Mindfulness in education: the case of Singapore

ABSTRACT

Since the formal introduction of mindfulness-based practices (MBPs) into clinical settings in the late 1970s, a growing body of research has demonstrated their benefits in diverse settings, from clinical programmes, business and sports, to education. Along with the development of standardised mindfulness-based programmes in the areas of clinical therapy, counselling, self-enhancement, and corporate training, standardised curricula for school-based mindfulness have become available, and are gaining popularity around the world. However, the adoption of MBPs in schools in Singapore, whether formally or informally, seems to be lagging behind that of counterparts in countries such as Australia, the UK, and the USA. This paper describes the current state of mindfulness-in-education in Singapore, focusing on the extent and ways in which MBPs are incorporated into the local school setting. Included are brief introductions to mindfulness, mindfulness in education, and mindfulness-in-education research in Asia. Local research and continuing efforts in the area, as well as challenges and future directions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Mindfulness
• education
• schools
• Singapore
• Asia

Acknowledgements

I thank all students, teachers, and other school personnel, as well as colleagues in the worldwide mindfulness community who have contributed in one way or another to this work. The views expressed in this paper are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute of Education.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.