Abstract
Over the past decade, training in mindfulness—the intentional cultivation of moment-by-moment non-judgmental focused attention
and awareness—has spread from its initial western applications in medicine to other fields, including education. This paper
reviews research and curricula pertaining to the integration of mindfulness training into K-12 education, both indirectly
by training teachers and through direct teaching of students. Research on the neurobiology of mindfulness in adults suggests
that sustained mindfulness practice can enhance attentional and emotional self-regulation and promote flexibility, pointing
toward significant potential benefits for both teachers and students. Early research results on three illustrative mindfulness-based
teacher training initiatives suggest that personal training in mindfulness skills can increase teachers’ sense of well-being
and teaching self-efficacy, as well as their ability to manage classroom behavior and establish and maintain supportive relationships
with students. Since 2005, 14 studies of programs that directly train students in mindfulness have collectively demonstrated
a range of cognitive, social, and psychological benefits to both elementary (six studies) and high school (eight studies)
students. These include improvements in working memory, attention, academic skills, social skills, emotional regulation, and
self-esteem, as well as self-reported improvements in mood and decreases in anxiety, stress, and fatigue. The educational
goals, target population, and core features of ten established mindfulness-based curricula are described. Finally, the need
for more rigorous scientific evidence of the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions in K-12 education is discussed, along
with suggestions of specific process, outcome, and research-design questions remaining to be answered.
and awareness—has spread from its initial western applications in medicine to other fields, including education. This paper
reviews research and curricula pertaining to the integration of mindfulness training into K-12 education, both indirectly
by training teachers and through direct teaching of students. Research on the neurobiology of mindfulness in adults suggests
that sustained mindfulness practice can enhance attentional and emotional self-regulation and promote flexibility, pointing
toward significant potential benefits for both teachers and students. Early research results on three illustrative mindfulness-based
teacher training initiatives suggest that personal training in mindfulness skills can increase teachers’ sense of well-being
and teaching self-efficacy, as well as their ability to manage classroom behavior and establish and maintain supportive relationships
with students. Since 2005, 14 studies of programs that directly train students in mindfulness have collectively demonstrated
a range of cognitive, social, and psychological benefits to both elementary (six studies) and high school (eight studies)
students. These include improvements in working memory, attention, academic skills, social skills, emotional regulation, and
self-esteem, as well as self-reported improvements in mood and decreases in anxiety, stress, and fatigue. The educational
goals, target population, and core features of ten established mindfulness-based curricula are described. Finally, the need
for more rigorous scientific evidence of the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions in K-12 education is discussed, along
with suggestions of specific process, outcome, and research-design questions remaining to be answered.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Review
- Pages 1-17
- DOI 10.1007/s12671-012-0094-5
- Authors
- John Meiklejohn, Broad Street Psychotherapy Associates, 45 Broad Street, Westfield, MA, USA
- Catherine Phillips, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- M. Lee Freedman, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Mary Lee Griffin, Wheaton College, Norton, MA, USA
- Gina Biegel, StressedTeens.com, San Jose, CA, USA
- Andy Roach, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Jenny Frank, Pennsylvania State University, State College, University Park, PA, USA
- Christine Burke, Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor, Wales, UK
- Laura Pinger, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Geoff Soloway, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Roberta Isberg, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Erica Sibinga, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Laurie Grossman, Mindful Schools, Oakland, CA, USA
- Amy Saltzman, Still Quiet Place, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Journal Mindfulness
- Online ISSN 1868-8535
- Print ISSN 1868-8527