Examining the Utility of Mindfulness in the Elementary Classroom

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: SEL Intervention Analyses

Abstract

There is little current evidence supporting the efficacy of mindfulness training in the K-12 setting and little theory committed explicitly to explaining what a direct mindfulness-achievement effect might look like. This study builds a promising foundation for helping address this gap in the existing literature. Framed within the context of a limited source model of self-regulation, third graders participating in a three-week mindfulness training program were examined across variables of achievement, executive control, and emotional regulation. Mindfulness training produced observed emotional and cognitive benefits, including increased executive control and decreased negative affect, which translated to improved academic performance at the third-grade elementary level. Implications for the benefits of mindfulness specifically in the active school environment are discussed.

Authors

• Sarah Margaret Wells, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Alice J. Corkill, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• LeAnn G. Putney, University of Nevada - Las Vegas