Evaluation of a PILOT School-Based Mindfulness Program in Primary Education
Matej Hrabovský, Iveta Kovalčíková
Education Sciences August 22, 2025 DOI: 10.3390/educsci15091088 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental design Pilot study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 14 |
| Population | Fourth-grade pupils (mean age = 10 years) in a public primary school |
| Intervention | structured mindfulness-based intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Primary education Mathematics education Metacognition Medical education Pedagogy Psychotherapist |
| Key findings | Statistically significant improvements in cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, and qualitative changes in mindfulness trait levels, were observed after the intervention. |
Abstract
In light of the increasing interest in integrating mindfulness techniques into educational contexts, it is essential to examine their potential cognitive and emotional benefits for the child population. Pilot investigation, analyzed in this paper, aimed to study and assess the impact of a structured mindfulness-based intervention on executive functioning and dispositional mindfulness in young learners. The intervention sample consisted of 14 fourth-grade pupils (mean age = 10 years), enrolled in a public primary school. Pre-test–intervention–post-test quasi-experimental design with two conditions was adopted. Executive functioning was assessed using the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System subtests (D-KEFS), while trait mindfulness was assessed via the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Preliminary findings revealed statistically significant improvements in cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, as well as qualitative changes in mindfulness trait levels post-intervention. The results suggest that mindfulness-based programs may represent a promising approach for fostering executive and emotional competencies in younger school-aged children, thereby contributing to their overall academic performance and psychological development. Further research employing larger and more heterogeneous samples, including active control conditions, is warranted to replicate these effects and explore the long-term efficacy of mindfulness interventions in school settings.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 18
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
- Minding one’s emotions: Mindfulness training alters the neural expression of sadness. Emotion February 1, 2010
and 13 more in the library