Mindfulness practice as a teaching-learning strategy in higher education: A qualitative exploratory pilot study.
Jasna Schwind, Elizabeth McCay, Heather J. Beanlands, Lori Schindel Martin, Jennifer H. Martin, Marni Binder
Nurse Education Today March 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2016.12.017 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative exploratory pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 52 |
| Population | Undergraduate and graduate students in different disciplines within a community services faculty of an urban university |
| Interventions | Mindful breathing Lovingkindness meditation |
| Dose | five-minute instructor-guided mindfulness practices; five to fifteen-minute mindful breathing four to five times a week |
| Duration | Eight weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Health professions Higher education |
| Key findings | Students reported an increased sense of calm and decreased anxiety after brief instructor-guided mindfulness practices, and lovingkindness meditation was mostly perceived positively as a class closing. Instructors observed that brief mindful breathing at the start of class helped students become more grounded and focused. Feedback indicated a need for more in-depth information about mindfulness for students and instructors. |
Abstract
Students in higher education are experiencing stress and anxiety, such that it impedes their academic success and personal wellbeing. Brief mindfulness meditation and lovingkindness meditation are two aspects of mindfulness practice that have the potential to decrease students' feelings of anxiety and stress, and increase their sense of wellbeing and capacity for compassion for self and for others. To explore how undergraduate and graduate students experience brief instructor-guided mindfulness practice; specifically, on their feelings of stress and anxiety, and their sense of wellbeing. Qualitative exploratory pilot study. Fifty-two graduate and undergraduate students in different disciplines within a community services faculty of an urban university. Brief (five-minute) instructor-guided mindfulness practices were offered over eight weeks at the beginning and end of classes. Participating students were asked to also engage in individual home practice of five to fifteen-minute mindful breathing four to five times a week and to keep a log of their experiences. At end of term, individual and group feedback (N=13) was elicited from participating students. Six of the seven instructors who guided the mindfulness practices shared their experiences of the mindfulness activities. Students reported an increased sense of calm, and a decreased feeling of anxiety. Lovingkindness meditation was mostly perceived as a positive way to close the class. Their instructors also observed that the brief mindful breathing practice at start of class helped students become more grounded and focused before engaging in the course content. Challenges encountered focused on the need to provide more in-depth information about mindfulness, as it relates to higher education teaching-learning contexts, to both students and participating instructors. Implications for education suggest further research that includes fuller experiential training of participating instructors, as well as provision of a more comprehensive background on mindfulness to students.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 23
- Mindfulness – seeping through the cracks in the American context of teacher education Learning Research and Practice January 2, 2018
- Primary Teachers’ Perceptions of Mindfulness Practices With Young Children LEARNing Landscapes July 5, 2017
- The integration of meditation into higher education: a systematic literature review. Journal of American College Health January 15, 2025
- Acceptability, engagement, and preliminary efficacy of a college human physiology course with integrated mindfulness practice to support student wellbeing Frontiers in Psychology August 14, 2024
- The mindful professor: the impacts of an innovative mindfulness training intervention for college faculty. Journal of American College Health May 22, 2025
and 18 more in the library
Cites 10
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Mindfulness for Teachers: A Pilot Study to Assess Effects on Stress, Burnout, and Teaching Efficacy Mind, Brain, and Education August 16, 2013
- “Mind the Trap”: Mindfulness Practice Reduces Cognitive Rigidity PLoS One May 15, 2012
- Teaching Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) to students: The effects of MBCT on the levels of Mindfulness and Subjective Well-Being Counselling Psychology Quarterly December 1, 2008
and 5 more in the library