The Effects of Mindfulness Learning Programs on Children in Elementary Middle Grade in Taipei City

• Main Authors: Ruey-Woei Deng, 鄧瑞瑋
• Other Authors: Feng-Ying Huang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/q636tr

碩士 === 國立臺北教育大學 === 生命教育教學碩士學位班 === 102 === 　　The purposes of this study was to investigate the effects of mindfulness learning programs on elementary school middle grade students regarding their concentration, depressive symptoms, and interpersonal problems. The participations were 34 middle grade elementary students from a Taipei elementary school. This study adopted a pretest-posttest experimental design in which a total of 34 students were randomly assigned to an experimental group or control group. Students in the experimental group (9 boys and 8 girls) attended the mindfulness program for 10 weeks, each class lasting 40 minutes. The control group students (9 boys and 8 girls) attended a normal reading class for an equivalent amount of time. The questionnaire, including the self-report Children's Depression Inventory_Taiwan Version, used sub-scales to measure children’s interpersonal problems in addition to the Attention Test for Elementary School Children. The data were analyzed using a two-way ANCOVA for quantitative analysis. Additionally, classroom observation to check the students’ concentration, interviews with the children and the teachers’ observation records for each session were included as proof of and a supplement to the research results. The major findings were as follows: 1. There is a significant difference caused by the mindfulness programs for children that not only increased both their focused attention and selective attention during the “Attention Test for Elementary School Children”, but also improved class learning, including nature, art and music, according to the data from the classroom observation. 2. There is a significant difference caused by the mindfulness programs for children that decreased the score for depressive symptoms in the “Children's Depression Inventory_Taiwan Version “(CDI_TW). In addition, the mindfulness group children decreased their score for interpersonal relationships, which is also a significant difference compared with the control group. 3. The mindfulness course for children did not appear to decrease their scores significantly for negative interpersonal problems in the “Children's Depression Inventory_Taiwan Version. However, the interviews data show that children who participated in the mindfulness program developed better concentration, with regard to both classroom learning, completing home assignments and engaging in play as well. They also reported developing better strategies for managing their emotions and stress, as well as better interpersonal relationships with their peers. 　　Finally, suggestions about future study and children’s mindfulness education based on the results of this study were provided for the researchers and teachers.