Quiet Time- A School Program Based on Meditation for Promoting Well-Being in Children: Results from a Controlled Investigation
Chiara Ruini
,
Francesca Vescovelli
,
Maria Facchini
,
Rossano Maset
Various investigations have applied meditation protocols in the school context, with beneficial effects. Transcendental meditation, however, received .
- Pub. date: March 15, 2023
- Pages: 1-9
- 536 Downloads
- 965 Views
- 0 Citations
Various investigations have applied meditation protocols in the school context, with beneficial effects. Transcendental meditation, however, received little attention in primary school settings and few controlled studies are available. The present study is aimed: 1) to investigate the implementation of a school protocol (Quiet Time-QT) based on Transcendental Meditation ™ in a primary school setting 2) to test its efficacy in promoting strengths and resilience in children, using a controlled research, with a cross over design. 92 students attending fourth and fifth class of a primary school were assigned to either the QT intervention, or to a waiting list condition. Children assigned to the waiting list received the QT protocol after few months. Before and after the intervention children were evaluated by their teachers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). A Repeated Measures MANOVA was applied to compare the two groups. After the QT intervention children in the experimental condition showed fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties (SDQ) compared to children in the waiting list. An overall positive effect of QT was observed in the total sample in improving children’s strengths and emotional well-being. Participants enjoyed the practice of meditation in the school setting. Conclusions: the results of this controlled investigation showed that the QT school protocol is feasible in the school setting, and it yielded improvements in children’s strengths and well-being. Meditation programs could be easily included in the educational system to sustain children positive development.
Keywords: Meditation, positive education, positive emotions, school children, wellbeing.
0
References
Alexander, C. N., Robinson, P., & Rainforth, M. (1994). Treating and preventing alcohol, nicotine, and drug abuse through transcendental meditation: A review and statistical meta-analysis. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 11(1-2), 13–87 https://doi.org/10.1300/J020v11n01_02
Alexander, C. N., Walton, K. G., Orme-Johnson, D. W., Goodman, R. S., & Pallone, N. J. (Eds.). (2003). Transcendental meditation in criminal rehabilitation and crime prevention. Haworth Press.
Burke, C. A. (2010). Mindfulness-based approaches with children and adolescents: A preliminary review of current research in an emergent field. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-009-9282-x
Crescentini, C., Capurso, V., Furlan, S., & Fabbro, F. (2016). Mindfulness-oriented meditation for primary school children: Effects on attention and psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, Article 805 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00805
Dixon, C., Dillbeck, M., Travis, F., Msemaje, H., Clayborne, B., Dillbeck, S., & Alexander, C. N. (2005). Accelerating cognitive and self- development: Longitudinal studies with preschool and elementary school children. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 17, 65-91.
Goodman, R. (1997). The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: A research note. Journal of Children Psychological Psychotherapy, 38(5), 581 – 586. https://doi.org/10.1037/t00540-000
Grosswald, S. J., Stixrud, W. R., Travis, F., & Bateh, M. A. (2008). Use of the transcendental meditation technique to reduce symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by reducing stress and anxiety: An exploratory study. Current Issues in Education, 10(2) 1-12.
Hanley, C. P., & Spates, J. L. (1978). Transcendental meditation and social psychological attitudes. The Journal of Psychology, 99(2), 121-127. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1978.9921450
Huberty, C. J. (2002). A history of effect size indices. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 62(2), 227-240. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164402062002002
Kreplin, U., Farias, M., & Brazil, I. A. (2018). The limited prosocial effects of meditation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific reports, 8(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-20299-z
LeBuffe, P. A., Shapiro, V. B., & Robitaille, J. L. (2018). The Devereux student strengths assessment (DESSA) comprehensive system: Screening, assessing, planning, and monitoring. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 55, 62-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2017.05.002
Naglieri, J. A., LeBuffe, P. A., & Shapiro, V. B. (2014). The Devereux Student Strenghts Assessment – Mini (DESSA-Mini): Assessment, technical manual, and user’s guide. Apperson.
Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Rosaen, C., & Benn, R. (2006). The experience of transcendental meditation in middle school students: A qualitative report. EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing, 2(5), 422-425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2006.06.001
Rosenthal, J. Z., Grosswald, S., Ross, R., & Rosenthal, N. (2011). Effects of transcendental meditation in veterans of operation enduring freedom and operation Iraqi freedom with posttraumatic stress disorder: A pilot study. Military Medicine, 176(6), 626-630. https://doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-10-00254
Sampaio, C. V. S., Lima, M. G., & Ladeia, A. M. (2017). Meditation, health and scientific investigations: Review of the literature. Journal of Religion and Health, 56(2), 411–427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0211-1
Shapiro, S. L., Lyons, K. E., Miller, R. C., Butler, B., Vieten, C., & Zelazo, P. D. (2015). Contemplation in the classroom: A new direction for improving childhood education. Educational Psychology Review, 27, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-014-9265-3
Simkin, D. R., & Black, N. B. (2014). Meditation and mindfulness in clinical practice. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23(3), 487–534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2014.03.002
Tobia, V., Gabriele, M. A., & Marzocchi, G. M. (2011). Norme italiane dello Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): Il comportamento dei bambini italiani valutato dai loro insegnanti [Italian validation of the Strenghts and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): The Children’s behaviours evaluated by their teachers]. Disturbi di Attenzione e Iperattività, 6(2), 15-22.
Travis, F., & Pearson, C. (2000). Pure consciousness: Distinct phenomenological and physiological correlates of "consciousness itself". The International Journal of Neuroscience, 100(1-4), 77-89. https://doi.org/10.3109/00207450008999678
Twum-Antwi, A., Jefferies, P., & Ungar, M. (2020). Promoting child and youth resilience by strengthening home and school environments: A literature review. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 8(2), 78-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683603.2019.1660284
Warner, T. (2005). Awareness and cognition: The role of awareness training in child development. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 17(1), 47-64.
Wisner, B. L., Jones, D., & Gwin, D. (2010). School-based meditation practices for adolescents: A resource for strengthening self-regulation, emotional coping, and self-esteem. Children & Schools, 32(3), 150-159 https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/32.3.150
Yoo, Y.-G., Lee, D.-J., Lee, I.-S., Shin, N., Park, J.-Y., Yoon, M.-R., & Yu, B. (2016). The effects of mind subtraction meditation on depression, social anxiety, aggression, and salivary cortisol levels of elementary school children in South Korea. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 31(3), e185–e197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2015.12.001