A case study exploration of school-based mindfulness instruction through the voices of middle school students with emotional and behavioral disabilities
Danielle Marie Heeney, Constance Lyttle
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative case study Case report |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5 |
| Population | Five middle school students identified with an emotional disturbance |
| Intervention | school-based mindfulness program |
| Duration | Six-week program |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report that students experienced internalizing and externalizing benefits from a six-week school-based mindfulness program, including greater space to think before reacting, improved emotional regulation, enhanced self-care and self-esteem, a sense of calmness, and decreased verbal and physical aggression. |
Abstract
The incorporation of mindfulness-based interventions and programs within the education field is a recent and developing context. As the research on explicit school-based mindfulness instruction is emerging, there is a noticeable gap in the literature concerning the effect of this type of intervention for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. The objective of this qualitative case study was to describe the experience of participating in a six-week school-based mindfulness program from the perspective of five middle school students who have been identified with an emotional disturbance. The effects of the intervention on the students' internalizing and externalizing behaviors were explored through the analysis of the students' and classroom teacher's post-instruction interview responses, the students' mindfulness journals, and school-based behavioral data. Research revealed that the present-moment awareness derived from engaging in mindfulness practices gave students space to think as opposed to responding impulsively, improved emotional regulation, and enhanced self-care and self-esteem. The externalizing benefits were a sense of calmness, an increased ability to respond with cognitive awareness to emotionally charged situations, and decreased incidents of verbal and physical aggression. Summarily, this study presents evidence that the students experienced internalizing and externalizing benefits from participating in the school-based mindfulness instruction program.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain sources of EEG gamma frequency during volitionally meditation-induced, altered states of consciousness, and experience of the self Advanced meditator | 2001 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Mindfulness Meditation for Alcohol Relapse Prevention: A Feasibility Pilot Study Adult alcohol-dependent graduates of an intensive outpatient program | 2008 | Prospective case series | n = 19 |
| How does it feel to lack a sense of boundaries? A case study of a long-term mindfulness meditator. A single long-term mindfulness practitioner (S) with 40 years of practice in... | 2015 | Qualitative case study | n = 1 |
| Loving‐kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia Individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative... | 2009 | Case study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Problem Gambling A female problem gambler | 2011 | Case study | n = 1 |