Training Educators to Implement Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Evaluating the Effects of In-Service and Coaching on Intervention Fidelity

Abstract

School-based interventions that utilize mindfulness and yoga exercises to build students’ self-regulation skills have become increasingly popular, both in practice and in published literature. Yet little information has been gathered about how to effectively train educators to deliver these interventions with fidelity. The present paper aimed to advance the research on school-based mindfulness interventions by examining the extent to which educators were able to deliver a specific intervention, Yoga Calm, with fidelity following a series of in-service trainings and follow-up coaching. Study 1 examined intervention fidelity outcomes for fifteen educators following a series of in-service trainings, finding that a majority of educators were able to deliver the intervention with high levels of adherence to the intervention’s core components. Study 2 used a multiple-baseline design to examine fidelity outcomes for four educators at baseline and following the introduction of side-by-side coaching supports. The data demonstrated four replications of an effect when comparing baseline to treatment, indicating a functional relation between participation in side-by-side coaching and adherence to Yoga Calm’s core components. Both studies also used quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify potential moderators of intervention fidelity, with results highlighting the importance of factors related to educator buy-in, educator self-efficacy, program delivery factors (e.g., scheduling barriers), and accountability. The implications of these findings for educator training and practice, suggestions for future research, and the limitations of this study are also discussed.