Literature Review: The Effects of Mindfulness in Faith-Based Education

The practice of mindfulness has proven to be a beneficial cognitive and socioemotional tool for various populations and types of settings. Benefits include reduction of stress, anxiety, and other psychopathological symptoms. Additionally, mindfulness has positive effects on academic performance in the way that it enhances a student’s ability to sustain attention and retain information more efficiently. Literature on the adverse effects of mindfulness, such as retraumatization, delusions, and anxiety, are also mentioned to remove bias. With the growing popularity of mindfulness, this study aims to understand mindfulness within the contexts of education and faith. In hopes of integrating mindfulness practice into a Christian based university, we researched the benefits of mindfulness in educational settings ranging from primary to higher education, as well as mindfulness from the perspective of the Christian faith. Previous studies have demonstrated the advantages of mindfulness for the Christian faith, but they do not incorporate education in their methods. To our knowledge, no conclusive study exists on the intersection between faith, education, and mindfulness. Findings indicate that implementing acts of mindfulness improves attention span, ability to retain information, and cognitive control.