The number of research projects investigating mindfulness has grown exponentially over the last decade, and there is now good evidence demonstrating its benefits and applications.
In this section you will find links to much of the research evidence available, and we suggest you start with the Overview Papers which summarise the research around mindfulness in education to date. We also include the research projects specifically investigating the effects of MiSP programmes on pupils and teachers.
We welcome new research and invite research projects to meet the highest standards of research integrity and ethical academic enquiry. We are happy to provide researchers with our support and share our expertise and experience to promote high quality research where we can.
This area of our website aims to highlight some of the key studies undertaken most relevant to our work.
Overview Papers
A Summary – Education-based mindfulness: evidence and outcomes (updated December 2023)
Do mindfulness-based programmes improve the cognitive skills, behaviour and mental health of children and adolescents? – Dunning D, Tudor K, Radley L, et al. (Evidence Based Mental Health, 2022)
Neuroscience-Based Mindfulness Social Work Practice in Schools – Robert Blundo and Tamara Estes Savage (2020)
Effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions in reducing stress and anxiety amongst juvenile delinquents: A review – Tamsha Bohat and Sandeep Singh (2020)
Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on anxiety symptoms in young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis – X Zhou et al. (Psychiatry Research 289, 2020)
The effects of practicing mindfulness on politicians and their approach to decision-making – Trevor Adams (University of Birmingham, final year Masters report, 2020)
State of the Research: Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Children and Adolescents – Semple & Burke (OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 2019)
Promoting mental health and wellbeing in schools – Hayes et al. (Trials, 2019)
Mindfulness and contemplative approaches in education – Katherine Weare (Science Direct, 2019)
Doing no harm in mindfulness-based programs: Conceptual issues and empirical findings – Ruth Baer, Catherine Crane, Edward Miller and Willam Kuyken (Clinical Psychology Review, 2019)
Meta‐analysis of mindfulness training on teacher well‐being – Kary Zarate, Daniel M. Maggin and Amanda Passmore (2019)
The Evidence for Mindfulness in Schools for Children and Young People – Katherine Weare (2018)
Mindfulness and Education – Katherine Weare and Felicia Huppert (2018)
The effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on cognition and mental health in children and adolescents – a meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. – Darren Dunning, Kirsty Griffiths, Willem Kuyken, Catherine Crane, Lucy Foulkes, Jenna Parker and Tim Dalgleish (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2018)
Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Teachers:A Meta-Analysis of the Emerging Evidence-Base – David A. Klingbeil and Tyler L. Renshaw (School Psychology Quarterly, 2018)
Mindfulness-based interventions for improving cognition, academic achievement, behaviour, and socioemotional functioning of primary and secondary school students – Brandy R Maynard, Michael R Solis, Veronica L Miller and Kristen E Brendel (Campbell Systematic Reviews, 2017)
Mindfulness-based interventions with youth: A comprehensive meta-analysis of group design studies. – David A. Klingbeil, Tyler L. Renshaw, Jessica B. Willenbrink, Rebecca A. Copek, Kai Tai Chan, Aaron Haddock, Jordan Yassine and Jesse Clifton (Journal of School Psychology, 2017)
Teaching Mindfulness to Teachers: a Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis – Lisa-Marie Emerson, Anna Leyland, Kristian Hudson, Georgina Rowse, Pam Hanley and Siobhan Hugh-Jones (Mindfulness, 2017)
A systematic review of mindfulness interventions for in-service teachers: A tool to enhance teacher wellbeing and performance – Yoon-Suk Hwang, Brendan Bartlett, Melissa Greben and Kirstine Hand (Teaching and Teacher Education, 2017)
Mindfulness training for children and adolescents: A state-of-the-science review – D.S. Black (Handbook of Mindfulness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2016)
The impact of mindfulness on the wellbeing and performance of educators: A systematic review of the empirical literature – Tim Lomas, Juan Carlos Medina, Itai Ivtzan, Silke Rupprecht and Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa (Teaching and Teacher Education, 2016)
Mindfulness-based interventions in schools—a systematic review and meta-analysis – Charlotte Zenner, Solveig Herrnleben-Kurz and Harald Walach (Frontiers in Psychology, 2014)
Published Papers on .b
The MYRIAD Project – Various Papers
Read The Mindfulness Initiative’s response here: Initial reflections on the MYRIAD study | The Mindfulness Initiative
Read MiSPs response here: MiSP welcomes the MYRIAD Project findings, July 2022 – Mindfulness in Schools Project
The effect of mindfulness training on resting-state networks in pre-adolescent children with sub-clinical anxiety related attention impairments – Michelle Kennedy, Abdalla Z. Mohamed, Paul Schwenn, Denise Beaudequin, Zack Shan, Daniel F. Hermens & Jim Lagopoulos (Brain Imaging and Behavior 16, 1902–1913, 2022)
Healthy learning mind – Effectiveness of a mindfulness program on mental health compared to a relaxation program and teaching as usual in schools: A cluster-randomised controlled trial – S-M. Volanen, M. Lassander, N. Hankonen, P. Santalahti, M. Hintsanen, N. Simonsen, A. Raevuori, S. Mullola, T. Vahlberg, A. But and S. Suominen (Journal of Affective Disorders, 2020)
Mindfulness Training in UK Secondary Schools: a Multiple Case Study Approach to Identification of Cornerstones of Implementation – Stephanie Wilde, Anna Sonley, Catherine Crane, Tamsin Ford, Anam Raja, James Robson, Laura Taylor, and Willem Kuyken (2018)
Mindfulness Training with Adolescents Enhances Metacognition and the Inhibition of Irrelevant Stimuli: Evidence from Event-Related Brain Potentials – Kevanne Louise Sanger and Dusana Dorjee (2016)
Effectiveness of the Mindfulness in Schools Programme: non-randomised controlled feasibility study – Willem Kuyken, Katherine Weare, Obioha C. Ukoumunne, Rachael Vicary, Nicola Motton, Richard Burnett, Chris Cullen, Sarah Hennelly, and Felicia Huppert (2013)
A Mixed Methods Investigation of How Secondary School Pupils Perceive the Impact of Studying Mindfulness in School and the Barriers to its Successful Implementation – Robert Joseph Kempson (2012)
The immediate and sustained effects of the .b mindfulness programme on adolescents’ social and emotional well-being and academic functioning – Sarah Hennelly (2011)
A Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Training in Schools; The Importance of Practice for an Impact on Wellbeing – Felicia A Huppert and Daniel M Johnson (2010)
Mindfulness in Schools Learning lessons from the Adults – Secular and Buddhist – Richard Burnett (2009)
Published Papers on Paws b
Towards Determinants and Effects of Long-Term Mindfulness Training in Pre-Adolescence: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Event-Related Potentials – Lena Wimmer and Dusana Dorjee (Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 2020)
Perspectives on a whole class mindfulness programme – George Thomas and Catherine Atkinson (Educational Psychology in Practice, 2017)
How Does Mindfulness Modulate Self-Regulation in Pre-adolescent Children? – Rebekah Jane Kaunhoven and Dusana Dorjee (2017)
A Small Scale Study of the Impact of Paws b Mindfulness Training Programme on Primary School Aged Children – Clare McRobbie and Eleanor Stephens (2016)
Mindfulness Training in Primary Schools Decreases Negative Affect and Increases Meta-Cognition in Children – Charlotte E. Vickery and Dusana Dorjee (2016)
Evaluating the impact of the Paws .b mindfulness programme on mainstream Primary School aged pupils’ suppressing and sustaining attention skills, and their academic proxy measures – George Thomas (2015)
Published Papers on dots
Other research with this age group (not using dots): Mindfulness training can improve 3- and 4-year-old children’s attention and executive function – LI Quan, SONG Yanan, LIAN Bin, FENG Tingyong (2019)
Published Papers on Mindfulness for Adults in Schools
Effectiveness and Mechanisms of Mindfulness Training for School Teachers in Difficult Times: A Randomized Controlled Trial – Kitty Ka Yee Tsang, Kathy Kar-Man Shum, Winnie Wai Lan Chan, Shirley X Li, Hong Wang Kwan, Michael R Su, Bernard Pak Ho Wong, Shui-Fong Lam (2021)
Mixed-methods Evaluation Comparing the Impact of Two Different Mindfulness Approaches on Stress, Anxiety and Depression in School Teachers – Charlotte Todd, Roxanne Cooksey, Helen Davies, Clare McRobbie, and Sinead Brophy (2019)
Meta-analysis of mindfulness training on teacher well-being– Kary Zarate, Daniel M Maggin and Amanda Passmore (Psychology in the Schools, 2019)
Mindfulness-based interventions for teachers: A Meta-analysis of the emerging evidence base – D.A Klingbeil and T.L Renshaw (School Psychology Quarterly, 2018)
Teaching Mindfulness to Teachers: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis – Lisa-Marie Emerson, Anna Leyland, Kristian Hudson, Georgina Rowse, Pam Hanley, and Siobhan Hugh-Jones (2017)
Non-Randomised Feasibility TrialAssessing the Efficacy of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Teachers to ReduceStress and Improve Wellbeing – Shadi Beshai, Lindi McAlpine, Katherine Weare and Willem Kuyken (2016)
Evidence for Mindfulness: Impacts on the Wellbeing and Performance of School Staff – Katherine Weare (2014)
Other Related Research
Clinical Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Supported Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Self-help Compared With Supported Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Self-help for Adults Experiencing Depression – Straus, Bibby-Jones, Jones et al (2023)
Coronavirus: Impact on Young People with Mental Health Needs – Young Minds (2020)
The Good Childhood Report 2019 – The Children’s Society (2020)
Emerging Evidence: Coronavirus and children and young people’s mental health – Anna Gilleard, Suzet Tanya Lereya, Nick Tait, Julian Edbrooke-Childs, Jessica Deighton and Melissa A Cortina (Evidence Based Practice Unit, 2020)
Teacher Wellbeing Index 2019 – Education Support Partnership (2019)
Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014 – S McManus, P Bebbington, R Jenkins, T Brugha (eds) (NHS Digital, 2016)