Daily breath-based mindfulness exercises in a randomized controlled trial improve primary school children's...

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Mindfulness Studies

Background:

• Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) enhance academic achievement in children.
• Existing MBIs encompass various exercises, necessitating focused interventions like the Breathing Break Intervention (BBI).
• BBI specifically utilizes daily breathing and body awareness exercises for primary school students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of the BBI on children's mathematics performance.
• To assess the impact of short, daily breathing exercises on arithmetic skills.
• To determine if BBI leads to significant improvements compared to an active control group.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 140 third and fourth graders.
• Intervention group (IG) received BBI; control group (ACG) received alternative activities.
• Standardized arithmetic tests and teacher ratings were administered at baseline, post-intervention, and five-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• A significant group-by-time interaction was found for arithmetic test performance, controlling for covariates.
• While linear increase wasn't steeper, the IG's arithmetic performance trajectory differed significantly from the ACG.
• At follow-up, children in the IG outperformed those in the ACG, suggesting sustained benefits.

Conclusions:

• Daily classroom breathing exercises, as implemented by BBI, can enhance children's arithmetic performance.
• The BBI demonstrates potential as an effective, focused mindfulness intervention for improving math skills.
• Further research can explore the specific mechanisms linking breathing exercises to academic gains.