Teaching meditation to college students within an historical and cultural context: A qualitative analysis of undergraduate reflections on contemplative practice

Teaching meditation within a historical and cultural context in a 10-week undergraduate seminar improved students' overall well-being, lessened anxiety, improved focus, and increased emotional control, according to an analysis of 400 students' reflective writings collected over nine years. Students also expressed a desire to continue meditation after the seminar ended. The outcomes resemble those from studies using highly structured meditation protocols. The authors suggest that a structured investigation of this teaching model would contribute to discussions on teaching contemplative practice to college students.

Study at a glance

Abstract

There is a growing interest in contemplative practices in higher education. Researchers have explored the use of meditation to address the increasing requests for counseling and as a resource for improving student mental health. Contemplative practices have also been incorporated into the fundamental learning objectives in some US universities. This study of teaching methods uses first-person narratives from twenty-three 10-week seminars to examine how meditation practice benefited undergraduate students at a large public university in the US. The seminar, “Contemporary American Buddhism: How Meditation Became a Part of the Mainstream,” provided meditation instruction within an historical and cultural context and was taught over a nine-year period. Four hundred undergraduates’ reflective writings were included in this study. During the seminars, students participated in structured in-class meditations, practiced mindfulness exercises, read contemporary texts, viewed recent media and wrote reflective exercises. Students learned how meditation has been adapted for contemporary society, engaged in critical thinking, and reflected on their experiences. An examination of their narrative self-reports indicates outcomes similar to studies using highly structured meditation protocols; an improvement in overall well-being, lessened anxiety, better focus and increased emotional control. This study of teaching methodology also shows that students expressed a desire to continue the practice once the seminar was complete. The results suggest that a structured and systematic investigation of this teaching model would add significantly to the discussion on how to teach contemplative practice to college students.