Mindfulness and contemplative approaches in education.
K. Weare
Current Opinion in Psychology August 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.06.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key findings | The evidence base suggests small to moderate impacts of school-based mindfulness, most strongly and reliably on psycho-social health and well-being, especially mental health problems, with less definitive but promising evidence for small effects on behaviour, cognition, learning, and physical health. The authors also emphasize that teachers need to learn mindfulness themselves and establish their own practice to cultivate mindfulness in schools effectively. |
Abstract
There is a growing and promising quantitative evidence base on mindfulness in schools, which has continued to emerge over the last two years and which consistently suggests small to moderate impacts across a range of outcomes, most strongly and reliably on psycho-social health and well-being, especially mental health problems, with less definitive but promising evidence for small effects on behaviour, cognition, learning, and physical health. The overlapping field of 'contemplative education' is less concerned with measurable outcomes, aiming instead to put the learner, and their self-reflective mindfulness at the heart of the teaching and learning process. Interest is growing on how best to implement mindfulness and integrate it into the policies, practice and ethos of the whole institution, with some promising early findings, mainly from qualitative data. There is a particular and growing emphasis, supported by some emerging quantitative evidence, on the need for teachers to learn mindfulness themselves and establish their own practice if they are to cultivate mindfulness in schools effectively.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Beyond All Splits: Envisioning the Next Generation of Science on Mindfulness and Compassion in Schools for Students. Mindfulness November 11, 2022
- Mindfulness in Education: Insights Towards an Integrative Paradigm 2021
- The Role of Trait and State Mindfulness in Cognitive Performance of Male Adolescents Psychology Research and Behavior Management September 1, 2023
- Mindfulness in Education: Critical Debates and Pragmatic Considerations March 19, 2024
- A Comparative Review of Research on Mindfulness in Pre/Post Covid-19 Education British Journal of Education February 15, 2023
and 11 more in the library
Cites 9
- Research Review: The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 22, 2018
- A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial The Lancet Public Health December 18, 2017
- School-Based Mindfulness Instruction: An RCT Pediatrics December 19, 2015
- A Systematic Review of Mindfulness-Based School Interventions with Early Adolescents Mindfulness July 18, 2018
- Mindfulness Training in UK Secondary Schools: a Multiple Case Study Approach to Identification of Cornerstones of Implementation Mindfulness June 21, 2018
and 4 more in the library