Mindfulness meditation and foreign language classroom anxiety: Findings from a randomized control trial
William Justin Morgan, Jonah Katz
Foreign Language Annals July 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1111/flan.12525 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled intervention study (experimental vs. control group comparison) Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 142 |
| Population | Postsecondary second language learners |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 13-week series of mindfulness meditations |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness scores were negatively correlated with foreign language classroom anxiety at the start of the study. After a 13-week series of mindfulness meditations, findings between the experimental and control groups were mixed, so the intervention's effect on anxiety was inconclusive. Experimental participants gave strongly positive opinions toward mindfulness meditation in open-ended responses. |
Abstract
Abstract: Many scholars have argued that mindfulness meditation (MM) can be beneficial in academic contexts. Recently, researchers in second language acquisition have found that higher trait mindfulness scores indicate lower foreign language classroom anxiety (FLCA). The present study investigates if mindfulness scores can be increased, if FLCA decreases as a result of a mindfulness intervention, and what opinions language learners have toward MM as a way of alleviating FLCA. Data were collected in a postsecondary learning environment where experimental group participants ( n = 76) and control group participants ( n = 66) were compared. As a result, mindfulness scores were negatively correlated with FLCA at beginning of the study. There were, however, mixed findings between groups after a 13‐week series of MMs. Experimental participants gave strongly positive opinions toward the MM in their open‐ended responses to their experience.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... | 2013 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group | n = 37 |
| Being present in the face of existential threat: The role of trait mindfulness in reducing defensive responses to mortality salience. | 2010 | Experimental study | |
| Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Healthy adults with no prior meditation experience | 2013 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 15 |
| Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience Community adults | 2009 | Quasi-experimental and longitudinal | n = 69 |
| Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 11 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Mindfulness and foreign language learners’ self-perceived proficiency: the mediating roles of anxiety and burnout Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development January 24, 2023
- The effects of loving-kindness meditation on doctors' communication anxiety, trust, calling and defensive medicine practice. BioPsychoSocial Medicine May 10, 2024
- The effects of trait mindfulness on Chinese EFL learners’ public speaking anxiety Discover Education September 28, 2026
- Does mindfulness mediate the relationship between anxiety and second language performance? A meta-analytic structural equation modeling study Frontiers in Psychology August 14, 2026
- Mindfulness and foreign language achievement: a meta-analytic study on interventions and correlations. Frontiers in Psychology May 14, 2025
and 2 more in the library
Cites 16
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- 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 training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
and 11 more in the library