Implementing a training program to promote mindful, empathic, and pro-environmental attitudes in the classroom: a controlled exploratory study with elementary school students

Abstract

There is a growing interest in researching the effects of meditative practices on the mental health of students. However, less enthusiasm has been shown for research into their effects on social and pro-environmental attitudes. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a training program to promote mindful, empathic, and pro-environmental attitudes in elementary school students. A nonrandomized controlled exploratory study with two arms (treated and controls) and pre-post measurements was performed. The training program (3 weekly 5-min practice sessions over 4 months) was implemented in a classroom of 25 students between the ages of 10 and 12 years (64% boys). All the students completed self-report measures of mindfulness (Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure), empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index), and environmental attitudes (New Ecological Paradigm Scale for Children). Compared to the control group, the students who participated in the training program showed significant improvements in mindfulness skills with large effects, in considerate social style and cognitive empathy with medium effects, and in pro-environmental attitudes with large effects. This is one of the first studies to attempt to implement a training program integrated into the school curriculum to develop mindful, empathic, and pro-environmental attitudes in elementary school students without disrupting the flow of lessons. The program, which consists of very short sessions, may contribute to increasing children’s sense of connectedness, humanity, and nature in a feasible and effective way. However, more sophisticated trial designs are required in order to assess the scope of our results.