Operationalizing mindful co-regulation to build understanding of educator social-emotional competency

This paper advances theoretical and empirical knowledge of teacher social-emotional competencies by operationalizing a new model called Mindful Co-Regulation that describes how mindfulness is translated into supportive interactions with students. This model theorizes that teacher mindfulness contributes to Mindful Teaching, which promotes Effective SEL Instruction and Co-Regulation actions with students, including building responsive relationships with students, creating safe supportive learning environments, and intentional day-to-day interactions that promote student SEL. We conducted two observational studies with middle and high school teachers in the context of implementing a new mindfulness-based SEL program to explore the potential value of this model. We summarized and described these data using a newly developed measure and examined whether the constructs assessed could be reliably observed and if they were associated with student experiences in the classroom. Observational data collected via the new Mindful Co-Regulation Observation Measure (MCRO) provide evidence of the utility of the Mindful Co-Regulation model for secondary teachers. More specifically, co-regulation actions were identified that align with each key domain in the model. Specific indicators of mindful co-regulation as measured by MCRO items demonstrated variation across teachers, suggesting areas for improvement. Items clustered within domains on the MCRO suggesting underlying constructs consistent with the model. Although some of these constructs were difficult to reliably observe, scores on the MCRO appeared to co-vary as expected with student outcomes. Overall, results highlight the value of mindful co-regulation as an innovative conceptual model for designing and evaluating programs and practices to promote educator SEC. This paper describes a new model for understanding how teacher mindfulness may translate into supportive interactions with older youth called Mindful Co-Regulation. An observational measure developed to assess specific teachers actions shows initial promise for future research and informing practice, including training and coaching teachers. Increased teacher social-emotional competencies are also expected to enhance student social-emotional learning and development.