CHAPTER 8: SCHOOl-BASEd MindFulnESS PROTOCOlS • 161of measure is often ignored. Currently, researchers believe that objective measures are of the
highest quality. That is, measures that objectively measure school performance such as an
achievement test, grades, class rank, and attendance. There are also measures that objectively
measure stress such as salivary cortisol or markers of inflammation or behavior such as dis-
cipline referrals and suspensions. Still others turn to neuropsychological measures and brain
scans. As many of these direct measures can be costly and difficult to administer across large
populations, many researchers turn to self-report measures. Self-report measures are either
surveys or structured interviews in which the participant reports on his or her own progress,
stress, well-being, emotional health, and so on. It is believed that although there are many qual-
ity self-report measures, they are all inherently biased via the perspective of the participant.
generalizability: Who Participated and What does That Tell us?
Generalizability is a term used to describe the usefulness of research. It refers to the degree
to which the outcomes of a particular study can be used to understand individuals who were
not in the study. For example, if a study were conducted exploring the effects of meta medi-
tation (i.e., loving kindness meditation; see Chapter 6), and was done for 4 weeks, 3 times
a week among children with attention difficulties, to whom would the findings apply? We
could answer that question by looking at how many participants were included in the study,
how old they were, and how representative the sample seems to be of all kids with attention
difficulties. We would want to ask if the children were formally diagnosed with an atten-
tion disorder and if so, which one? Who made the diagnosis? What criteria were used? We
would want to know the participants’ ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, school success,
and many other demographic variables so that we would know how this sample of students
compares to the student with whom we are working. A study done on 20 upper socioeco-
nomic class students from a private school in California with mild attention concerns (as
indicated by a teacher checklist) does not help us know if the technique will work for poor
children attending a public, inner-city school where the teacher indicated attention concerns.
A study of high school students may not help us understand first graders. A study of high
school students struggling with addiction in a suburban middle class area, may not help us
understand students at risk in the inner city. And so it goes (Vonnegut, 1991).
As you continue to learn more about mindfulness and the research on mindfulness
interventions, look carefully at the research. Consider the students with whom you are
working, their demographics, context, and their school. Compare the students in the study
to your students and ask how much of the information can be generalized to your students.
Look carefully at the design of the study. Notice if the researchers detailed what they were
doing, how long, how often, and in what sequence. Look over the limitations section of the
study (all good studies have one) and consider that the editors of the journal found these
limitations to be valid concerns worth reporting.
RESEARCH On MindFulnESS in SCHOOlS
The next two sections of this chapter will detail the current state of mindfulness in school
research as well as review several mindfulness programs and interventions for school-age
children and adolescents used in the school settings. There is a growing body of evidence
supporting mindfulness programs in schools.