Mindfulness in the foreign language classroom: Influence on academic achievement and awareness

Abstract

<jats:p> Incorporating mindfulness into education has been linked to improving academic, social and emotional learning. This article describes an investigation of the implementation of meditative practices in a foreign language setting (German). Two classes underwent distinct varieties of meditation: The count-to-ten method and the guided meditation approach, whereas a third class served as a comparison group by not partaking in meditative activities. Meditative practices were implemented for a period of one year and data were collected on students’ academic achievement, measures of mindfulness, and evaluations of their perspectives on meditative practices. Results revealed that classes in the treatment conditions showed marked signs of academic achievement and increased awareness relative to the comparison group. Differences were revealed between the two meditation methods in terms of distinct aspects of mindfulness as measured by the five-facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ). In addition, students showed a positive disposition towards meditative practices in general, which was measured by a new developed instrument: the five spheres of meditation experience survey (FSMES). Results suggest that meditative practices may play a role in designing and developing novel pedagogical practices. </jats:p>

Fostering spiritual intelligence and a concomitant development of WTC in EFL learners

“…The trainability of SI is in line with the idea that it has an adaptive nature, and contributes to the idea of neuroplasticity (Ferreira, 2014). This would not be a far‐fetched idea as previous research has demonstrated the adaptive nature of such SI indices as humility (e.g., Emmons, 2000) and mindfulness (e.g., Moore & Malinowski, 2009; Zeilhofer, 2020), which to a large extent contribute to SI.…”

" Mindfulness-based practices for EFL teachers: sample tasks and insights to cultivate mindfulness"

“…Mortimore (2017) emphasizes the contribution of different mindfulness-oriented meditation practices to create a more effective classroom atmosphere by positively affecting FL learning and attention orientation. Zeilhofer (2020) asserts that due to its repetitive nature, meditation practices can support better vocabulary learning in the FL class along with their positive effects on academic achievement in general and focused attention that supports FL learning. It is further pinpointed that guided meditation exercises in the FL classroom can result in better grades and increased mindfulness towards FL learning (Zeilhofer, 2020).…”

“…Zeilhofer (2020) asserts that due to its repetitive nature, meditation practices can support better vocabulary learning in the FL class along with their positive effects on academic achievement in general and focused attention that supports FL learning. It is further pinpointed that guided meditation exercises in the FL classroom can result in better grades and increased mindfulness towards FL learning (Zeilhofer, 2020).…”

“…Mediation is a crucial aspect of mindfulness and guided meditation has been used widely as an intervention in many studies conducted in FL learning contexts (e.g., Jenkins, 2015, Mortimore, 2017Zeilhofer, 2020). Mediation is a technique that is used to direct attention to inner states for observing thoughts and feelings and focusing on the mind to create a space to bring attention to the present moment.…”

“…al, 2019). The integration of mindfulness-based interventions in education environments is a new area of interest, and there is a need for research and practices on teaching and disseminating mindfulness practices, especially in EFL education (Fallah, 2017;Zeilhofer;2020;Zeilhofer & Sasao, 2022).…”