as all other times of the year. She also began a contemplative pedagogy faculty group on her campus to connect with others who incorporate, or would like to incorporate, reflective practices into their courses.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-14">Overview of course 2</hd> <p>The second course included in this study was a 3-credit, junior-level course focused on social and emotional development for children ages 0–8 years old; this course is required for students earning a bachelor's degree in Child Development or Early Childhood Education. Course content focused on understanding and supporting children's social-emotional skills, and effective strategies for facilitating social-emotional development in the classroom. Primary topics included but were not limited to: adult-child interactions; attachment; emotion coaching; emotional intelligence; prosocial behaviors; self-efficacy and esteem; and self-regulation and executive function. The textbook for this class was <emph>Social development</emph> (Clarke-Stewart & Parke, [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref93">14</reflink>]). Students were also assigned chapters from <emph>The whole-brain child: 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child's developing mind</emph> (Siegel & Bryson, [<reflink idref="bib70" id="ref94">70</reflink>]), and various research articles. Course 2 was a hybrid that met weekly for 1 hour and 15 minutes with a module to be completed each week outside of class. The general format of the face-to-face class meetings included a reflection question and journaling, a mindfulness activity, small group discussion of mindfulness practices, large- or small-group discussion of the readings, and a lecture that included discussions and/or activities throughout. The module portion of the class typically contained a video, reading, questions based on the video and reading, a reflection question, and mindfulness activity to be completed on their own.</p> <p>Similar to Course 1, Course 2 focused on self-reflection and development of one's own social-emotional skills in order to support oneself and the development of children's social-emotional skills. This course also began with a discussion of reflective practices, including mindfulness. The first activity included an introduction to mindful eating via the raisin activity outlined by Kabat-Zinn ([<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref95">36</reflink>]). Students were then introduced to a list of mindfulness activities and were asked to choose one each week to do or work on and then reflect on what they thought or felt. Mindfulness exercises in class were aligned with the topic being discussed when possible; see Table 1 for examples.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-15">In-class reflective practices</hd> <p>Similar to Course 1, sessions began with ~4-5 minutes of a mindfulness activity (see Table 1 for examples), followed by a brief discussion. In addition, a self-reflection prompt was provided, and students were given 4–5 minutes to reflect and write about their thoughts and feelings in relation to the topic before large-group discussion.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-16">Out-of-class reflective practices</hd> <p>In addition to the use of mindfulness in class, students were asked to practice outside of class and reflect on their practices by choosing one mindfulness activity each week and then describing what they thought or felt. Students kept a journal to record their mindfulness activities and the reflections about those activities as well as the weekly reflection/journaling assignments. They were asked to write at least a half page about their mindfulness activity. Journals were collected at the end of the semester to account for the completion of the mindfulness activities and reflection questions. To support the students to be open and honest in their reflections, the instructor did not read the journals, but simply counted the number of entries made. Students earned points, approximately 8% of their grade, for journaling and participating in the weekly reflective questions and discussions.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-17">Instructor positionality and reflective practices</hd> <p>The instructor of Course 2 (second author), a Caucasian female, attended an academic conference in 2011 where she first heard about mindfulness and the benefits for children's social and emotional development. Over the next two years, she continued to learn more about the practices and began to practice mindfulness and meditation. Course 2 outlined in this study is taught two times per academic year and in the years leading up to the semester in which this study took place (year 6), information and experiences related to reflective practices had been added into the course. In the first year, reflective practices and a few reflective activities were briefly introduced in class, but the instructor was concerned about how receptive students would be to the ideas. The instructor wanted to introduce it as a tool to support the students' mental health and development of their own social emotional skills, as well as their presence and intentionality in the classroom with young children. However, given that Course 2 is offered in a primarily Hispanic-serving institution, the instructor was concerned that it would seem a privileged activity that lacked meaning as the majority of her students are first-generation college students struggling to support their families while attending school. She received her course evaluations and was surprised to see how often the students mentioned the reflection and mindfulness activities and the benefits they saw from using them both personally, and professionally. She also heard from colleagues that the students were mentioning these activities in their courses. Over the next two years, she continued to add more reflective practices into her course using feedback from mid-semester evaluations and personal discussions with students as guidance. From these evaluations and discussions, it was clear that students found some of the activities useful and that others made them very uncomfortable, yet these experiences were different for everyone. Therefore, the instructor decided to provide a variety of types of reflective practices and allow students to choose a practice of their own to do each week in addition to the practices used in class. In 2016, she joined her campus learning community on Contemplative Practices in Higher Education where she was able to learn how to incorporate a wider variety of reflective practices into her courses. In years 4, 5, & 6 reflective practices were fully implemented into weekly assignments and class sessions where the instructor engaged in the practices with her students. The instructor continues to implement reflective practices into her daily life and frequently uses many of the practices she recommends to her students. She recently developed a series of professional development in-service trainings on reflective practices for early childhood educators and piloted the program in her university child development center. The educators reported that the practices helped them to be more observant and intentional in their teaching and more responsive to the children in their care. She plans to continue to develop ways to better support students and teachers in the use of reflective practices.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-18">Sample</hd> <p>Thirteen students participated from Course 1 and 8 from Course 2 (<emph>N</emph> = 21). For Course 1, all participants identified as female; 12 were majoring in Early Childhood Education and Child Services and 1 was majoring in Human Development and Family Science. They ranged in age from 20–27 years (<emph>M</emph> = 22.62 years). For Course 2, all participants identified as female and were majoring in Child Development or Early Childhood Education. They ranged in age from 21–25 years (<emph>M</emph> = 22.88 years). See Table 2 for additional demographic information.</p> <p>Table 2. <emph>Demographic information for students</emph> (<emph>N</emph> = 21).</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Demographic information</td><td>Course 1% (<italic>n</italic> = 13)</td><td>Course 2% (<italic>n</italic> = 8)</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Class standing</td><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>Junior</td><td>53.8% (7)</td><td>37.5% (3)</td></tr><tr><td>Senior</td><td>46.2% (6)</td><td>62.5% (5)</td></tr><tr><td>Race/ethnicity*</td><td /><td /></tr><tr><td>African American or Black</td><td>-</td><td>12.5% (1)</td></tr><tr><td>American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut</td><td>7.7% (1)</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>Caucasian</td><td>84.6% (11)</td><td>75.0% (6)</td></tr><tr><td>Hispanic, Latino, or other Spanish Origin</td><td>7.7% (1)</td><td>50.0% (4)</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>1 <emph>*</emph>Numbers may sum to more than 100% since participants were asked to "mark all that apply."</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-19">Procedures</hd> <p>The instructors from each university received Institutional Review Board approval for this study (Course 1: KD032719; Course 2: S19-83). Students from both courses were invited to participate in a focus group after their course had ended but were not required to do so; all students from both Course 1 and Course 2 chose to participate in the focus group for their course. Written informed consent was obtained. No incentives were provided. Students completed a brief demographic questionnaire prior to the focus group beginning. Focus groups were audio- and/or video-recorded and took approximately 45–60 minutes. They were guided by a semi-structured interview that included a mix of serial (comments are made to the facilitator) and unstructured (comments are more conversational) interviewing (Krueger & Casey, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref96">38</reflink>]); students were encouraged to answer as many or as few of the questions as they wished, to respectfully listen while others were speaking, and to feel welcome to respond to the question directly or to their peers' responses. The lead instructor for each course facilitated the focus group for their course (i.e., Course 1 focus group was facilitated by the first author and Course 2 by the second author). In order to support a reflexive research design, questions were developed by all authors of this study and focused on students' thoughts about the use of reflective practices, including mindfulness, journaling, and discussions in the course and/or ideas for change, such as the types of practices used, the extent to which the use of reflective practices aligned with the course topic of social-emotional development, and their thoughts about whether these practices influenced them in any specific ways (see Appendix for focus group questions).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-20">Data analysis</hd> <p>We used the constant comparative method as an analytical framework (Krueger & Casey, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref97">38</reflink>]) to identify patterns or trends across the data. As suggested by Krueger and Casey ([<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref98">38</reflink>]), analysis was completed by the first two authors who were each present in the room during the respective focus groups and the other authors were invited to help with analysis in order to help reduce bias and/or provide alternative insights. We followed the steps outlined by Krueger and Casey ([<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref99">38</reflink>]) by first transcribing each of the focus groups, removing identifying information, and assigning ID numbers to protect participants' confidentiality. In line with Krueger and Casey's ([<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref100">38</reflink>]) constant comparative method, the authors chose to analyze participants' responses to all questions rather than using specific focus group questions to guide categories or themes; this provided a more holistic understanding of the participants' comments. All authors read through these transcripts to familiarize themselves with the data. As a group we discussed the trends that began to emerge during this familiarization process. Then, the first two authors separately began categorizing the data for each transcript. They then compared their categorizations, discussed agreements and disagreements, and came to a consensus about categories. Statements from each of the focus groups were then categorized. As a group we then compared the categories across the two focus groups to identify similarities and differences, and then determined themes that were present in each of the focus groups.</p> <p>Our results are structured around the two themes discovered during analysis. We use quotes to demonstrate specific codes or themes in the data. Quotes are followed by a three-digit ID number that was assigned to each participant; those that begin with '1ʹ represent participants from Course 1 and those beginning with '2ʹ represent participants from Course 2. Brackets were added to some quotes to remove identifying information or to clarify participants' messages.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-21">Results</hd> <p>Two primary themes emerged through constant comparative data analysis (see Table 3). First, participants described important aspects of their experience with the process and structure of using reflective practices as part of their course. Second, participants reported on how these practices supported their social-emotional understanding and well-being. Each of these themes, and the codes within themes, are described in more depth below and are ordered based on the prevalence with which they were mentioned by participants.</p> <p>Table 3. Higher education students' (N = 21) reports of using reflective practice in an early childhood course: results from qualitative constant comparative data analysis.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead><tr><td>Code</td><td>Course 1 (<italic>n</italic> = 13) <italic>n</italic> (% of sample)</td><td>Course 2 (<italic>n</italic> = 8) <italic>n</italic> (% of sample)</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Theme I: Process and structure of course</td><td>10 (77%)</td><td>8 (100%)</td></tr><tr><td>Challenges or concerns</td><td>7 (54%)</td><td>8 (100%)</td></tr><tr><td>Flexibility and variety</td><td>8 (62%)</td><td>5 (63%)</td></tr><tr><td>Implementation</td><td>6 (46%)</td><td>4 (50%)</td></tr><tr><td>Accountability</td><td>5 (38%)</td><td>4 (50%)</td></tr><tr><td>Sense of community</td><td>5 (38%)</td><td>2 (25%)</td></tr><tr><td>Theme II: Support of students' social-emotional understanding and well-being</td><td>8 (62%)</td><td>8 (100%)</td></tr><tr><td>Stress reduction</td><td>4 (31%)</td><td>8 (100%)</td></tr><tr><td>Heightened self-reflection and emotional awareness</td><td>5 (38%)</td><td>7 (88%)</td></tr><tr><td>New understanding of reflective practices as a supportive strategy</td><td>5 (38%)</td><td>4 (50%)</td></tr><tr><td>Requirements and contributions to self-regulation</td><td>5 (38%)</td><td>3 (38%)</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>2 Percentages within each theme exceed 100% because participants could individually contribute to more than one code.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-22">Theme I: process and structure of the course</hd> <p>When participants were asked about their general thoughts regarding the use of reflective practices in their course, including strengths or areas for improvement, their comments were focused around five areas: (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref101">1</reflink>) challenges or concerns they had when first beginning to use reflective practices, (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref102">2</reflink>) their appreciation for the flexibility and variety incorporated into the course, (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref103">3</reflink>) implementation of the reflective practices in the course, (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref104">4</reflink>) accountability embedded in the course, and (<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref105">5</reflink>) the sense of community that was built from the shared experiences. See Table 3.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-23">Challenges or concerns</hd> <p>Some participants described how it was hard to get started with the process of using reflective practices because it was "outside of [their] comfort zone" (<reflink idref="bib201" id="ref106">201</reflink>) but that it became easier over time. One participant shared, "I did find it really beneficial; it was just weird in the beginning because I just like to ignore my emotions and I don't always want to deal with them," (<reflink idref="bib204" id="ref107">204</reflink>). Some challenges were course specific. For instance, participants from Course 1 discussed their frustration with the app that was used to facilitate their use of mindfulness outside of class, as the app had updated during the semester (e.g., "If you were looking for something specific [on Insight Timer] it was hard to find it." [<reflink idref="bib109" id="ref108">109</reflink>]; "I was never able to find where the save [was on Insight Timer]." [<reflink idref="bib111" id="ref109">111</reflink>]). Participants from Course 2 discussed their desire for more information regarding what was expected of them regarding their journal entries (e.g., "I was confused about ... the journals." [<reflink idref="bib202" id="ref110">202</reflink>]), which was possibly exacerbated given that some participants felt self-conscious about journaling:</p> <p>It's really weird having to read [your own thoughts]. ... I'm used to hearing other people. They'll talk to me and tell me about their problems, but having to realize the [thoughts] I actually have or what I'm actually thinking [feels weird]. (<reflink idref="bib201" id="ref111">201</reflink>)</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-24">Flexibility and variety</hd> <p>The majority of participants discussed the importance of flexibility and variety incorporated into the course structure. Participants discussed how each form of reflective practice was "different" (<reflink idref="bib106" id="ref112">106</reflink>, 107, 112, 201, 205, 208) and it was "a good mix of different challenges and exercises" (<reflink idref="bib205" id="ref113">205</reflink>). Participants discussed that they "really liked the variety" (<reflink idref="bib208" id="ref114">208</reflink>) and this encouraged them to "find [their] own [style of] mindfulness" (<reflink idref="bib107" id="ref115">107</reflink>). When some participants mentioned being encouraged to try out many forms of reflection, they also discussed the importance of being given flexibility to find what worked best for them. One participant said, "Being able to do your own thing [outside of class] ... it felt like there was a happy medium," (<reflink idref="bib112" id="ref116">112</reflink>). Other participants also discussed their appreciation of this variety and flexibility, saying: "I really liked the weekly one that I [got to] choose," (<reflink idref="bib101" id="ref117">101</reflink>) and "I really liked ... the ones we got to do at home ... we could [choose] according to how we were feeling that day," (<reflink idref="bib202" id="ref118">202</reflink>). Participants in both courses discussed how this flexibility allowed them to find their likes and dislikes; participants in Course 1 were more vocal about their likes and dislikes, which were diverse (e.g., "I'm very picky about how it starts" [<reflink idref="bib106" id="ref119">106</reflink>]; "I like the ones moving around or doing something because I just don't focus as well as some other people" [<reflink idref="bib103" id="ref120">103</reflink>]). Another participant also described how this flexibility helped them discover their preferences:</p> <p>I liked the two – I liked having something like, 'this is new that I'm going to try. Yes, it's an assignment but also this work for me.' And then being able to be like, 'Oh, I didn't exactly like that but maybe I can try find something that is [related but] different.' (<reflink idref="bib113" id="ref121">113</reflink>)</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-25">Implementation</hd> <p>Multiple participants discussed the implementation of reflective practices in the course, such as how "it was really nice" (<reflink idref="bib113" id="ref122">113</reflink>) to do in-class activities, such as journaling and small group discussion, and that there was "a good amount" (<reflink idref="bib204" id="ref123">204</reflink>) of these activities in class or that it was "just right" (<reflink idref="bib101" id="ref124">101</reflink>). More specifically, some participants described their appreciation for starting the class session with these practices, saying: "I like how [the professor] would start out class with the reflection questions and then the mindfulness activity," (<reflink idref="bib205" id="ref125">205</reflink>), "I liked the in-class journals. ... It was nice to just sit and think instead of going right into what we are learning and then the rest of the day," (<reflink idref="bib206" id="ref126">206</reflink>), and "Starting off with that – whatever meditation we have [that day] – it set the tone for the class ... so we can actually be more grounded in what we're doing," (<reflink idref="bib102" id="ref127">102</reflink>).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-26">Accountability</hd> <p>Participants discussed the importance of accountability – that they benefitted from having something assigned to them, as this scaffolded their ability to follow through with engaging in reflective practices. Participants discussed the realities of their busy lives as students, and having activities assigned to them for a few points was a helpful incentive. One participant said, "We don't have a lot of time, especially being college students. ... It really forced us to ... take a minute to only think about one thing instead of thinking about the ten things going through our head," (<reflink idref="bib201" id="ref128">201</reflink>). Participants also discussed how this accountability led to them enjoying or benefitting from the practices that they tried. They shared:</p> <p>I wouldn't have put as much time into it if it wasn't an assignment. Overall, I am glad I did because I have always had the thought, 'I don't have enough time to sit down and write all my feelings. I have homework or this and that.' It forced me to do that. (<reflink idref="bib206" id="ref129">206</reflink>)</p> <p>I like that the homework forced us to do it [laughs]. And I integrated it more into my life and now I'm like, "Oh, I'll just do this. I'll journal for 5 minutes." ... Having the mindfulness assigned ... it helped me so much. (<reflink idref="bib107" id="ref130">107</reflink>)</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-27">Sense of community</hd> <p>Participants also commented on the importance of having a sense of community that was facilitated as part of in-class experiences and discussion. One participant shared, "There's a sense of community here that translated into the other classrooms from this [course], which I thought was interesting," (<reflink idref="bib112" id="ref131">112</reflink>). Participants described how this sense of community was important because this provided a safe place for them to engage in reflective practices and share their thoughts about the process as part of small group discussions. Yet some participants described sometimes not wanting to disclose information or feeling self-conscious. For example, one participant said, "I feel like I have gotten to know everyone in this class. ... If there were other people that I didn't super trust around me I wouldn't have maybe [shared] like that," (<reflink idref="bib107" id="ref132">107</reflink>). Other participants talked about it being a "personal" (<reflink idref="bib106" id="ref133">106</reflink>) experience and "wrote in [their] journal but sometimes didn't like sharing it" (<reflink idref="bib101" id="ref134">101</reflink>). Therefore, a sense of community, combined with the flexibility and variety mentioned above, was important to participants.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-28">Theme II: support of students' social-emotional understanding and well-being</hd> <p>When participants were asked questions about what they learned through their use of reflective practices as part of their course, or how the practices influenced them, they described many ways in which the practices supported them. Participants from both courses discussed how engagement in reflective practices contributed to aspects of their social-emotional understanding or well-being, including that it: (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref135">1</reflink>) helped with stress reduction, (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref136">2</reflink>) heightened their self-reflection and emotional awareness, (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref137">3</reflink>) provided them with a new understanding of supportive strategies, and (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref138">4</reflink>) included both requirements of and contributions to their self-regulation (see Table 3).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-29">Stress reduction</hd> <p>Participants discussed their high levels of stress as students and how the use of reflective practices helped them cope with their feelings of being overwhelmed. Participants shared how they "go, go, go all week" (<reflink idref="bib206" id="ref139">206</reflink>) which can be stressful, so they appreciated the use of reflective practices in their course. Participants shared, "I think that this semester was the semester from hell for me. ... [Assignments as part of this course] were a breath of fresh air, like, 'I am actually assigned to slow down. This is really neat,'" (<reflink idref="bib107" id="ref140">107</reflink>), and:</p> <p>I think that [our use of mindfulness, journaling, and discussions] were good because in other classes we never stop. We are just constantly taking notes and listening to the lecture, worrying about the next test or paper. That's all we discuss. We never stop and discuss what's going on in our life or what we are feeling. It's just go, go, go. (<reflink idref="bib202" id="ref141">202</reflink>)</p> <p>Participants also discussed that their use of these reflective practices encouraged them to better regulate their own emotions, saying, "I think that the activities have helped me regulate my stress and emotions ... this helps me calm down and de-stress" (<reflink idref="bib201" id="ref142">201</reflink>) and</p> <p>It definitely slowed my mind down a little bit while being in [an early childhood] classroom when it is so hectic. It kind of let me calm down, like, 'Oh yeah. This is all just a moment. We can take it step by step.' I feel like that was really helpful. (<reflink idref="bib112" id="ref143">112</reflink>)</p> <p>Lastly as related to stress reduction, a few participants also discussed how reflective practices as part of the course also helped them be more self-compassionate. One participant reflected on becoming more compassionate about her stress, saying:</p> <p>I have learned more patience with myself. In the past if I made a mistake, I would really beat myself up over it but like through mindfulness practices it has really helped me be like, 'Mistakes happen, so it's ok. Be patient with yourself. Be kind to yourself.' (<reflink idref="bib106" id="ref144">106</reflink>)</p> <p>Other participants discussed how the activities helped them understand a component of self-compassion – the commonality of experiencing stress. Two participants reflected on how in-class discussions helped them, saying: "When I'm stressed out and I see other people are too it makes me feel better because I'm not alone," (<reflink idref="bib204" id="ref145">204</reflink>) and "I think, 'Other people don't act this stressed out.' So, in class when we would [discuss] that I felt like, 'Oh, I'm not the only one,'" (<reflink idref="bib206" id="ref146">206</reflink>).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-30">Heightened self-reflection and emotional awareness</hd> <p>Participants described how their engagement in course activities encouraged them to be more self-reflective about their own and others' emotions, actions, and the intersection of the two. Participants frequently used the word "reflect" (<reflink idref="bib102" id="ref147">102</reflink>, 113, 201, 202, 203, 205, 207) to discuss how practices embedded in their course were influential to understanding their own and others' emotions.</p> <p>Participants described opportunities to "reflect on yourself" (<reflink idref="bib113" id="ref148">113</reflink>) and "what's going on in life" (<reflink idref="bib207" id="ref149">207</reflink>) which can lead to "be[ing] more grounded" (<reflink idref="bib102" id="ref150">102</reflink>). Some participants discussed how aspects of reflective practices in their course helped them be more self-aware, specifically related to emotions they were experiencing. One individual said, "[These practices] help you to develop socially-emotionally. It helps you be aware of your own emotions," (<reflink idref="bib111" id="ref151">111</reflink>). Participants discussed "analyzing" (<reflink idref="bib203" id="ref152">203</reflink>) their emotions or taking "time to pause and think" (<reflink idref="bib204" id="ref153">204</reflink>). Participants shared this process of pausing and reflecting:</p> <p>I remember stopping and thinking how I feel. Like if I'm stressed or angry. [In the past] I just went with it. I never dealt with it, and the mindfulness helped me really stop [and say], 'I am feeling stressed because of this. I am feeling sad because of this.' (<reflink idref="bib207" id="ref154">207</reflink>)</p> <p>I had had a terrible day that day and I was going through my day reflecting, and I was laughing. Why was I so upset? Why was I so stressed out? Now, [I think about it] at night when I'm lying in bed. Thinking about, "How was today? How was I feeling?" (<reflink idref="bib202" id="ref155">202</reflink>)</p> <p>They also shared about "thinking back on how I acted" (<reflink idref="bib203" id="ref156">203</reflink>), and how they could use this information to guide their actions. One participant said, "Going over [my emotions] helped me so you can deal with it differently another day if you're feeling the same thing," (<reflink idref="bib204" id="ref157">204</reflink>) and:</p> <p>[These practices] help us be in tune – with ourselves and the way that our [own] social-emotional development works. ... It most likely made everyone at least take a step back and breathe and just realize how we represent ourselves and how we're acting. (<reflink idref="bib102" id="ref158">102</reflink>)</p> <p>Participants also discussed how reflective practices helped them be more aware of others' emotions as well, such as other teachers or the children with whom they interact. Participants shared, "[I can] write feelings and then reflect ... use it to understand what's going on with others," (<reflink idref="bib203" id="ref159">203</reflink>) and "I feel like it helped me be mindful inside the classroom – knowing where the teachers are [mentally]," (<reflink idref="bib113" id="ref160">113</reflink>). Another participant discussed how these strategies can help them empathize with children or others:</p> <p>It can kind of give you a step back so that you can be like, 'Ok. [takes a breath in] ... I know how this [emotion] works, so this is also going on with kids and this is going on with the people around me.' (<reflink idref="bib102" id="ref161">102</reflink>)</p> <p>Participants also discussed how reflection can help children understand "their own emotions" (<reflink idref="bib201" id="ref162">201</reflink>), "others' feelings" (<reflink idref="bib207" id="ref163">207</reflink>), or "help build emotional competence" (<reflink idref="bib202" id="ref164">202</reflink>). They discussed how it helped them be more empathetic toward children saying, "I realized if I'm having a hard time managing emotions, I could only imagine how children feel," (<reflink idref="bib208" id="ref165">208</reflink>).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-31">New understanding of supportive strategies</hd> <p>Participants discussed having preconceived ideas of what reflective practices would be like based on either never hearing about it before or stereotypes they had heard, and that their ideas had changed over time. They shared, "There was more to it than I thought. Because it seems like it is [only] going to be meditation," (<reflink idref="bib112" id="ref166">112</reflink>) and "I just thought of like the pose like this [shows sitting cross style and having thumb to pointer finger out to sides]," (<reflink idref="bib103" id="ref167">103</reflink>). Participants discussed realizing "there are a lot of ways that you can be mindful" (<reflink idref="bib102" id="ref168">102</reflink>) and that "the journals themselves" (<reflink idref="bib108" id="ref169">108</reflink>) were a form of reflection. Participants also described how they could now see typical activities as ones that could incorporate mindfulness, for example:</p> <p>When I was in [a local childcare facility] one day they were doing yoga. [In the past] I just would have just thought it was a transition, 'This is what they do to transition.' I would have never been like, 'Oh, they're being mindful. They're slowing their body. They're getting ready.' (<reflink idref="bib108" id="ref170">108</reflink>)</p> <p>Participants in both courses discussed that by learning more about these practices, they began to view them as supportive strategies they could use regularly (e.g., "I've heard of [reflective practices] but never really did it, so [now] it is an outlet for me." [<reflink idref="bib201" id="ref171">201</reflink>]). They also shared how they could use these practices to support children (e.g., "Because I want to be a teacher it helped me to know what I can do to help children," [<reflink idref="bib204" id="ref172">204</reflink>]), such as incorporating it "into daily practice," (<reflink idref="bib206" id="ref173">206</reflink>). Participants also described how these practices could help them "come back to the moment" (<reflink idref="bib202" id="ref174">202</reflink>). They discussed learning a key component to staying in the present moment – letting go of thoughts by "just not think[ing] about stuff" (<reflink idref="bib205" id="ref175">205</reflink>) and learning to "do tasks without thinking" (<reflink idref="bib101" id="ref176">101</reflink>). One participant shared, "It helped me realized I don't have to fill my day up. I can just sit there and relax and close my eyes," (<reflink idref="bib208" id="ref177">208</reflink>).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-32">Requirements of and contributions to self-regulation</hd> <p>Participants described how their use of reflective practices both required and contributed to their self-regulation. A few participants talked about the difficulty of "stay[ing] focused" (<reflink idref="bib113" id="ref178">113</reflink>). One participant shared, "I do fidget a lot so having something that I can physically touch sometimes [rather than] just sitting there and focusing on breathing or trying to focus on the body parts is super hard for me," (<reflink idref="bib106" id="ref179">106</reflink>). When discussing practicing some mindful eating, one participant discussed how this required her to be less impulsive; reflecting on her original thought process she shared, "I'm hungry and just want to eat. I don't want to take the time to think what's going in my mouth," (<reflink idref="bib204" id="ref180">204</reflink>).</p> <p>Yet, participants also described how engaging in reflective practices helped them to better regulate their emotions or actions. One participant shared, "It just really helped me with my emotions and controlling them a little bit better," (<reflink idref="bib207" id="ref181">207</reflink>). Some participants discussed how this self-regulation could then help them in their interactions with others. They shared, "I think it helps us to take a step back ... with that patience. Because if you have patience with yourself you will be able to have patience [with children]," (<reflink idref="bib112" id="ref182">112</reflink>) and "I have a really bad temper ... [now] when it gets to that point I walk away and go sit down and I breathe," (<reflink idref="bib201" id="ref183">201</reflink>).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-33">Discussion</hd> <p>Utilizing reflective practices as pedagogy in higher education with preservice teachers may serve two goals. First, building personal reflective skills and practices in preservice teachers, such as enhancing mindfulness and self-awareness, has been identified as critical in preparing teachers for the demands of their careers (Dreyer, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref184">19</reflink>]). Using reflective practices in the college classroom not only models the intentional, reflective stance we hope future teachers will develop but also may give preservice teachers opportunities to develop reflective strategies to use personally and in their future classrooms as reflective practitioners (Meiklejohn et al., [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref185">48</reflink>]). Second, the utilization of reflective practices in higher education characterizes contemporary pedagogical approaches to address the whole person in education, by not only building knowledge but also attending to personal well-being (Barbezat & Bush, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref186">2</reflink>]). Despite the visibility of these goals in the broader literature, relatively little research has focused specifically on how strategies may be utilized with and experienced by preservice teachers as part of higher education pedagogy. Hence, the aim of this qualitative, exploratory study was to better understand preservice students' perspectives in the use of reflective practices in higher education, and specifically, to identify strategies for the successful use of reflective practices as pedagogy and perceived benefits. Results revealed two primary themes relative to the processes and structure of implementing reflective practices as pedagogy and to perceived support of students' social-emotional well-being.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-34">Processes and structure in the implementation of reflective practices</hd> <p>Participants in this study described key elements related to the process and structure of participating in reflective experiences in a higher education course. As others have found, the initial process of engaging in reflective practices can be challenging or uncomfortable for students (Burke & Dunn, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref187">8</reflink>]; Langer, [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref188">43</reflink>]; Mälkki & Green, [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref189">46</reflink>]; Miyahara et al., [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref190">50</reflink>]). Participants articulated the importance of feeling a sense of community within their course, which may have helped them feel more comfortable engaging in new practices and is in line with broader goals of higher education (Masika & Jones, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref191">47</reflink>]; Ryan, [<reflink idref="bib65" id="ref192">65</reflink>]). Participants in this study described their appreciation for being held accountable to engage in these practices as part of their course, as it helped them identify types of reflection that they enjoyed or found to be beneficial. Both of the courses described in this study included assigning a portion of students' final grade based on their participation in various experiences designed to promote self-reflection and awareness (e.g., logging weekly tasks, journaling, engaging in small- and large-group discussions in class, etc.), similar to how class participation may be typically graded. This level of accountability was important for students; they described how this accountability helped them make time for the practices in their otherwise busy lives. This accountability is in line with recommendations for using these practices in higher education (Barbezat & Bush, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref193">2</reflink>]), and aligns with the goal of encouraging students to be lifelong learners able to reflect on their own experiences as part of their learning (Ryan, [<reflink idref="bib65" id="ref194">65</reflink>]).</p> <p>Providing students with flexibility and encouragement to try a variety of reflective practices was also crucial to supporting student engagement, as others have suggested (Barbezat & Bush, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref195">2</reflink>]; Barton & Ryan, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref196">3</reflink>]; Masika & Jones, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref197">47</reflink>]). Providing a variety of exercises allowed students to find strategies that they found meaningful and effective. Moreover, reflective practices differ in their perceived effects and benefits (Ager, Albrecht, & Cohen, [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref198">1</reflink>]). For example, body scans, which influence sympathetic and parasympathetic neural activity, may be associated with heightened awareness of physical sensations (Dreeben, Mamberg, & Salmon, [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref199">18</reflink>]) while journaling may evoke greater awareness of emotions (Ager et al., [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref200">1</reflink>]). Hence, providing a variety of experiences may promote diverse types of reflective practices.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-35">Reflective practices in support of students' social-emotional well-being</hd> <p>This study indicates that reflective practices may benefit students' mental health and well-being. This is particularly important given the prevalence of mental health challenges among college students (Oswalt et al., [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref201">54</reflink>]) and teachers (Fantuzzo et al., [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref202">20</reflink>]; Jeon et al., [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref203">34</reflink>]; Whitaker et al., [<reflink idref="bib77" id="ref204">77</reflink>]). Specifically, participants described reductions in stress, similar to findings from other studies of preservice (Garner et al., [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref205">22</reflink>]) or in-service teachers (Bernay, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref206">5</reflink>]; Burrows, [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref207">9</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref208">10</reflink>]; Jennings & Greenberg, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref209">32</reflink>]; Napoli, [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref210">51</reflink>]). Analyses indicated that within the context of many demands of school and work and the fast pace of life, participants appreciated the reflective assignments because they were learning to "slow down" and remember that "this is all just a moment. We can take it step by step." Given that early childhood teacher stress is positively associated with depressive symptoms (Jeon et al., [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref211">34</reflink>]) and perceptions of children's behavior problems (Friedman-Krauss et al., [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref212">21</reflink>]), helping preservice teachers develop reflective practices that can reduce stress may benefit their mental health directly, as well as indirectly through less negative perceptions of children's behavior.</p> <p>Participants also described heightened self-reflection and self-awareness. They indicated the reflection activities helped them become more aware of their own and others' emotions and behaviors, and the connections between these. Participants also reported that practicing self-compassion helped them to be more patient with themselves and with children, and helped them self-regulate in stressful situations and in their practice with children. These findings are important given that teachers' ability to be more fully present with children increases the likelihood that they are better able to understand children's emotions and behaviors, and provide them with the quality of care and education needed for healthy development (Hirshberg et al., [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref213">28</reflink>]; Jennings, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref214">33</reflink>]; Schussler et al., [<reflink idref="bib69" id="ref215">69</reflink>]). Furthermore, these benefits align with recommendations for higher education to more holistically support students, including their social-emotional development and learning (Barbezat & Bush, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref216">2</reflink>]; Lawlor, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref217">44</reflink>]; Loughran, [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref218">45</reflink>]; Masika & Jones, [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref219">47</reflink>]; Roeser & Peck, [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref220">60</reflink>]; Schonert-Reichl & Roeser, [<reflink idref="bib68" id="ref221">68</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-36">Practical strategies for using reflective practices as pedagogy in higher education courses</hd> <p>There are several useful strategies for employing reflective practices in higher education courses, all of which require little or no cost. Activities such as journaling require only paper and pen. Mindfulness requires no materials at all. For students who prefer technology, there are many apps available with free versions such as Insight Timer, Calm, and Headspace.</p> <p>Instructors' familiarity with the strategies they are asking students to use (Barbezat & Bush, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref222">2</reflink>]; Roeser & Peck, [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref223">60</reflink>]), as well as practical instructions and getting started tips, may play an important role in supporting preservice teachers' independent practices. Students also described psychological discomfort with articulating their self-reflections to themselves and to others. To prepare for this, instructors may wish to begin the class and initiation of practices by discussing the potential of triggered emotions and provide information on mental health services available to students on campus or in the community.</p> <p>Another aspect of discomfort may be simply not knowing where to start when engaging in journaling or meditative practice. Participants in the current study found the use of prompts and reflective questions helpful in getting practices started. Physically stilling the body and mind to engage in self-reflection and mindfulness may be hard for some students, especially during certain times of day (Miyahara et al., [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref224">50</reflink>]). Content of practices may also be related to perceived effectiveness and preference. For example, Miyahara and colleagues ([<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref225">50</reflink>]) found that preservice teachers preferred meditations focused on self-compassion and compassion for others over sitting meditations that focused on physical sensations such as breath. Compassion meditations may be especially salient for teachers who are often cognizant of worries and wishes they have for their students, particularly those growing up in difficult home environments (Day & Hong, [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref226">17</reflink>]). Variety and flexibility may also be important in supporting student comfort with the practices. Our findings that students appreciated variety in reflective practice exercises aligns with recommendations for multimodal reflective experiences in higher education classrooms, including oral, written, physical, and visual forms of reflection (Barton & Ryan, [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref227">3</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-37">Limitations & future directions</hd> <p>While this study examined the use of reflective practices in two early childhood courses, the examination of these practices and student experiences was limited to student focus groups. In addition, this study examined students' perspectives related to using reflective practices as pedagogy, rather than pre/post changes in students' personal use of the practices and strategies they learned in class or their social-emotional understanding and well-being. Further work is needed to investigate how the use of reflective practices as part of higher education pedagogy may directly influence students' learning and well-being. Furthermore, this study did not examine the use of reflective practices in student practicum courses, which would give researchers the opportunity to assess how reflective practices as part of coursework may influence students' developmentally supportive responsiveness in the classroom. The ability of preservice teachers to pause and respond in the classroom, rather than react to the children in their care, may relate to their use of more developmentally supportive practices (Brophy-Herb et al., [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref228">7</reflink>]; Virmani et al., [<reflink idref="bib74" id="ref229">74</reflink>]). Preservice teachers' abilities to engage in reflective practices has important implications for improving practices in early care and education.</p> <p>It is also important to acknowledge that our study sample and focus was limited. Mindfulness, as widely practiced and understood in contemporary American culture, has been somewhat commodified and often stripped of the cultural and historical roots from which it developed. For example, the term "mindfulness" is often used to refer to meditative practices in order to make it more acceptable to those who might find the more spiritual dimensions of these practices in conflict with their own beliefs (Ng & Purser, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref230">53</reflink>]). In addition, Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC) have not been well-represented in the substantial base of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of mindfulness practices for reducing stress and enhancing well-being, which is problematic in itself but even more so when people assume mindfulness "works for everyone." Moreover, it is often difficult for BIPOC to find an inclusive, welcoming community of practice (Rose Black, [<reflink idref="bib64" id="ref231">64</reflink>]). As professors responsible for preparing early childhood educators, we are committed to helping our students to learn skills and habits of being that will help them to be more effective educators and that will also support their well-being. However, it is critical to systematically include BIPOC in mindfulness research, and to explicitly acknowledge the positionality of whiteness when warranted – future research including these populations could be beneficial to better understand how mindfulness may best support BIPOC. The sample size of the current study is too small to address any potential differences among participants related to race/ethnicity. Researchers must be aware of their assumptions that mindfulness practice is experienced in the same or similar way for everyone, and that the benefits of mindfulness extend to everyone; this remains an empirical question.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-38">Conclusions</hd> <p>Reflective practices as pedagogy in higher education may have several benefits. First, such skills are associated with more effective and supportive educational practices with children in the classroom (Greenberg & Turksma, [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref232">26</reflink>]; MLERN, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref233">49</reflink>]). A reflective teacher is able to observe the behaviors and characteristics of a child, think about the reason for that behavior, and understand what is influencing a child. Introducing these practices in preservice training can potentially influence preservice teachers' interactions with the children and families with whom they work. Second, as our findings indicate, reflective practices may enhance and support preservice teachers' social-emotional health and well-being, a core foundation of effective teaching and high-quality teacher-child relationships (Jennings & Greenberg, [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref234">32</reflink>]). In sum, students were generally positive in their perceptions of the use of reflective practices as part of higher education pedagogy, indicating the acceptability of this approach. Incorporating reflective practices into higher education is a feasible strategy that can be utilized without compromising content and, according to participants in this study, can enhance learning experiences.</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-39">Disclosure statement</hd> <p>No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).</p> <hd id="AN0171807703-40">Supplementary material</hd> <p>Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2021.2020938</p> <ref id="AN0171807703-41"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref101" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Ager, K., Albrecht, N., & Cohen, M. (2015). 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  – Url: https://resolver.ebsco.com/c/xy5jbn/result?sid=EBSCO:eric&genre=article&issn=10901027&ISBN=&volume=44&issue=3&date=20230101&spage=261&pages=261-287&title=Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education&atitle=Students%27%20Experiences%20of%20Reflective%20Practices%20as%20Pedagogy%20in%20Early%20Childhood%20Higher%20Education&aulast=Decker%2C%20Kalli%20B.&id=DOI:10.1080/10901027.2021.2020938
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Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Students' Experiences of Reflective Practices as Pedagogy in Early Childhood Higher Education
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Decker%2C+Kalli+B%2E%22">Decker, Kalli B.</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5098-3824">0000-0001-5098-3824</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cook%2C+Gina+A%2E%22">Cook, Gina A.</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9763-6002">0000-0001-9763-6002</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brophy-Herb%2C+Holly%22">Brophy-Herb, Holly</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2186-6025">0000-0003-2186-6025</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Torquati%2C+Julia%22">Torquati, Julia</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9051-0711">0000-0002-9051-0711</externalLink>)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Early+Childhood+Teacher+Education%22"><i>Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education</i></searchLink>. 2023 44(3):261-287.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 27
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2023
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Experience%22">Student Experience</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reflection%22">Reflection</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preservice+Teachers%22">Preservice Teachers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Student+Relationship%22">Teacher Student Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stress+Variables%22">Stress Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stress+Management%22">Stress Management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Well+Being%22">Well Being</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+Methods%22">Teaching Methods</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1080/10901027.2021.2020938
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1090-1027<br />1745-5642
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Early childhood education is a demanding profession, and teachers' stress is inversely associated with the quality of their interactions with young children. In order to provide stress management tools to preservice teachers prior to entry into the field, there has been growing interest in the use of reflective practices as part of higher education pedagogy. There is initial evidence that reflective practices have the potential to positively influence preservice teachers' well-being and teaching practice. Instructors at two universities incorporated the use of reflective practices, including journaling, in-class discussions, and mindfulness, into their early childhood courses. Students from these courses were invited to participate in focus groups regarding their experiences with the use of reflective practices as part of their course's pedagogical approach; 21 students participated (n for Course 1 = 13, n for Course 2 = 8). Using constant comparative analysis, two primary themes emerged: 1) participants described important aspects of the process and structure of using reflective practices as part of their course, and 2) participants reported how reflective practices supported their social-emotional understanding and well-being. Implications for using reflective practices, including rich descriptions, examples, and practice suggestions, as part of early childhood higher education pedagogy are discussed.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
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  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2023
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1397812
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  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/10901027.2021.2020938
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 27
        StartPage: 261
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Students' Experiences of Reflective Practices as Pedagogy in Early Childhood Higher Education
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      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Decker, Kalli B.
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            NameFull: Cook, Gina A.
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            NameFull: Brophy-Herb, Holly
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            NameFull: Torquati, Julia
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2023
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1090-1027
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              Value: 1745-5642
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              Value: 44
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              Value: 3
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            – TitleFull: Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education
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