Mindfulness Practices in University and High School Settings: A Systematic Literature Review

A systematic literature review for the period 2017-2022 was conducted to support a qualitative research study as part of the Brain Booth initiative – an innovative project promoting mindfulness and contemplative pedagogy for academic success and well-being. The review was designed to address the question: “What is the evidence for the positive effects of mindfulness practices on academic performance and well-being for students in Higher Education (Colleges & Universities, including Academic Libraries), and Secondary Education (High School) settings?”

This review of scholarly literature was conducted in Web of Science, Google Scholar, and networked academic databases. The following major trends on mindfulness practices and contemplative pedagogy emerged:

* Incorporating mindfulness practices in university/college curricula to promote attentiveness and emotional self-regulation;
* Mindfulness Practices (MPs) and activities used in the studies;
* Use of physical spaces devoted to mindfulness practice; and
* Transitioning to College.

Most of the mindfulness practices were focused on one activity, predominantly breathing techniques, prompt meditation, or journal reflections. In general, for students to be introduced to mindfulness practices, they had to be enrolled in a specific class or devote specific time to scheduled activities, for example, meditation workshops. These impose inflexible time frames and lack of mindfulness activities at the point of need. Recently. the Brain Booth initiative has been offering a variety of activities, available to students at any time during the university library work hours, to accommodate and provide support to students at their point of need.