The Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Training in an Elementary School in Germany
C. Portele, P. Jansen
Mindfulness February 7, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-023-02084-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study with three class-based groups (not randomized) Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 91 |
| Population | Children from a public elementary school, mean age 9.74 years (SD 0.76) |
| Duration | 6-week intervention; measured before and after the intervention |
| Measures | emotion regulation strategies (adaptive strategies total and subscales including anger, fear, sadness, mood elevation), self-reports of resources, physical self-concept, connectedness to nature, and a mental task assessing inhibition |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key findings | Both mindfulness groups showed significantly better adaptive emotion regulation strategies overall and for anger, fear, and sadness separately than the control group; only the mood elevation subscale was significantly higher in the mindfulness-plus group versus controls. No significant group differences appeared for resources, physical self-concept, connectedness to nature, or inhibition, and the additional daily practice in the mindfulness-plus group did not significantly add to effectiveness. |
Abstract
Objectives: The primary goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the Mindfulness Education Workbook, a 6-week mindfulness-based tool, on emotion regulation, inhibition, physical self-concept, resources, and connectedness to nature. Furthermore, we explored whether a difference in number of hours of mindfulness practice would affect the outcomes.
Method: Ninety-one children from a public elementary school ( M age = 9.74 years, SD = 0.76) participated in the study and were divided into three groups according to their respective school classes. The intervention group was divided into two groups that varied by number of hours of mindfulness practice: (a) mindfulness-plus and (b) mindfulness. In addition to biweekly training, the mindfulness-plus group also repeated a daily exercise. The passive control group received the standard school day instruction. The five concepts of emotion regulation, inhibition, physical self-concept, resources, and connectedness to nature were measured before and after the mindfulness intervention.
Results: For the measurement of emotion regulation, there was a significant effect in favor of the two mindfulness groups compared with the control group for the adaptive strategies in total as well as for their comprising emotions, anger, fear, and sadness, separately. Solely for the subscale mood elevation , the mindfulness-plus group showed significantly higher scores compared to the control group. Both mindfulness-plus and mindfulness groups varied from the control group on the measure of emotion regulation strategies, however not on the other four domains that were assessed (self-reports of resources, physical self-concept, and connectedness to nature as well as a mental task assessing inhibition). There was no evidence that the additional practice in the mindfulness-plus group significantly added to the intervention’s effectiveness.
Conclusions: The Mindfulness Education Workbook is a promising tool for elementary schools. Follow-up studies may provide further insights into the various effects of offering mindfulness training in schools. Further research with objective markers may also allow individual aspects under the umbrella term mindfulness to be investigated in more detail. Preregistration This study was not preregistered.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Transforming education: A review of the benefits of integrating mindfulness and meditation techniques in schools English Education Journal June 14, 2023
- School‐Based Mindfulness Interventions in Primary Education: A Systematic Review Psychology in the Schools October 15, 2026
- Basque Adaptation of the Reduced Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS-R) Mindfulness December 1, 2023
Cites 6
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- 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
- Promoting prosocial behavior and self-regulatory skills in preschool children through a mindfulness-based kindness curriculum. Developmental Psychology November 10, 2014
- Do mindfulness-based programmes improve the cognitive skills, behaviour and mental health of children and adolescents? An updated meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Evidence-Based Mental Health July 12, 2022
- The Role of Executive Function in Children’s Mindfulness Experience Mindfulness February 1, 2022
and 1 more in the library