Promoting Social-Emotional Competencies Through Mindfulness in Primary Education: The Sentir@Ser Program
Ana Salomé de Jesus, Luísa Carvalho, Ricardo Pocinho, Cristóvão Margarido, Eva María Torrecilla Sánchez
Education Sciences May 11, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/educsci16050759 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 72 |
| Population | Primary school students in grades 1-4 in Portugal |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Education |
| Key points | Students showed overall improvements in affect, self-compassion, and mindfulness-related competencies after participating in the Sentir@Ser mindfulness-based program, with no significant differences by gender, grade level, or family structure. The authors suggest the program may be a useful approach to promoting social-emotional competencies, but call for further research to optimize its effectiveness. |
Abstract
The development of social-emotional competencies in children is increasingly important for helping them respond to the demands of contemporary society, and recent research has also highlighted its association with academic performance. In this context, mindfulness has emerged as a valuable approach to fostering these competencies. Given its well-documented benefits, mindfulness has also attracted growing interest in educational settings. This article presents findings from a doctoral study conducted in Portugal, in which the Sentir@Ser program, designed to promote social-emotional competencies through mindfulness practices, was developed, implemented, and evaluated. The study addressed the following research question: What are the effects of a program designed to promote social-emotional competencies through mindfulness practices on primary school students’ levels of affect, self-compassion, and mindfulness-related competencies, and how do these effects vary according to gender, grade level, and family structure? A total of 72 students, from first to fourth grade, participated in the study. Pre- and post-intervention assessments examined affect, self-compassion, and mindfulness-related competencies. The results showed overall improvements across the assessed domains following the intervention, with no significant differences according to gender, grade level, or family structure. These findings suggest that the Sentir@Ser program may be a useful approach to promoting students’ social-emotional competencies. However, further research is needed to optimize its effectiveness and impact.
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
Cites 10
- Gender differences in response to a school-based mindfulness training intervention for early adolescents. Journal of school psychology June 1, 2018
- Mindfulness Training Enhances Students' Executive Functioning and Social Emotional Skills. Applied developmental science 2025
- A randomized controlled trial of an online mindfulness program for adolescents at risk for internalizing problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology April 1, 2025
- Effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Based Social-Emotional Growth (MSEG) Program in Enhancing Mental Health of Elementary School Students in Korea. Behavioral Sciences March 5, 2025
- Cultivating Adolescents’ Self-Compassion Through Mindfulness: The Role of Self-Regulation at Both the Individual- and Classroom-Level Contemporary School Psychology May 21, 2025
and 5 more in the library