Transcript Promoting Children’s Academic and Social Success Through

Promoting Children’s Academic
and Social Success Through
Mindfulness Education
Molly Stewart Lawlor, B.A.
Nancy Fischer
Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, Ph.D.
Supporting Children’s Social and
Emotional Health: Assessment Tools, Research and Practice
U.B.C
May 11, 2006
Session Overview
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why a strength based approach? A Shift
to Positive Psychology
Introduction to Mindfulness
Introduction to the Mindfulness Education
(ME) Program
Curriculum of the ME program

5.
Nancy Fischer
The Spring 2005 Pilot of the ME
curriculum in Vancouver, B.C.
Why should we be
concerned?
 There
is a growing concern about
children’s social-emotional adjustment and
mental health:
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15% to 30% of school-age children are “at risk” for successful
development and require support and assistance (OECD, 1995).
Approximately 1 in 5 children (20%) identified with mental health
problems (Offord et al., 1991; Romano et al., 2001).
1 in 5 children with mental health problems do not receive the
mental health services they need (Canadian Alliance for Mental
Illness and Mental Health, 2000)
28% of children begin middle childhood with significant
problems (Advisory Committee on Population Health and Health
Security, 2004).
BACKGROUND
Making the Case for the Social
Side of Learning
Making the Case For the Social
Side of Learning
“A comprehensive mission for schools is to
educate students to be knowledgeable,
responsible, socially skilled, healthy,
caring, and contributing citizens.”
(Greenberg et al., 2003)
Making the Case . . .

“The aim of education is growth or development,
both intellectual and moral.” (Dewey, 1964, p.
213.)

Analytical intelligence (IQ) accounts for only
10% to 15% of job success and other real-world
outcomes.

Human and Social Development is one of the
goals of the BC school system. BC is leading the
way in North America by specifying the
development of “social responsibility” as a
performance standard.
Making the Case . . .
“A growing body of literature suggests that
a deliberate and comprehensive approach
to teaching children social and emotional
skills can raise their grades and test
scores, bolster their enthusiasm for
learning, reduce behavior problems, and
enhance the brain’s cognitive functions”
(Education Week, 2003).”
Cognitive Connections
 “Because
the emotional centers of the
brain are very connected to the thinking
and learning centers of the brain, we know
that people who are better able to control
their emotions and moods are effective
learners” (Greenberg, 2004).
Recent Research Findings . . .
Changes
in academic achievement in Grade 8 could be
better predicted from knowing children’s social
competence 5 years earlier than from knowing grade 3
academic achievement (Caprara et al., 2000).
Prosocial
behaviours exhibited by students in the
classroom were found to be better predictors of
academic achievement than were their standardized test
scores (Wentzel, 1993).
School
interventions that increase social and emotional
competence result in higher achievement levels,
although the reverse is not true (i.e., academic enrichment
does not increase social responsibility) (Coie & Krebhiel, 1984).
Learned Optimism
TIME Magazine, Jan. 17, 2005
Beneficial Outcomes of Happiness
 Research
to date suggests that happy
people often contribute more to their
communities, have better relationships
with others, and are more creative in some
realms.
Learned Optimism

At the turn of this century, there has been a shift
to the study of the positive aspects of human
experience.
 Previous focus in psychology has been on
pathology – not on the promotion of the positive
features of individuals.
 A science of positive subjective experience,
of positive individual traits, and of positive
institutions promises to improve the quality of life
and also to prevent the various pathologies that
arise when life is barren and meaningless.
 (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
Positive Psychology
 Three
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constituent parts
Positive psychological experiences
Positive psychological traits
Institutions that enable the first two to
occur.
Positive Psychology
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The field of positive psychology at the subjective level
is about valued subjective experience: well-being,
contentment, and satisfaction (past), hope and
optimism (future), and flow and happiness (present).
At the individual level it is about positive individual
traits -- the capacity for love and vocation, courage,
interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance,
forgiveness, originality, future-mindedness, spirituality,
high talent, and wisdom.
At the group level it is about the civic virtues and the
institutions that move individuals toward better
citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility,
moderation, tolerance, and work ethic.
Shifting Gears: Moving Toward a
Focus on Promoting Health

Positive Disposition
 A major predictor of subjective well-being is
temperament, but only a portion of this
predisposition appears to be genetic.
 The other component seems to be a learned
positive outlook on life, encompassing hope,
trust, self-esteem, and optimism. Both individual
child-rearing as well as broader cultural factors
are likely to be at work.
What is
Mindfulness?
The
“Raisin/Hershey Kiss
Exercise”
What is Mindfulness?
 Mindfulness
has been defined in several
ways by researchers and scholars within
academic literature.
 Commonly,
mindfulness is considered to
be a state of being aware of and attentive
to the present moment.
Mindfulness Defined
 Jon
Kabat-Zinn (1990) defines
mindfulness as “paying attention in a
particular way; on purpose, in the
present moment and nonjudgmentally.”
Mindfulness Defined

Ellen Langer (1993) describes mindfulness as
a state of mind in which one is sensitive to
context and draws novel distinctions and
examines information from new
perspectives.

Langer asserts that education practices that
encourage mindfulness create more effective
and enjoyable learning environments for
students.
Mindfulness-based practices
within the ME curriculum
 The
ME Program utilizes activities that
foster both of the aforementioned
components of mindfulness in a
developmentally appropriate manner for
elementary school-aged children.
Cultivation of mindfulness

Mindfulness-based interventions draw on
practices developed within the Buddhist
tradition.
 In recent years, these meditation practices have
been used for therapeutic means without
requiring any commitment to Buddhist religious
doctrines.
 Growing evidence that mindfulness training has
beneficial outcomes in the treatment of a variety
of psychological and physical ailments (KabatZinn, 1990; Krazner, 2004; Segal et al., 2003).
What is the Mindfulness
Education (ME)
Program?
Mindfulness Education (ME)
 The
Mindfulness Education (ME) program
is designed to foster children's:
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problem solving ability,
self-regulation,
goal setting,
prosocial behaviours.
ME Program
 The
ME program was created to help
children understand the ways their minds
work, and how their thoughts and feelings
affect their behavior
More about ME
 Based
on the book "Mind Power for
Children - The Guide for Parents and
Teachers” authored by Nancy Fischer,
and John Kehoe, author of bestselling
book "Mind Power into the 21st Century.”
 The
research was supported by Goldie
Hawn’s Bright Light Foundation
brightlightfoundation.net
Mindfulness Education
Theoretical Framework
The Mindfulness Education Program (ME) can
be considered an early intervention strategy
that:

Is guided by positive psychology (Seligman &
Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

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Fosters the fundamental needs (autonomy, belonging
& competence) as outlined by
Self Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan 1985).
Utilizes Cognitive-Behavioural techniques.
Incorporates mindfulness-based practices.
Components of the ME Program
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Week 1: Introduction to Mindfulness
Week 2: Learning About Affirmations
Week 3: Concentrating on Positive Emotions and
Outcomes
Week 4: Learning How to Eliminate Negative Thinking
Week 5: Acknowledging One another
Week 6: “Team Work” Understanding Goal Setting as
a Group
Week 7: Having a Healthy Body
Week 8: Making Friends – Interpersonal Relationships
Week 9: No Problems . . . Only Opportunities
Week 10: Celebrating Successes
The ME Program Consists of 5
Main Techniques
1) Quieting the Mind ~ Listening Game/ Soft Belly
Breathing
2) Focused Attention ~ Mindful of sensation,
thoughts and feelings
3) Focused Intention ~ Affirmations & Visualization
4) Handling Negative emotions and Negative
thinking
5) Acknowledgment of self and others.
Evaluating the
“Mindfulness Education”
Program for Children in
Vancouver
Spring, 2005
Research to Practice:
UBC & VSB Partnership
The Mindfulness
Education
Program for Children
Hypothesis
 It
was hypothesized that, when compared
to children in a control group, children who
had experienced the ME program would
show significant positive changes from
pretest to posttest in their self concept,
positive emotions, mindful awareness, and
teacher-rated behaviors.
Participants
 243
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children from the 4th to 7th grades
ME Program, n = 140 (71 boys, 69 girls)
Comparison, n = 103 (55 boys, 48 girls)
 Mean Age
= 11.42 years (SD = .99),
range = 9.34 to 13.41
 58% English as a first language, majority
of the remaining were Chinese.
 Students were drawn from schools across
a range of socioeconomic status.
Outcome Measures

Self
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Emotions
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Prosocial & Social Responsibility Goals Scale (Wentzel, 1994)
Mindful Awareness
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Introspection: Self-Reflection-Rumination Questionnaire (RRQ;
Trapnell & Campbell, 1999, modified by Lawlor, 2005)
Affect Scale (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988)
Prosocial Behaviours
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Self-concept (General and School Self-Concept)
The Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ; Marsh, 1993)
The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan,
2004, modified by Benn, 2004)
Teacher Ratings of Behaviours

The Teachers' Rating Scale of Social Competence (Kam &
Greenberg, 1999)
Teacher Training

One full day of inservice training to 12
elementary school teachers who volunteered to
take part in the training.
 Training conducted by program developer
(Nancy Fischer)
 Basis of selection for training:
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Willingness to do the program.
Another teacher in same school also volunteered.
Intermediate grade teachers were given preference
because of the focus of the research.
Wait-list control.
Results
Changes in General Self-Concept
from Pretest to Posttest
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
ME Program
Comparison
0
-0.02
-0.04
-0.06
-0.08
Gr. 4 and 5
Note: significant interaction
Gr. 6 and 7
Changes in Self-Reflection from
Pretest to Posttest (statistical trend)
0.12
0.1
0.08
ME Program
Comparison
0.06
0.04
0.02
0
Reflection
Changes in Positive Affect from
Pretest to Posttest (statistical trend)
0.09
0.08
0.07
0.06
0.05
ME Program
Comparison
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
0
Postive Affect
Changes in Optimism from
Pretest to Posttest (statistical trend)
0.07
0.06
0.05
0.04
0.03
ME Program
Comparison
0.02
0.01
0
-0.01
-0.02
-0.03
Optimism
Changes in Prosocial Goals from
Pretest to Post test
0.04
0.03
0.02
ME Classroom
0.01
Comparison
Classroom
0
-0.01
-0.02
-0.03
Prosocial behaviours
Changes in Mindful Awareness
from Pretest to Posttest
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
ME Program
Comparison
0.05
0
-0.05
-0.1
Boys
Note: significant interaction
Girls
Teacher Reported Improvements in
Behaviours at Posttest
3.5
3.4
3.3
3.2
ME Program
Comparison
3.1
3
2.9
2.8
2.7
A
B
C
D
A = Aggressive behaviours B = Oppositional/dysregulated behaviours
C = Attention & concentration D = Social & emotional competence
Future Directions

ME Program
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Extending to both public and independent schools in
Vancouver and surrounding school districts.
Development of primary, intermediate, and middle
school curriculum.
ME Research

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Further evaluations of program outcomes and
implementation fidelity.
Examine program impact on stress reactivity
(cortisol).
Fall 2006 Research Plan

Investigating the effectiveness of the ME
program on students’ psychological well-being,
and physiology (stress hormone - diurnal cortisol
patterns) and academic success.
 RCT pre and posttest design
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Approximately 60 children from 2 intermediate
elementary school classrooms (one program; one
control)
Funding from the Mind and Life Institute
($10,000)
 Thank
you!
 Questions?
Relevant Websites
 Bright

Light Foundation
www.brightlightfoundation.net
 Positive

http://www.positivepsychology.org/
 Mind

and Life Institute
www.mindandlife.org
 Open

Psychology
Circle (Stone Center)
http://www.open-circle.org/landing.asp
New Books on Positive
Psychology
Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your
Potential for Lasting Fulfillment, by Martin E.P. Seligman
Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, by
Christopher Peterson and Martin E.P. Seligman (Editors)
Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived, Edited by Corey
L.M. Keyes and Jonathan Haidt
Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning, by Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi
Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and
Sciences, 800 B.C. to 1950, by Charles Murray
Optimal Human Being: An Integrated Multi-Level Perspective, by Kennon
M. Sheldon
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry Schwartz
Positive Psychology in Practice, Edited by P. Alex Linley and Stephen
Joseph
The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse,
by Gregg Easterbrook
A Psychology of Human Strengths, Edited by Lisa G. Aspinwall and
Ursula M. Staudinger
Pursuing Human Strengths: A Positive Psychology Guide, by Martin Bolt
The Resilience Factor: 7 Essential..., by Karen Reivich and Andrew
Shatté