Mindfulness Training Enhances Students' Executive Functioning and Social Emotional Skills.
Applied developmental science – January 01, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Mindfulness training can significantly enhance cognitive flexibility and social-emotional skills in fifth graders. In a study involving 292 students from 21 classrooms, those participating in an 8-week mindfulness program showed improved performance on cognitive tasks, with gains reflected in their end-of-year social-emotional learning grades. Specifically, the intervention group outperformed control peers in cognitive flexibility assessments and achieved better report card grades, suggesting that mindfulness can effectively support executive function and emotional regulation, fostering prosocial behavior among young learners.
Abstract
More research is needed to understand the effects of school-based mindfulness programs in the years before adolescence, which represent a critical juncture and transitional period of development. The present study investigated mindfulness with elementary school students using random assignment and objective measures. The sample included 292 5th graders from 21 classrooms randomly assigned to an 8-week mindfulness training or wait-list control group. Students were assessed at pre- and post-intervention on behavioral measures of executive functioning and teacher-rated social emotional competence, along with end of year social-emotional learning report card grades. Analyses using hierarchal linear modeling found that students in the intervention group demonstrated significant gains on a computerized task of cognitive flexibility, and end of year social-emotional learning grades controlling for prior year grades, but not teacher reported social emotional competence. Taken together these findings point to a simple, yet promising method for bolstering students' cognitive and social emotional skills.