Contemplative practices in foreign language teaching: a systematic review
Zdena Kráľová, Gregor Vnučko, Gabor Pintes
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications June 20, 2026 DOI: 10.1057/s41599-026-07987-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Contemplation Context archaeology Fluency Inclusion mineral Certainty Empirical research Intervention counseling Foreign language Pedagogy Sample material Systematic review Empirical evidence Conversation Variety cybernetics Exposition narrative |
| Key findings | Contemplative practices in foreign language teaching show potential to enhance academic achievement, classroom climate, learner motivation, resilience, and attitudes, but results for anxiety, self-regulation, and critical thinking are inconsistent. |
Abstract
Abstract The integration of contemplative practices in foreign language teaching (FLT) has gained increasing attention for its potential to enrich educational experiences and outcomes. This systematic review synthesizes empirical evidence on contemplative practices in FLT and examines their reported advantages, limitations, pedagogical implications, and geographical distribution. Following PRISMA guidelines, studies were identified through searches of Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar conducted in January to March 2025. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed empirical articles published in English that explicitly addressed contemplative practices within the context of FLT. Due to methodological heterogeneity and the limited number of eligible studies, no formal risk-of-bias tool was applied; however, key methodological characteristics were considered when interpreting findings. A narrative synthesis approach was employed, and no meta-analysis was conducted. Seven studies, with sample sizes ranging from 11 to 249 participants, met the inclusion criteria. The findings indicate that contemplative practices – such as mindfulness, breathing meditation, reflective journaling, guided imagery, and dialog activities – have shown potential to enhance academic achievement, classroom climate, learner motivation, resilience, and attitudes toward language learning. In several quasi-experimental studies, intervention groups demonstrated improvement in speaking fluency and willingness to communicate compared with control groups; however, results concerning foreign language anxiety, self-regulation, and critical thinking were inconsistent or statistically non-significant across studies. The overall certainty of the evidence remains limited due to small sample sizes, predominantly non-randomized designs, and methodological diversity. Nonetheless, the review highlights the pedagogical promise of contemplative practices in FLT. It identifies significant research gaps, including the absence of European studies and the lack of long-term or large-scale investigations, underscoring the need for more rigorous and conceptually coherent research in this emerging field.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |