Mindful practices in higher education classrooms: Impact on student experiences

Abstract

Increasingly, research reveals that higher education students identify perceived stress and anxiety as negatively impacting their personal wellbeing, academic success, and future professional lives. Introduction of mindful practices into higher education settings has been shown to mitigate such stressors, and when practiced regularly, can enhance students’ sense of peace and calm. However, little is known about how students experience the introduction of faculty-led mindful practices in the classroom. As part of a larger mixed-methods study, university students were introduced to mindful activities by faculty, who incorporated these activities in their classrooms. Students were then invited to complete an online survey about their experiences. Student responses (n=45) reflected an overall positive experience of engaging in mindful practices in the classroom. Specifically, students identified benefits to self-care, sense of personal wellbeing, as well as reduction in perceived stress and anxiety. They also felt mindfulness increased their self-awareness and reflexivity and was transferable to personal and professional life-contexts. Students’ written comments about faculty-led mindful practices highlighted perceived benefits, such as improving focus and ability to absorb information, as well as challenges resulting from disruptive behaviours by classmates. Qualitative data collected from faculty suggest reduced student anxiety and increased self-care, as well as enhanced quality of faculty-student relationships and faculty teaching practices. Given the potential benefits of mindful practices for students, faculty may wish to explore strategies for introducing mindful activities into their classrooms in ways that support students who wish to participate, while allowing others to opt out in a respectful, non-disruptive manner.