Assessing Fidelity of Implementation (FOI) for School-Based Mindfulness and Yoga Interventions: A Systematic Review.
Laura Feagans Gould, Jacinda K Dariotis, Mark Greenberg, Tamar Mendelson
Mindfulness April 12, 2015 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-015-0395-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Peer-reviewed studies of school-based mindfulness and/or yoga programs targeting K-12 students and/or teachers in North America |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Fidelity Implementation Yoga School-based intervention |
| Key findings | The review indicates a relative paucity of rigorous fidelity of implementation (FOI) reporting: fewer than 10% of the 48 included studies outlined potential core program components or referenced a formal theory of action, and fewer than 20% assessed any aspect of FOI beyond participant dosage. The authors argue that identifying essential program elements and developing rigorous FOI measures are needed to advance the field. |
Abstract
As school-based mindfulness and yoga programs gain popularity, the systematic study of fidelity of program implementation (FOI) is critical to provide a more robust understanding of the core components of mindfulness and yoga interventions, their potential to improve specified teacher and student outcomes, and our ability to implement these programs consistently and effectively. This paper reviews the current state of the science with respect to inclusion and reporting of FOI in peer-reviewed studies examining the effects of school-based mindfulness and/or yoga programs targeting students and/or teachers implemented in grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12) in North America. Electronic searches in PsychInfo and Web of Science from their inception through May 2014, in addition to hand searches of relevant review articles, identified 312 publications, 48 of which met inclusion criteria. Findings indicated a relative paucity of rigorous FOI. Fewer than 10% of studies outlined potential core program components or referenced a formal theory of action, and fewer than 20% assessed any aspect of FOI beyond participant dosage. The emerging nature of the evidence base provides a critical window of opportunity to grapple with key issues relevant to FOI of mindfulness-based and yoga programs, including identifying essential elements of these programs that should be faithfully implemented and how we might develop rigorous measures to accurately capture them. Consideration of these questions and suggested next steps are intended to help advance the emerging field of school-based mindfulness and yoga interventions.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 15
- Gender differences in response to a school-based mindfulness training intervention for early adolescents. Journal of school psychology June 1, 2018
- Students and Teachers Benefit from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a School-Embedded Pilot Study Frontiers in Psychology April 26, 2016
- Mindfulness Training in UK Secondary Schools: a Multiple Case Study Approach to Identification of Cornerstones of Implementation Mindfulness June 21, 2018
- Mindfulness-Based Attention Training: Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of a Digital Course for High School Students Education Sciences August 31, 2019
- A Mindfulness-Based Lifestyle Intervention Among Economically Marginalized Caregiver-Preschooler Dyads: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Satisfaction. School Mental Health 2025
and 10 more in the library
Cites 14
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- Mindfulness Training for Elementary School Students Journal of Applied School Psychology July 6, 2005
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- Competence in Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses: Concepts, Development and Assessment Mindfulness September 21, 2011
- Training Teachers to Deliver Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Learning from the UK Experience Mindfulness April 26, 2010
and 9 more in the library