Check out Kim’s latest article published in the January, 2015 volume of Developmental Psychology in a special section on Mindfulness and Compassion in Human Development. Kim and her colleagues conducted one of the first studies of its kind that used a variety of scientific measures to examine the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based SEL program, MindUP. They found that grade 4 and 5 students who participated in MindUP demonstrated more prosocial behaviour, increased peer acceptance, and less peer-rated aggression compared to those who participated in a social responsibility program in school. MindUP students also reported a greater sense of well-being, optimism, and empathy, and a decrease in symptoms of depression. Additionally, MindUP students outperformed the students in the social responsibility program in computer tasks designed to measure concentration, focus, and memory, and scored higher in year-end math grades. In an interview with UBC news, Kim offered one interpretation for how an SEL program might affect academic performance:
“One explanation is that learning occurs in social interaction, so if you are less stressed and more attentive, you will able to share and help others, and then be able to achieve more, including excelling in school.”
Read the full article here.