Mindfulness Training and Classroom Behavior Among Lower-Income and Ethnic Minority Elementary School Children
Open accessAbstract
This field intervention trial evaluated the effect of a 5-week mindfulness-based curriculum on teacher-ratings of student classroom behavior at a Richmond, CA public elementary school, and examined if the addition of more sessions provided added benefit to student outcomes. Seventeen teachers reported on the classroom behaviors of 409 children (83 % enrolled in a California free lunch program and 95.7 % ethnic minority) in kindergarten through sixth grade at pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention, and 7 weeks post-intervention. Results showed that teachers reported improved classroom behavior of their students (i.e., paying attention, self-control, participation in activities, and caring/respect for others) that lasted up to 7 weeks post-intervention. Overall, improvements were not bolstered by the addition of extra sessions, with the exception of paying attention. The implications of this study are limited due to the lack of a mindfulness program-naïve control group, yet findings suggest that mindfulness training might benefit teacher-based perceptions of improved classroom behavior in a public elementary school, which has practice implications for improving the classroom learning environment for lower-income and ethnically-diverse children.
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Black and Fernando (2014) demonstrated that mindfulness-based interventions in primary schools increased attention, self-control, participation in class, and consideration for others among minority students, with effects lasting for a seven-week follow-up.
“Importantly, Black and Fernando (2014) demonstrated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in primary schools, also among minority students.Their study revealed that the participation in the intervention increased attention, self-control, participation in class, and consideration for others, with effects lasting for the seven-week follow-up period.”
From The influence of teacher-guided mindfulness practice on inter and intra-personal abilities among Israeli Arab students (2024) · cites this paper as Black and Fernando (2014)
The Results (Effects on Classroom Behavior; page not provided) report teacher-rated improvements in all four named behaviors lasting up to seven weeks, in a predominantly ethnic-minority elementary-school sample. But the Discussion describes the intervention as associated with those improvements, and the Abstract notes the lack of a mindfulness-program-naïve control group. Calling this demonstrated effectiveness and saying participation increased the behaviors overstates what the study can establish. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMindfulness practice among students enhances consideration for others, including minority groups.
“Studies have shown that mindfulness practice among students has improved their interpersonal relationships (Mendelson et al., 2010), fostered pro-social behaviour (Harpin et al., 2016), enhanced consideration for others, including minority groups (Black & Fernando, 2014), reduced prejudice, and promoted positive thoughts towards minorities (Berger et al., 2018).”
From The influence of teacher-guided mindfulness practice on inter and intra-personal abilities among Israeli Arab students (2024) · cites this paper as Black & Fernando, 2014
The Abstract and Discussion report improved teacher ratings of students’ caring and respect for others after mindfulness training. The students were predominantly ethnic-minority children, but the paper does not report whether their increased consideration was directed toward minority groups specifically; it also notes the lack of a mindfulness-naïve control group. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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“…their interpersonal relationships (Mendelson et al., 2010), fostered pro-social behaviour (Harpin et al., 2016), enhanced consideration for others, including minority groups (Black & Fernando, 2014), reduced prejudice, and promoted positive thoughts towards minorities (Berger et al., 2018).”
- Authors
- Black, D. S., & Fernando, R.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Black, David S.
- ORCID
- Black, David S.
- Venue
- Journal of Child and Family Studies
- Published
- 2013-06-19
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1242-1246
- ISSN
- 1062-1024 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2843
- PMC
- PMC4304073
- OpenAlex
- W2017881630
- Cited by
- 225
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 13.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Child and Family Studies (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (T32CA009492)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Keywords
- mindfulness training, classroom behavior, elementary school students, low-income children, ethnic minority children, attention, self-control, teacher ratings, free lunch program, intervention duration, classroom climate
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