A Transcendental

Phenomenological Study on
Persistence in Online Mindfulness
Programs
Sheila Seiler
Dissertation Defense
February 11, 2020
 Dissertation Committee
• Dr. Rockinson-Szapkiw, my advisor and the Chair of my
committee, for her patience, hand-holding, and laughter,
• Dr. Susan Nordstrom, for turning me on to qualitative
research and for bringing the qualitative perspective to
this process,
• Dr. Lisa Sosin, for her thoughtful questions, careful edits,
and cheerleading,
• Dr. Craig Shepherd, for sharing his background in
psychology and instructional design through this
process.
 Gap in the Literature
• There are quantitative studies and meta-
analyses of what makes online MBIs effective.
• No analyses of the experiences participants
have in the programs that result in their
persistence.
• Little research has been done about
persistence in informal and non-degree
seeking learning environments.
 Why the Gaps Matter
• Rising interest in online mindfulness programs
• Whether or not persistence theories relate
• More information is needed to support
learner retention and persistence in these
programs
 Literature on Persistence
• Persistence is the result of a process of
interactions between the learner and the
academic and social systems of the institution,
according to Tinto’s (1975, 1993) Model of
Student Departure
• Other factors include external factors and
institutional supports (Bean, 1982; Levin &
Levin, 1991; Rovai, 1993; Tinto, 1993)
 Research Question #1
• What do nontraditional learners experience as
they persist in online mindfulness programs?
 Research Question #2
• What social and academic (e.g., mindfulness
development) factors do nontraditional
learners describe as influencing their
persistence in their online mindfulness
programs?
 Research Question #3
• What institutional supports do nontraditional
learners describe as influencing their
persistence in their online mindfulness
program?
 Research Question #4
• What factors external to the training program
(e.g., personal and external factors) do
nontraditional learners describe as influencing
their persistence in their online mindfulness
programs?
 Process
• 10 participants
• Non-traditional learners who have participated
in and completed an online mindfulness
program lasting 14 days in the past six months
• Data collection: a survey, open-ended
interviews with participants, and a focus group
• Researcher’s journal
 Overview of findings
• factors included academic integration, social
integration, external factors, and institutional
supports
 Essence of findings
RQ1: (lived experiences) RQ2: (academic and social integration)

• Enjoyment through engaging design • A sense of belonging to a community

and facilitation • Being inspired by others
• A community • Engaging in deep learning
• Relevant learning • Applying mindfulness to improve life

RQ3: (institutional supports) RQ4: (external factors)

• Having a well-organized program • Valuing persistence

• Feeling respected by the instructor • Having executive functioning skills
• Professional advancement or
certification
 Findings for Research Question #1
• Participant E: “there was enough structure, yet
enough freedom,” which allowed her to enjoy
the program
• Participant C: it felt “like you’re part of a tribe”
and that “your people become your people
through the experience.”
• Participant F: liked “the chance to do
something that applied right back into my life.”
 Findings for Research Question #2
• Participant F: “a sense of love,” a “sense of
humanness,” and a “sense of familiarity”
• Participant D: felt “a special connection”
• Participant C: “be better people” and “be the
best versions of themselves”
• Participant A: “academic and science-y,” and “not
just airy fairy stuff”
• Participant D: “It’s so all-encompassing. It affects
every area of my life.”
 Findings for Research Question #3
• Participant J: “it was really clearly outlined and
structured. . . . So it wasn't hard to persist. It wasn't
confusing. It was quite achievable. . . . It was
concrete and sequential. You could just tick it off
and be like, ‘okay, and now I've got this left to do.’”
• Participant I: “didn’t want to lose face with the
instructor”
• Participant A: “I need to stay in it to get the
qualification.”
 Findings for Research Question #4
• Participant C: “I’m a finisher,” and, “I see the
value in completing the circle and really
finishing things ….”
• Participant G: “build resilience” and “build
grit”
• Participant D: “I make time for [the online
mindfulness class]” and “I had to say ‘no’ to a
lot of things”
 Implications
• Socially engaging
– Participant C said there was a feeling of “you're a
part of this this club.”
– Social integration
• Relevant content
– Participant D said about the content and his
learning, “It’s so all-encompassing. It affects every
area of my life.”
– Academic integration
 Limitations
• Participants’ eagerness to learn about
mindfulness and enrollment in multiple online
mindfulness programs
• Recommendation: future research could focus
on just one online minfulness program
 Recommendations for future research

• Replicating this study with a larger sample

• Investigating specific online mindfulness
programs using a case study method
• Synthesizing the learners’, instructors’ and
designers’ perceptions and experiences could
yield additional lessons learned
Questions and Answers