Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 480–1
This study examines the effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on fifth grade students’ emotional disposition and competence.
All fifth grade students in one school were randomised into two groups (n = 44). One group received instruction in TM. These students practised the TM technique twice a day for 10 min as a group in the school gym. Control group students had unstructured time in their classrooms during these daily time-periods. At baseline and three month post-instruction, students completed highly reliable Likert scale instruments that assessed the following variables: affect, emotional intelligence, anxiety, aggression and teacher caring.
The t-tests revealed no group differences or impact of student gender on baseline measures. Using Repeated Measures ANOVAs to assess the effect of meditation over time, we found that meditating students showed significantly higher positive affect and lower negative affect (P < 0.02) in contrast to controls. No between-group differences were found overall on emotional intelligence (EQ) but significant differences emerged on two subscales; meditators had significantly higher elevated mood (P < 0.05) and adaptability scores (p < 0.02). In addition, student EQ and several subscale scores showed a significant time effect (P < 0.05). Meditators tended to report less worrying and overall anxiety (P < 0.10) on the anxiety measure. Neither perceptions of aggression nor teacher caring differentiated groups over time.
The results demonstrate that the instruction and practice of TM in a school setting can significantly affect fifth grade students’ emotional states and ways that they approach everyday situations.
