A cluster randomized controlled trial examining the effects of a four-week mindfulness-based practice on primary school students' interpersonal mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and attentional focus.

BACKGROUND

Although mindfulness benefits are well-established across diverse populations, its impact on primary school children's interpersonal mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and attentional focus remains underexplored. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a four-week mindfulness-based practice (MBP) intervention among primary school students.

METHODS

A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with 14 classes from Guanghua Elementary School, Taiwan. Classes were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (7 classes,  = 123) or a control group (7 classes,  = 158), encompassing middle and senior-grade male and female students. The intervention group participated in weekly 40-min MBP sessions over 4 weeks. Students completed three validated questionnaires measuring interpersonal mindfulness dimensions (Presence, PR; Awareness, AW; Nonreactivity, NR), emotional intelligence (EI), and mindfulness (MI, attentional focus), using 6-point Likert scales. Assessments were administered at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at 8-week follow-up.

RESULTS

Baseline scores revealed no significant differences between the groups across all measures. After the 4-week intervention, the intervention group showed significant improvements in PR ( < 0.01), NR ( < 0.01), and MI ( < 0.001) compared to the control group. At the 8-week follow-up, improvements in PR and MI were maintained, while NR gains diminished. Three-way ANOVA identified that gender and grade significantly influenced AW ( < 0.01) and PR ( < 0.05), respectively, with stage effects observed for NR and EI ( < 0.05). Notably, the intervention enhanced AW among boys, and gender-grade interactions had a significant impact on NR and EI outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the four-week MBP intervention significantly enhanced primary school students' interpersonal mindfulness and attentional focus, with some benefits lasting up to 8 weeks. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring MBP programs to students' developmental stages and gender-specific needs. Future studies should investigate longer interventions and incorporate objective measures to further validate these outcomes.