A DEVELOPMENT OF MINDFULNESS-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR PROMOTING STUDENTS’ EMOTIONAL REGULATION

Abstract

This study aims to examine the definition and components of emotional regulation among middle school students, to develop mindfulness-based interventions for promoting emotional regulation and also to evaluate the effectiveness of the mindfulness-based interventions for promoting emotional regulation.  The sample consisted of seventh- and eighth-grade students from Guanling Ethnic Middle School in Guizhou Province. Research tools included semi-structured interview questionnaires, an emotional regulation questionnaire, and a mindfulness-based intervention designed to promote students’ emotional regulation. Statistical methods such as mean, standard deviation (SD), and one-way and two-way repeated measures ANOVA were used for data analysis. Based on the principle of voluntary participation, 60 students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). The experimental group received the mindfulness-based interventions, while the control group did not. The findings revealed that emotional regulation among students consists of four components: awareness and understanding of emotions acceptance of emotions, the ability to engage in goal directed behavior and access to emotional regulation strategies. The mindfulness-based intervention for promoting students’ emotional regulation consisted of three steps: introduction, learning activities, and conclusion. Additionally, the intervention comprised 14 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. The mindfulness-based intervention was effective in promoting students’ emotional regulation, and the experimental group continued to show improvement at a one-month follow-up. Specifically: 3.1) Students’ emotional regulation after receiving the mindfulness-based intervention and after the follow-up period was significantly higher than before the intervention, at a significance level of .05 and 3.2) Students’ emotional regulation after receiving the intervention and after the follow-up period was significantly higher than those in the control group at a significance level of .05.