A mindfulness course may have helped students manage time, but not their focus

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   40 students at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada took part. Most were women aged 17 to 42, and all were struggling with their studies.

2. 02

   What they did

   The course had six weekly 90-minute group classes, plus home practice most days for about 25 minutes. People logged their home practice on a website and got daily e-mail reminders. The waiting group had nothing for six weeks and was offered the course afterwards.

3. 03

   What happened

   After six weeks, the course group rated time management, self-motivation and study motivation higher than the waiting group did. Stress, anxiety and depression did not differ overall, and one ADHD symptom score fell. More than half the course group dropped out, and the 9 who went to four or more classes did better.

What the study found

1. HelpedTime management

   After the course, students rated their time management higher than the waiting group did.

   • Action: Practise mindfulnesstested
   • Action: Track your progresstested
   • Rule: Every daytested
   • Rule: Get a remindertested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small randomised trial of 40 students struggling with their studies · vs students who were still waiting for the course · they rated themselves · ⚠ student thesis, not checked by other scientists; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

2. HelpedProcrastination

   Students in the course rated themselves higher at keeping going when things got hard than the waiting group did.

   • Action: Practise mindfulnesstested
   • Action: Track your progresstested
   • Rule: Every daytested
   • Rule: Get a remindertested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small randomised trial of 40 students struggling with their studies · vs students who were still waiting for the course · they rated themselves · ⚠ student thesis, not checked by other scientists; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

3. HelpedMotivation

   Students who took the course said they were more motivated to do study tasks than the waiting group did.

   • Action: Practise mindfulnesstested
   • Action: Track your progresstested
   • Rule: Every daytested
   • Rule: Get a remindertested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small randomised trial of 40 students struggling with their studies · vs students who were still waiting for the course · they rated themselves · ⚠ student thesis, not checked by other scientists; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

4. No differenceFocus

   On the mind-wandering task, the course group did no better than the waiting group, across all 40 students.

   • Action: Practise mindfulnesstested
   • Action: Track your progresstested
   • Rule: Every daytested
   • Rule: Get a remindertested
   • Rule: Practise with a groupused

   Small randomised trial of 40 students struggling with their studies · vs students who were still waiting for the course · they rated themselves · ⚠ student thesis, not checked by other scientists; many people dropped out; summary claims more than the results show

Source