How Does Mindfulness Work in Schools? An Integrative Model of the Outcomes and the Mechanisms of Change of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in the Classroom

Abstract

There is a need for theoretical models explaining the functioning of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) in the school context to guide the research on the mechanisms of action and the effects that mindfulness practice may have on children and adolescents. In response, we develop and present here an integrative model of mindfulness in the school context. Concretely, we try to clarify and simplify the complexity of the MBIs outcomes and mechanisms in the classroom. In the model, the main outcomes of MBIs in the classrooms are presented, including mental health, well-being, peer relationships, classroom behavior, and academic performance. Besides, we suggest that different skills and processes developed during an MBI in the classroom, such as mindfulness, multiple cognitive and emotional processes (i.e., attention and self-regulation), and prosocial behavior may contribute indirectly, as mechanisms of action, to promoting these outcomes. Also, we propose that boosting these outcomes can lead to the improvement of mindfulness skills, multiple cognitive and emotional processes (i.e., attention and self-regulation), and social competence through an upward spiral process or positive feedback loops. Finally, some conditions that could moderate the effectiveness of the MBIs in the classroom are proposed. Nowadays, many mindfulness programs are implemented in educational settings, all of which display significant differences in term of structure, methodology, and mindfulness practices used. Therefore, this model can inform the design of the future studies in the field of mindfulness in schools to determine which program is particularly useful for obtaining specific results, through which specific mechanism, and under which specific conditions. Implications and limitations of the model in the framework of mindfulness-based interventions in the school are discussed.