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A Qualitative Exploration of Primary School Students’ Experience and Utilisation of Mindfulness

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Abstract

Despite the increasing utilisation of mindfulness-based interventions in children, research investigating the impact of these interventions in children is still in its infancy. One significant gap in the literature is the general omission of the child’s voice in how they experience and benefit from mindfulness-based intervention. Therefore, the present study explored children’s experiences of a mindfulness-based intervention, as well as why and how they utilised mindfulness techniques. A semi-structured interview was undertaken with eight upper primary school-aged students after completion of a classroom-based eight-session mindfulness intervention. Thematic analysis elicited 11 key themes across the three research questions. Students generally liked the mindfulness-based intervention but preferred experiential over passive program components. Students utilised mindfulness techniques for emotion regulation, typically by focusing on their breathing, shifting their attention to the present, and using a smartphone application. These findings provide insights into factors contributing to program engagement and children’s use of mindfulness as a strategy for emotion regulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Krongold Clinic, Faculty of Education, Monash University, 57 Scenic Boulevard, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia

    Bavani Bannirchelvam, Karen L. Bell & Shane Costello

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  1. Bavani Bannirchelvam
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  2. Karen L. Bell
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  3. Shane Costello
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shane Costello.

Ethics declarations

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Appendices

Appendix A: Outline of Program Sessions

Table 3
Full size table

Appendix B: Interview Questions

1) How did you find the Triple R Program?

2) Were there any things you learnt in the sessions that you liked or used outside the session?

3) When did you practice mindfulness?

4) How did you feel after practicing mindfulness?

5) Did you use mindfulness in any of the following situations (before tests and performances, to help fall asleep, around people who make you feel nervous)?

6) Do you think you will use mindfulness in the future?

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Bannirchelvam, B., Bell, K.L. & Costello, S. A Qualitative Exploration of Primary School Students’ Experience and Utilisation of Mindfulness. Contemp School Psychol 21, 304–316 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0141-2

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