Master Mind
Solution types
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Where the program was applied
Country of application
Description

This is a classroom education program for children and teenagers aged 6 to 17. The aim is to improve school performance by teaching students to experience the present moment in a purposeful and non-judgmental way.
The curriculum is based on mindfulness and meditation, and teaches strategies and techniques to increase their ability to concentrate, focus, and deal with stress. The sessions are carried out daily and include classroom discussions, written activities, movement and breathing exercises, interactive roleplays, and audiovisual games.
The themes revolve around the four foundations of mindfulness: body awareness, feelings, thoughts, and relationships. The skills developed are mindfulness meditation, mindful movement, breathing techniques, and the application of skills to daily life.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed that the program was promising in terms of cognitive functioning and healthy relationships, with a reduction in disruptive and externalizing behavior problems. There were no statistically significant effects on attention problems and consumption of psychoactive substances [1].
The study had a sample of 111 4th and 5th graders, with 71 students in the intervention group (30 boys and 41 girls) and 40 students in the control group (17 boys and 23 girls), aged between 9 and 11, with an average age of 10.1 years [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Parker, A. E., Kupersmidt, J. B., Mathis, E. T., Scull, T. M. & Sims, C. (2014). The impact of mindfulness education on elementary school students: Evaluation of the Master Mind Program. Advances in School Mental Health Promotion, 7(3), 184–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/1754730X.2014.916497