Investigating the effects of a daily audio-guided mindfulness intervention for elementary school students and teachers

Abstract

Mindfulness practices, used to focus and sustain attention, have been shown to promote school readiness, and to positively impact students' academic success. Yet, incorporating these practices into the normal school day has been difficult due to the curriculum changes and teacher training necessary for implementation and sustainable operation. This study utilized a quasi-randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, to measure the effects of a mindfulness program on student grades, on teaching operations, and on teacher mindfulness and stress. The program consisted of 90 audio-guided tracks, each 10 minutes in length. The automated delivery system, via an MP3 player and docking station, offered both students and teachers the opportunity to consistently participate in mindfulness practices each school day without impacting teaching operations. A total of 337 students in 2 schools participated in this study. There was a significant mindfulness intervention effect on students' grade point average (GPA) changes in School A (N = 131), between the treatment (n = 64, M = 2.7995, SD = 3.13), and control (n = 67, M = .0448, SD = 2.61) groups; t(129) = 5.48, p < .001 (2-tailed), 99% CI [1.76, 3.75], d = .96. In school B, (N = 206), there was a near significant mindfulness intervention effect on GPA changes between the treatment ( n = 103, M = .0357, SD = .065) and control (n = 103, M = .0091, SD = .126) group; t(204) = 1.91, p = .058 (2-tailed), 95% CI [-.001, .054], d = .27. These results suggest that a daily audio-guided mindfulness practice can positively impact student grades across all subjects with less than 1 hour of teacher training and with no changes to the existing curriculum.