Mindfulness Education and Self-Regulation in Middle School

Healthy self-regulation in childhood predicts many positive outcomes for youth.  Children who are not able to regulate their feelings or behaviors are at risk for poor school performance and engaging in problem or unhealthy behaviors. Given the fundamental role of self-regulatory skills for success in development, there is a call to build and enhance self-regulation in youth. Mindfulness practice in the classroom may facilitate the development of self-regulation in children. Thus, the goal of this study was to evaluate the Moment Program, a mindfulness education program for middle school students.

Three middle schools were randomly assigned to be in the intervention condition or wait-list control condition. 118 students (Mage = 11.70, SD = .65) participated with 72 students in the intervention and 46 students in wait-list control groups. At pre- and post-test, students completed a brief executive functioning (EF) computer task and teachers completed ratings on their students’ EF and behaviors. In the intervention classrooms, the Moment Program was implemented by trained teachers daily for 15 minutes for four weeks. Observers and teachers reported on implementation fidelity. Wait-list control classrooms participated in their regular curricula.    

A series of statistical models comparing the intervention and  control groups post-test scores (while controlling for pre-test scores) were conducted.  Students who participated in the Moment Program, compared to students in the control group, experienced significant decreases in teacher-reported social problems, F(1, 108) = 8.19, p <.01, Cohen’s d = .81, aggression, F(1, 108) = 61.93, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.18, and inattention, F(1,110) = 13.39, p <.01, Cohen’s d = .67, as well as increases in teacher-reported EF on indices of behavior regulation, F(1,108) = 61.60, p <.01, Cohen’s d = .77, and metacognition, F(1,108) = 102.63, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.19, in comparison to students in the wait-list control group. A dosage score was calculated based on observer and teacher implementation fidelity ratings (1 = not at all taught to 4 = thoroughly taught). The mean dosage score was 3.96 for both ratings, suggesting that the lessons were thoroughly taught to students. 

Overall, this study provides evidence that mindfulness training in middle school, via the Moment Program, positively impacts students’ EF and behavior regulation abilities. These findings have the potential to have a substantial impact on prevention science and educational practice by providing a way in which mindfulness training can be integrated into the standard school curriculum.