ERIC Number: EJ1260537
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957-8234
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
"God Is My Doctor": Mindfulness Meditation/Prayer as a Spiritual Well-Being Coping Strategy for Jamaican School Principals to Manage Their Work-Related Stress and Anxiety
Walker, Annette Rosemarie
Journal of Educational Administration, v58 n4 p467-480 2020
Purpose: This article explores Jamaican secondary school principals' use of mindfulness meditation as a spiritual well-being strategy to manage their work-related stress and anxiety. Design/methodology/approach: The author used qualitative semi-structured interviews to collect the data from 12 Jamaican secondary school principals working in schools supporting rural, urban and inner-city school communities. Thematic coding of the analyzed data was used to understand how principals deal with their work-related stress and anxiety. Findings: The findings indicate that Jamaican school principals are experiencing work-related stress and anxiety as a result of work intensification, and use mindfulness meditation/prayer as a spiritual coping strategy. The data indicate that principals' primary source of support is their spiritual belief--faith in God and mindfulness meditation/prayer--when dealing with issues related to well-being. Originality/value: This article explores the use of mindfulness meditation as a non-secular coping strategy, and focuses on an understudied area of educational administration research--Jamaican school principals' well-being. The findings can help inform future education and health policy around occupational health and well-being for professionals, and lay the foundation for greater studies on principal well-being in Jamaican and the Caribbean more generally.
Descriptors: Metacognition, Religious Factors, Well Being, Coping, Principals, School Administration, Foreign Countries, Stress Management, Anxiety, Mental Health, Leadership Responsibility, Cultural Context, Work Environment, Secondary Schools, Christianity, Educational Finance
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Jamaica
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A