It Just Takes a Sprinkle of Mindfulness: Exploring Mindfulness Practice in Early Childhood Education in Ireland.

Flanagan, Leesa and McGourty, Jemma and O'Connor, Catherine (2026) It Just Takes a Sprinkle of Mindfulness: Exploring Mindfulness Practice in Early Childhood Education in Ireland. Doctoral thesis, Dundalk Institute of Technology.

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Abstract

This thesis explored if, how and why mindfulness practice (MP) is being implemented in early childhood education (ECE) in Ireland. This study adopted a mixed-methods design, with a predominantly qualitative orientation, to gain insight into current practices and perspectives of those in the sector. This study was conducted in three phases. Phase One mapped the landscape of MP in ECE using an online national questionnaire (n=744). Phase Two provided a deeper exploration of educator’s MP with young children (n=27), regarding their conceptualisation, experiences, perceived benefits and barriers through semi-structured interviews. Phase Three involved a focus group with five thought leaders in ECE to contextualise the findings within a broader research, educational and policy framework. Quantitative data was analysed through SPSS using descriptive and inferential statistics while the qualitative data underwent reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) within a constructivist and interpretivist paradigm. Findings from Phase One indicate that MP is being implemented by educators across the sector, although in diverse ways. The educators in Phase Two shared a range of perceived benefits of MP for themselves and young children. Nevertheless, issues emerged including definitional clarity, lack of training opportunities and broader systemic support for sustained implementation of MP. By centring educators’ voices and engaging in broader discussion in Phase Three, this study offers important insights into an emerging yet often under-researched area. It argues for clearer definitions and understanding of MP, sustained professional development and coordinated systemic support to enable thoughtful integration of MP in ECE. This study contributes new empirical evidence and insight into the role of MP in ECE.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	Social Sciences > Education
Research Centres:	UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User:	Jemma McGourty
Date Deposited:	13 May 2026 09:28
Last Modified:	13 May 2026 09:28
License:	Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0
URI:	https://eprints.dkit.ie/id/eprint/1052

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