A Research on the Effect of Mindfulness Exercises on the Disruptive Behaviors of Young EFL Learners in Türkiye
Sinem Acar, Mehmet Kılıç
Education Sciences October 24, 2025 DOI: 10.3390/educsci15111428 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study with interviews Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 39 |
| Population | Third-grade students in EFL classes |
| Intervention | Mindfulness exercises |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Measures | Video-based Observation Chart, interviews |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness exercises at the start of English lessons were followed by a significant decrease in overall disruptive behaviors in the experimental group compared with the control group. Students reported positive experiences, enjoyment, and perceived improvements in attention, emotion regulation, and emotional well-being, though a minority reported no change in some disruptive peers. |
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness exercises on the disruptive behaviors of young learners in EFL classes, along with gathering students’ perceptions of their experiences and the perceived change in disruptive behaviors of themselves and their peers. Thirty-nine third-grade students participated in the study and were assigned to the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG). The EG engaged in mindfulness exercises at the beginning of English lessons for eight weeks, while the CG followed the regular EFL curriculum. Disruptive behaviors were assessed using a Video-based Observation Chart. Interviews were conducted with students to explore their perceptions of the intervention and its impact on their behavior and the behavior of their peers. The results indicated a significant decrease in overall disruptive behaviors in the EG compared to the CG. Participants reported positive experiences and enjoyment as well as perceived increase in attention skills, improvement in emotion regulation and emotional well-being. A minority of the participants stated that they did not observe any difference in the behaviors of some of their disruptive peers. The results indicated that incorporating mindfulness exercises into EFL classes can lead to a reduction in disruptive behaviors, improve students’ experiences, and create a more positive classroom climate.
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 6
- Mindfulness Training for Elementary School Students Journal of Applied School Psychology July 6, 2005
- Teaching for well-being? Introducing mindfulness in an undergraduate course Journal of Further and Higher Education December 21, 2017
- Students experiences of an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention at a college of opportunity: a qualitative investigation of the mindfulness-based college program BMC Public Health December 13, 2022
- A Qualitative Study of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention in Educational Contexts in Chile: An Approach Based on Adolescents' Voices. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health September 22, 2020
- Mindfulness for Children With ADHD and Mindful Parenting (MindChamp): A Qualitative Study on Feasibility and Effects Journal of Attention Disorders July 29, 2020
and 1 more in the library