Educators and Wellbeing: The Role of Mindfulness in the Times of Technology

Review Of Existing Literature

The review of the literature for this chapter faced this complex structure of surroundings, factors, and topical issues. We lack an overarching search term, e.g., stress, burnout, depression, tension, anxiety; all are terms related to the topic at hand. Mindfulness, wellbeing, meditative and contemplative practices/activities, are also related to the topic. Chiesa & Malinowski, (2011) noted “mindfulness” and “meditation” as two words often used for multiple processes, making a true meaning difficult to capture with a single definition. In addition, although closely related, the literature habitually treats instructors’ approaches toward students as a separate arena.

The rapidly increasing and ubiquitous presence of technology, particularly social media, is viewed by many as the foremost cause for burnout, stress, anxiety, etc. Bailey (2018) considers the disruption through technology in education as dangerous for children. However, McMullan, (2018) argues the positive correlation of moderate technology use to positive mental health, as per Przybylski & Weinstein, (2017).