Mindfulness techniques have been shown to improve mental health, but they can do much more when used in the classroom.
Imagine showing up to your English class to find the first twenty minutes of it dedicated to meditating and learning grounding techniques. You may wonder how this helps you learn the subject better, but a recent study conducted in BYU’s English Language Center (ELC) shows that spending an hour once a week on developing mindfulness could have a big impact on both your mental health and your learning experience.
In fall 2024, six classrooms in the ELC dedicated an hour of class time each week to teaching positive psychology, a branch of thought that focuses on an individual’s strengths instead of fixating on what they lack. Grad student Lauren Smith (TESOL MA ’26) helped participating teachers implement a curriculum created by the Psychology of Language Learning research group with the goal of helping students become more confident and resilient, even when making mistakes. Smith, alongside Associate Professor Mark Tanner (Positive Psychology, Second Language Learning) and ELC Program Coordinator Ben McMurry, conducted a study to determine how implementing positive psychology curriculum into second language acquisition classes impacts students.
Positive Psychology in the Classroom
Using a textbook called Positive Psychology in the Classroom, the six teachers participating in the study spent 60 minutes of class time each week covering topics like mindfulness or grounding techniques—all in English. One of the most popular lessons focused on perfectionism and learning how to approach feelings of inadequacy. Smith notes that teachers showed students “how to approach perfectionist ideals mindfully and say, ‘I can make mistakes, and I can grow from [my mistakes].’”
Smith hoped that incorporating positive psychology into curriculum would not only give students tools to cope with their anxieties and shortcomings but also provide them with real-life applications for language use since each discussion was conducted in English. “We were helping them practice their language and connect with others,” Tanner adds. “These techniques helped [students] to better express their feelings and talk about bad or positive feelings they might be having.”
Mindfulness Everyday
At the end of the semester, the researchers held focus groups to discover how students in the study felt about their experience. Analyzing data from 107 student participants, the researchers identified four areas in which positive psychology benefitted students: improved focus, personal growth, connections with others, and ability to face challenges.
This feedback led the researchers to believe that positive psychology can impact the learning process, regardless of the subject being taught. In particular, Tanner noticed that mindfulness discussions encouraged students to develop deeper friendships with their peers, something he believes to be essential in all aspects of education: “This idea of connecting and being more aware of ourselves . . . should be incorporated into a lot of instruction that happens at the university.”
Though positive psychology techniques will not immediately cure every anxiety or stressor a student may be facing, both Smith and Tanner agree that it can help students balance their own needs with the demands from their studies. Tanner believes that forming these habits in the classroom—in any classroom—will teach students how to better cope with issues brought about by mental health. “Let’s recognize that mental health is really an issue that is more at the forefront now,” Tanner explains. “We need to pay better attention to that . . . and try to help people who might be struggling in ways that they don’t know how to deal with on their own.”
Learn more about the English Language Center here.