The impact of mindfulness on the eudaimonic well-being of music educators
Embargo Date
2027-08-18
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Music teaching can be a stressful and emotionally demanding profession. Researchers have linked elevated levels of stress and burnout to low job satisfaction and high attrition, with many teachers citing occupational stress and burnout among their main reasons for leaving the profession. The occupational stress that accompanies teaching in music can also erode music educators’ eudaimonic well-being, causing adverse physical, emotional, and psychological effects, leading to stress and burnout. In contrast to happiness as a goal of life, as explained by hedonism, eudaimonia, described as flourishing in life, includes self-realization, the development of unique, personal potentials, and the advancement of one’s purposes in life. Research has shown links between eudaimonic well-being and health; results indicate that individuals with higher levels of purpose have reduced levels of stroke and heart disease and better sleep, higher cognitive function, and protection from health challenges associated with aging. Mindfulness fosters the development of skills that have also been shown to help mediate the negative effects of stress and positively impact health and well-being. The Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory explains how mindfulness can broaden awareness to alter cognitive appraisals and promote eudaimonia. Through the five components of attentional control, decentering, meta-awareness, positive reappraisal, and savoring, one’s determination, or appraisal, of a stressful situation may be altered, changing the individual’s experience of stress. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on self-reported responses to occupational stress in relation to 5th–12th grade music educators’ eudaimonic well-being. The Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory was used as a framework for understanding the connection between mindfulness and eudaimonia and as a model to discuss the literature that supports the use of mindfulness in enhancing eudaimonia for music educators. Results of this study suggest that MBIs may be an effective tool in reducing stress and promoting well-being for music educators. Findings also showed that offering mindfulness training in a 2-day format versus an 8-week program may be a viable option for school districts looking to offer mindfulness training to their music educators.
Description
2025