Students and Teachers Benefit from Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a School-Embedded Pilot Study.

Sarah Gouda,Joachim Bauer,Stefan Schmidt,Minh T Luong

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00590

Abstract

Objective: There is a research gap in studies that evaluate the effectiveness of a school-embedded mindfulness-based intervention for both students and teachers. To address this gap, the present pilot study reviews relevant literature and investigates whether students and teachers who participate in separate Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses show improvements across a variety of psychological variables including areas of mental health and creativity.Methods: The study applied a controlled waitlist design with three measurement points. A total of 29 students (n = 15 in the intervention and n = 14 in the waitlist group) and 29 teachers (n = 14 in the intervention and n = 15 in the waitlist group) completed questionnaires before and after the MBSR course. The intervention group was also assessed after a 4-month follow-up period.Results: Relative to the control group, significant improvements in self-reported stress, self-regulation, school-specific self-efficacy and interpersonal problems were found among the students who participated in the MBSR course (p < 0.05, Cohens' d ranges from 0.62 to 0.68). Medium effect sizes on mindfulness, anxiety and creativity indicate a realistic potential in those areas. By contrast, teachers in the intervention group showed significantly higher self-reported mindfulness levels and reduced interpersonal problems compared to the control group(p < 0.05, Cohens' d = 0.66 and 0.42, respectively), with medium effect sizes on anxiety and emotion regulation.Conclusion: The present findings contribute to a growing body of studies investigating mindfulness in schools by discussing the similarities and differences in the effects of MBSR on students and teachers as well as stressing the importance of investigating interpersonal effects.

Highlights

The long forgotten etymology of the word “school” is derived from the ancient Greek scholé, which originally referred to a mode of freedom and self-determined activity
Modern schools often constitute a source of stress and a miniature representation of an overbearing society’s demands on its prospective, fully functional citizens, instead of providing a space for personal growth, creativity, curiosity and learning
The increased importance of time efficiency is evident in the fundamental education reform G8 that led to the shortening of the school duration at German Gymnasiums (BE: grammar schools, AE: high school) from 9 to 8 years

Summary

Introduction

The long forgotten etymology of the word “school” is derived from the ancient Greek scholé, which originally referred to a mode of freedom and self-determined activity. Older adolescents experience performance pressure due to the high demands of the graduation phase and the far-reaching consequences of academic achievement that can influence their freedom of choice in subsequent careers and professions or even their chances to secure a job in the first place. This is reflected in the finding that the majority of students repeated one of the final three years before graduation (Huebener and Marcus, 2015). According to a large health survey on psychopathological problems and psychosocial impairment in children and adolescents in Germany, 17.8% of young people aged 14–17 years showed an increased risk for a mental health disorder as assessed by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Hölling et al, 2014)

Methods

Results

Conclusion