The Impact of Mindfulness on Cognitive Functioning and Mood in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers

Abstract Background Mindfulness has been linked to improvements in attentional control and emotional regulation across both clinical and non-clinical populations. Although a substantial body of research has examined cognitive and affective outcomes separately, fewer studies have investigated their concurrent within-person changes in educational psychology contexts. In particular, pre-service teachers represent an understudied population despite operating in environments characterized by sustained cognitive demands and emotional engagement.

Methods: The study employed a fixed-order within-subject repeated-measures design. Thirty-six pre-service teachers completed standardized cognitive and mood assessments under two sequential conditions: a control condition (without prior mindfulness exposure) followed by a mindfulness intervention condition. Cognitive functioning was assessed using tasks measuring attention, working memory, concentration, and psychometric performance. Mood states were evaluated using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Within-person differences between conditions were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests for normally distributed variables and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for variables violating normality assumptions. Effect sizes were calculated and reported for all primary outcomes.

Results: Compared to the control condition, the mindfulness condition was associated with significant improvements in concentration, memory performance, and psychometric task scores. Significant reductions were observed in tension, anger, and fatigue, along with increases in vigor. Changes in depressive symptoms were not statistically significant. Effect sizes were generally in the moderate-to-large range across most cognitive and mood outcomes.

Conclusions: The findings indicate that brief mindfulness training was associated with measurable within-person changes in cognitive performance and stress-related mood states among pre-service teachers. By examining cognitive and emotional outcomes concurrently within a single educational sample, the study extends research on self-regulation and performance in applied learning settings. Future research using randomized controlled designs is needed to clarify causal mechanisms and evaluate longer-term effects.