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This article was downloaded by: [108.58.219.66]On: 12 August 2013, At: 13:13Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK
Research in Human
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Mindfulness-Based
Interventions in School
Settings: An Introduction to the
Special IssueJennifer L. Frank
a, Patricia A. Jennings
a& Mark T.
Greenberga
aPennsylvania State University
Published online: 09 Aug 2013.
To cite this article:Jennifer L. Frank , Patricia A. Jennings & Mark T. Greenberg
(2013) Mindfulness-Based Interventions in School Settings: An Introduction
to the Special Issue, Research in Human Development, 10:3, 205-210, DOI:
10.1080/15427609.2013.818480
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Research in Human Development,10(3), 205210, 2013Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLCISSN: 1542-7609 print/1542-7617 onlineDOI: 10.1080/15427609.2013.818480
INTRODUCTION
Mindfulness-Based Interventions in School
Settings: An Introduction to the Special Issue
Jennifer L. Frank, Patricia A. Jennings, and Mark T. GreenbergPennsylvania State University
Interest in contemplative science, particularly the use of mindfulness-based
practices, has expanded rapidly in recent years. This special issue of Research
in Human Developmentexplores the potential effectiveness of mindfulness-basedpractices delivered in school settings. Articles included in this issue demonstrate
how mindfulness can be used to help to improve student-teacher relationships,
reduce ADHD symptomology, promote emotion regulation, and reduce stress among
school-age youth. A final reflective commentary by Roeser (this issue) describes how
study findings fit within the larger context of the contemplative sciences movement,
followed by suggestions for future research.
This special issue ofResearch in Human Developmentpresents a series of articles
on school-based interventions that draw from the perspective of contemplative
science. Contemplative science aims to apply knowledge from numerous schol-
arly disciplines (including developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience,
phenomenology, and psychiatry; see Thompson, 2007) to better understand the
mindbody system by exploring knowledge and practices gleaned from the
worlds contemplative traditions. Contemplative science also aims to understand
whether and how secularized versions of practices such as mindfulness, medita-
tion, and yoga can relieve suffering and foster positive developmental processes
(Kabat-Zinn, 2003).
Address correspondence to Jennifer L. Frank, Pennsylvania State University, Prevention Research
Center, Room 316C - Biobehavioral Health, University Park, PA 16808. E-mail: [email protected]
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206 FRANK ET AL.
Interest in contemplative science, particularly the use of mindfulness-based
practices, has expanded rapidly in recent years (Mind and Life Educations
Research Network, 2012). Although mindfulness has been defined in differentways, this term has been used to describe a particular kind of attention that is
characterized by an intentional focus on the present moment, and nonevaluative
observation of experience (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). Emerging consensus suggests
that mindfulness may be a trait and self-regulatory skill that can be cultivated
intentionally to promote greater levels of health and well-being (Baer, 2003;
Brown & Ryan, 2003).
A growing number of studies have demonstrated that development of these
skills is associated with a wide array of positive outcomes in adult populations
such as improved health, reduced anxiety (Miller, Fletcher, & Kabat-Zinn, 1995),depression (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002), substance use (Ostafin & Marlatt,
2008), and psychological distress in clinical and nonclinical populations (Shapiro,
Brown, & Biegel, 2007). General improvements in attention (Jha, Kropinger, &
Baime, 2007; Jha, Stanley, Kiyonaga, Wong, & Gelfand, 2010) and immune sys-
tem functioning (Davidson et al., 2003) have been reported as well. Recent meta-
analytic reviews concluded that on average, mindfulness based interventions have
medium effect size (d= .5) in adult populations across a number of mental health
outcomes, including depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and general psychological
functioning (Baer, 2003; Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt, & Walach, 2004).
EMERGING RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF MINDFULNESS
WITH SCHOOL-AGE YOUTH
Promising findings within adult populations has promoted investigators to con-
sider the extent to which developmentally adapted practices might be applied
with children and youth in school settings. Numerous studies on the effects of
mindfulness-based practices with school-age children have been published (for
reviews, see Greenberg & Harris, 2011; Meiklejohn et al., 2012). Empirical
investigations of the effects of mindfulness-based practices among youth and
adolescents have documented improvements in attention skills (Napoli, Krech,
& Holley, 2005; Zylowska et al., 2008), social skills (Beuchemin, Hutchins, &
Patterson, 2008), sleep quality (Bootzin & Stevens, 2005; Britton, Haynes, Fridel,
& Bootzin, 2010), well-being in adolescent boys (Huppert & Johnson, 2010),
and reductions in anxiety, depression, somatic, and externalizing symptoms in
clinic-referred adolescents (Biegel, Brown, Shapiro, & Schubert, 2009; Bogels,
Hoogstad, vanDun, deSchutter, & Restifo, 2008; Semple, Lee, Rosa, & Miller,
2010). Recent reviews of this literature conclude that these results should only be
considered promising at this time due to the relatively weak designs, measures,
and the absence of follow-up data (Greenberg & Harris, 2011; Harnett & Dawes,
2012).
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INTRODUCTION TO A SPECIAL ISSUE 207
PURPOSE OF THE SPECIAL ISSUE
Although initial research findings have suggested that mindfulness can be aneffective tool in fostering positive development in youth, the research field of
mindfulness is still in the very early stages of development. Several critical
questions remain regarding if, and how, mindfulness might help to promote pos-
itive youth development and the circumstances under which mindfulness-based
practices might be indicated. In preparing this special issue, we solicited contribu-
tions representing a diverse range of approaches to conceptualizing mindfulness
and assessing outcomes. We included articles that represent a mixture of empir-
ical methods including group experimental studies, single-case investigations,
and mixed qualitative-quantitative studies. Populations include a wide range ofages (preschool, elementary, high school, and adults, e.g., teachers), intervention
targets (e.g., young children, adult, student behavior/cognition, teacher stress,
and classroom climate), and include examination of effects with clinical (e.g.,
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) and nonclinical student pop-
ulations. This set of studies emphasizes socially valid outcome measures for
researchers in human development, such as the quality of student social inter-
actions, off-task and disruptive behavior, stress, and student self-regulation. They
also represent distinctive delivery system variations with some programs being
implemented universally, whereas others are delivered at the targeted or intensivelevels.
A noteworthy aspect of these articles is a focus on diversity of experimental
designs and the utilization of manualized intervention protocols that are either
currently (or in the process of becoming) available commercially. The inclusion of
such a wide variety of intervention protocols should provide for a rich opportunity
to compare and contrast intervention features and evidence for this relatively new
and emerging class of interventions.
We begin the issue with a contribution from Singh et al. (this issue) who
examined the effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness-based training courseon preschool-age childrens behavior. This study is reflective of a top-down
approach to mindfulness in which providing mindfulness training to teachers is
targeted to change child behavior and studentteacher interactions. This study
contributes to the existing literature by providing preliminary evidence that train-
ing teachers in mindfulness results in changes in student behavior in preschool
settings. This study also provides direct empirical support consistent with the
prosocial classroom model that posits a relationship between teacher well-being,
mindfulness, teacher efficacy, and student outcomes (Jennings, Frank, Snowberg,
Coccia, & Greenberg, in press; Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Jennings, Snowberg,Coccia, & Greenberg, 2011; Roeser et al., 2013). Moreover, the utilization of
single-case methodologies provides useful insight into the intensity and timing of
intervention responsiveness rarely examined in group design studies. The mixed
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208 FRANK ET AL.
findings reported by authors also provides valuable insight regarding for whom,
and under what conditions, mindfulness-based interventions delivered in school
settings may be effective.Carboni, Roach, and Fredrick (this issue) complement this work by examin-
ing the effectiveness of mindfulness-based training on the attention regulation
skills of young children with ADHD. The authors intervention protocol con-
sisted of implementation of components derived from a Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) program adapted for youth (Saltzman & Goldin, 2008).
A unique strength of this study is reliance on multimethod and multisource assess-
ment protocol including concurrent collection of parent and teacher behavioral
ratings combined with independent observational data. This study also provides
preliminary evidence for the feasibility and potential effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in the treatment of common behavioral concerns in school
settings.
The last empirical article by Metz et al. (this issue) examines the effective-
ness of a manualized mindfulness-based training program,Learning to BREATHE
(Broderick, 2013), on multiple dimensions of adolescent emotion regulation,
stress, and somatic symptoms. This study provides a strong example of a group-
based experimental design specifically targeted to meet the social-emotional needs
of adolescent. This study also provides some unique insight into the opportunities
and challenges associated with implementing mindfulness-based interventions atthe universal level in high school settings.
Finally, Robert W. Roeser provides a commentary that describes how each
of these articles fit within the larger goals of the contemplative science move-
ment. In his commentary, he describes the Contemplative Science Project, its
aims, philosophical framework, methods, and phenomena of interest. He also
highlights the key features and findings of each article and addresses the role
mindfulness-based interventions may play in optimizing human development
across the lifespan.
In summary, we are just beginning to learn how mindfulness-based approachesmay promote positive developmental outcomes among children in youth in school
settings. The articles in this special issue offer evidence that the approaches
reported here are feasible and effective. More research is required to under-
stand the mechanisms that underlie the effects of these approaches. These articles
provide important contributions to the process of building such an evidence base.
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