Mindful schools: Neuropsychological performance after the implementation of a mindfulness-based structured program in the school setting

Abstract

Mindfulness has attracted considerable attention in educational settings as it can have positive effects on children. However, the role of mindfulness practice in schools has yet to be understood. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of mindfulness on neuropsychological performance and psychological well-being of primary school children. It also aims to explore the teacher’s mindfulness training effect on the intervention. The present study recruited 100 children (64% girls and 36% boys) aged 9–11 from a primary school in Tarragona (Spain). The research was conducted between 2016–2018 with three experimental groups: a mindfulness intervention group with a trained mindfulness teacher, a mindfulness intervention group with a non-trained mindfulness teacher, and a control group. All groups were evaluated before and after a 13-weeks intervention, consisting of 5–10 min mindfulness daily sessions before class. After the intervention, the two groups of children receiving mindfulness sessions performed better than controls in several neuropsychological tasks involving executive functions, such as short-term and working memory, learning, mental flexibility, visuospatial abilities and processing speed. No significant differences were found in the assessment of daily stress or emotional and behavioural problems. The findings of the present study can contribute to a better understanding of the role of mindfulness practice in primary children regarding neuropsychological performance, highlighting the importance of the teacher’s mindfulness training in the teaching/learning process.

Pengaruh Pembelajaran Interaktif melalui GoMindful Insight dan Praktek Mindfulness Rutin Terhadap Keterampilan Mindfulness

“…Atas hal tersebut, program-program praktek mindfulness yang muncul didominasi untuk mengurangi stres secara psikologis, meningkatkan kesehatan mental dan fisik, serta mengatasi berbagai tantangan selama kerja dari rumah (Belen, 2022;Farris et al, 2021;Toniolo-Barrios & Pitt, 2021). Tidak hanya berkaitan dengan kesehatan, beberapa di antaranya program yang ada juga untuk mindful parenting, intervensi dalam merawat anak dengan gangguan autis, pengembangan bisnis, penanaman karakter kepemimpinan di perguruan tinggi, menumbuhkan keterampilan abad ke-21, hingga pengembangan model-model edukasi di sekolah yang lebih interaktif (Burgess et al, 2022;Burmansah et al, 2019b;Economides et al, 2018;Folch et al, 2021;González-García et al, 2021;Hatton-Bowers et al, 2020;Henriksen et al, 2020a;Kranenburg et al, 2022;Lim et al, 2021;Nguyen Dang Tuan et al, 2019;Orosa-Duarte et al, 2021;Singh et al, 2021;Trottier et al, 2021;Wu et al, 2022). Secara virtual, program-program tersebut diintegrasikan dalam sebuah mobile app sehingga dapat dilakukan dimana saja dan kapan saja.…”