Mindfulness: Is it the missing link in the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework?

Abstract

The Australian Student Wellbeing Framework (ASWF) is a new addition to the standards and protocols teachers are required to meet, designed to create the best foundation for students to reach their aspirations, through supporting their wellbeing. The ASWF provides resources for teaching students about wellbeing, but lacks practical activities to improve wellbeing. Mindfulness is becoming increasingly popular in the literature due to its well-established connection to wellbeing and other positive outcomes of its practice. The objective of this study was to determine if a school-based mindfulness intervention would be beneficial to secondary student wellbeing and support academic performance, as part of the ASWF. The qualitative study took the form of a systematic review, in which 16 papers reporting on school-based mindfulness interventions were analysed. These articles were assessed for quality, prior to inclusion, using the MMAT and CRAAP test. The participants were secondary school-aged students from a variety of different backgrounds: culturally, linguistically, socio-economically, and geographically. Thematic analysis was conducted, and seven overarching themes emerged: academic performance, goal setting and relevance to life, interest in program and engagement, intervention delivery, emotional and behavioural changes, self-improvement and progress, and attention, awareness, and concentration. These themes identified key components of school-based mindfulness interventions. Improvements in student academic performance were found to be related to mindfulness interventions. Interestingly, goal setting was an important component to student engagement and the effectiveness of the intervention, this allowed students to see practical applications for the skills they were learning and how they were relevant to their daily lives. The interest students had in the program was related to their engagement and attendance, which led to reduced problematic behaviour and improved academic performance. The intervention delivery, with multiple sub-themes, provided valuable information; student comments and research findings were used to determine the best method for implementing a mindfulness intervention in secondary schools. The positive emotional and behavioural changes, which occurred as a result of the mindfulness intervention, led to greater student resilience and wellbeing. Moreover, there was less need for behaviour management, with a consequent increase in teaching and learning time, resulting in improvements in the teaching and learning environment. Students experienced improved self-concept, in all areas including academics, leading to more positive attitudes towards their own ability to learn. As a result of the mindfulness intervention, students experienced increases in selective attention and the capacity to divert focus away from distractors, as well as consequent improved academic outcomes. This study concludes with recommendations for mindfulness interventions in secondary schools, including a practical resource for teachers and schools to foster student wellbeing and improved academic performance, as part of the ASWF.