Contemplative Education: A Systematic, Evidence-Based Review of the effect of Meditation Interventions in Schools

Abstract

Schools need reliable evidence about the outcomes of meditation programs before they consider if and how such programmes can influence learning agendas, curriculum and timetables. This paper reviewed evidence from 15 peer-reviewed studies of school meditation programmes with respect to three student outcomes: well-being, social competence and academic achievement. In total, there were 76 results where effect sizes could be calculated. The overall number of participants in the effect size analyses was 1,797. Of the 76 effect sizes calculated, 61 % were statistically significant. Sixty-seven per cent of the results had small effects on student outcomes, 24 % of the results had medium effect strength and 9 % showed a large effect of meditation upon student outcomes. Transcendental meditation programmes had a higher percentage of significant effects than mindfulness-based and other types of meditation programmes, but this may be to do with the settings and programme delivery rather than the technique itself. Programme elements such as duration, frequency of practice and type of instructor influenced student outcomes. A conceptual model is put forward based on two propositions: proposition 1-meditation positively influences student success by increasing cognitive functioning; proposition 2-meditation positively influences student success by increasing emotional regulation. Suggestions are made to stimulate future research and to assist in the development of more efficacious applications for meditation in schools.

Trauma-Informed Flexible Learning: Classrooms That Strengthen Regulatory Abilities

“…Within TIPE, mindfulness is positioned as a specific pathway towards mind-body regulation (e.g., autonomic nervous system control of the parasympathetic branches) that in turn can improve attuned communication (Hassed, 2008;Siegel, 2009;Thompson & Waltz, 2007), cognitive functioning, and emotional regulation (Waters, Barsky, Ridd, & Allen, 2014). After learning about these clear benefits for students and their classroom learning, teachers discussed how mindfulness crosses over to foci such as rhythm and self-regulation; and they hoped to interweave these concepts to increase student understanding throughout the school year.…”

“…In a recent evidence-based review, Waters et al (2014) discuss the statistically significant effects of mindfulness and meditation interventions in schools and conclude that meditation positively increases student success by increasing cognitive functioning and emotional regulation. However, their review was conducted in mainstream student samples, and there are few studies on teaching and learning mindfulness in the context of trauma-affected or flexible learning classrooms.…”

Examining Mindfulness in Education

“…Mindfulness training programs in educational settings have taken root in several countries, including England (Mindfulness in Schools project, DotB), USA (Mindful Schools and MinUp), Canada (Mindfulness Education), Israel (The Mindfulness Language), and India (The Alice Project) over the last ten years [17]. The majority of education focused MBIs [18]- [20] are based on modifications of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed by Kabat-Zinn.…”

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“…In short-term, it reduces heart rate, respiration, skin conductance, cortisol levels, and increases alpha waves and promotes health, cognitive functioning, creativity, and empathy. It has also been useful for management of conditions such as hypertension, chronic pain, anxiety, and depression in long-term [12]. In sync with potentials as mentioned above, the following section presents review of select yogic practices for their efficacy in handling health problems and challenges of well being.…”