Effects of mindfulness practice on the emotional states of students in the classroom
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19478952 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Amy Carroll (0000-0001-9668-6227, The University of Queensland, corresponding author), Holly Chen (0000-0002-1643-6648, The University of Queensland), Julie Bower (0000-0002-8414-9325, The University of Queensland), Chase Sherwell (0000-0002-0933-0001, The University of Queensland) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Psychology of Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1573-1928 • E-ISSN: 1381-2890 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11218-026-10238-6 |
| OpenAlex | W7164865116 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 74 |
Traditional methods of exploring classroom emotions usually rely on self-reported data gathered retrospectively. Using a single exploratory case study design with multimodal methods, namely, momentary self-report ( S*3 app ), physiological ( Empatica 4 skin conductance wristbands), and observational measures, we explored the effects of mindfulness practice on the emotional states of students in a secondary school classroom. Specifically, we measured how emotional states varied pre- and post-mindfulness practice and whether students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies were related to their reported emotions while completing the mindfulness exercises. Findings indicated no large changes in emotional valence from pre- to post-mindfulness in a single direction, suggesting the mindfulness exercises had a modest influence on the emotional valence of the classroom. Sympathetic arousal, as indexed via skin conductance, generally decreased from pre- to post-mindfulness. Students reporting feeling less calm post-mindfulness displayed the least reduction in sympathetic arousal. Two SEL competencies (self-awareness and social awareness) were negatively correlated with classroom emotional state, signifying that higher numbers of observed positive SEL behaviours in these domains were associated with lower overall classroom emotional valence post-mindfulness. Advances in real-time measurement of salient emotions and physiological data provide insights into unobservable states of the learner to reinforce observable behaviour. Integrating multimodal methodologies such as self-reporting, physiology and observations provide a holistic and nuanced approach that aids in the interpretation of data in the applied classroom setting
Emotion work · Emotional contagion · Emotional valence · Feeling · Mindfulness · Unobservable · Emotion and Mood Recognition · Emotional Intelligence and Performance · Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |