The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning - Article 7 - Winter 2022 - Engagement in Mindfulness Exercises during Large Lectures and Students’ Writing Self-Efficacy

Q: How was mindfulness engagement measured in the study?

Engagement was operationalized as the number of times participants participated in the mindfulness exercises administered during large university lectures.

Q: What interventions were compared across lecture sections?

One lecture section received a breathing exercise and another lecture section received a progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercise within the same course.

Q: What were the main findings about writing self-efficacy?

Engagement was greater for the breathing exercise than for PMR. Writing self-efficacy showed marginally greater improvement at T2 for breathing, and engagement in breathing was associated with writing self-efficacy at T2, while PMR engagement was not.

Oct 15, 2026

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The study examines the association between increased engagement (number of mindfulness exercise participations) in large-lecture settings and students’ writing self-efficacy. Across eight weeks, one lecture section received a breathing exercise and another received progressive muscle relaxation (PMR). Of 147 participants, writing self-efficacy was measured before (T1) and after (T2) the intervention period. Engagement was higher for breathing than PMR (p<.05). Self-efficacy showed marginal T2 gains for breathing (p=.08), with engagement-linked benefits at T2 (p<.01), while PMR engagement was not predictive (p=.21).

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose and design

Intervention: breathing vs PMR

Measures and results

Implications

The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning | Volume 13 | Issue 1 | Article 7 | | --- | --- | | Winter 02-15-2022
Engagement in Mindfulness Exercises during Large Lectures and Students’ Writing SelfEfficacy
David W. Drewery
University of Waterloo, [dwdrewery@uwaterloo.ca](dwdrewery@uwaterloo.ca)[ ](dwdrewery@uwaterloo.ca)Nicole Westlund Stewart
Lakehead University, [nwestlun@lakeheadu.ca](nwestlun@lakeheadu.ca)[ ](nwestlun@lakeheadu.ca)[A. Wade Wilson](A. Wade Wilson)
University of Waterloo, [aw3wilson@uwaterloo.ca](aw3wilson@uwaterloo.ca)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca](https://www.cjsotl-rcacea.ca)
[https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2022.1.10945](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2022.1.10945) | | Recommended Citation Drewery, D. W., Westlund Stewart, N., & Wilson, A. W. (2022). Engagement in mindfulness exercises during large lectures and students’ writing self-efficacy The Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 13(1) . [https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2022.1.10945](https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2022.1.10945) Engagement in Mindfulness Exercises during Large Lectures and Students’ Writing Self-Efficacy Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the association between greater engagement (i.e., number of times participated) in mindfulness exercises administered in large university lectures and students’writing self-efficacy. For eight weeks, a breathing exercise was administered to students in one lecture section, and a progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercise was administered to students in another lecture section of the same course. Participants (n = 147) completed measures of writing self-efficacy before (T1) and after (T2) the eight-week exercise period. Engagement was greater in the breathing exercise than in the PMR exercise (p < .05). Writing self-efficacy was marginally greater (p = .08) at T2 for those administered the breathing exercise than for those administered the PMR exercise. Correlational analyses further showed that engagement in the breathing exercise was associated with writing self-efficacy at T2 (p < .01), but engagement in the PMR exercise was not (p = .21). We conclude with implications for course instructors using mindfulness exercises to enhance desirable writing outcomes. L’objectif de cette étude était d’examiner le lien entre une participation accrue (c.-à-d. le nombre defois qu’une personne a participé) à des exercices de pleine conscience administrés lors de cours magistraux dans de grandes classes d’université et l’auto-efficacité des étudiants et des étudiantes enmatière d’écriture. Pendant huit semaines, un exercice de respiration a été administré aux étudiantset aux étudiantes d’une section particulière alors qu’un exercice de relaxation musculaire progressive a été administré aux étudiants et aux étudiantes d’une autre section du même cours. Les participants et les participantes (n = 147) ont complété les mesures d’auto-efficacité en matière d’écriture avant (T1) et après (T2) la période d’exercices de huit semaines. La participation était plus importante parmile groupe qui avait fait les exercices de respiration que parmi le groupe qui avait fait les exercices de relaxation musculaire progressive (p < .05) . L’auto-efficacité en matière d’écriture était marginalement plus importante (p = .08) en T2 pour ceux et celles à qui on avait administré les exercices de respiration que pour ceux et celles à qui ont avait administré les exercices de relaxation musculaire progressive. Les analyses corrélationnelles ont également montré que la participation aux exercices de respiration était liée à l’auto-efficacité en matière d’écriture en T2 (p < 0.1) mais la participation aux exercices de relaxation musculaire progressive ne l’était pas (p = .21) . Nous concluons en présentant aux instructeurs et aux instructrices les implications qu’il y a à utiliser d

FAQs

How was mindfulness engagement measured in the study?

Engagement was operationalized as the number of times participants participated in the mindfulness exercises administered during large university lectures.

What interventions were compared across lecture sections?

One lecture section received a breathing exercise and another lecture section received a progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercise within the same course.

What were the main findings about writing self-efficacy?

Engagement was greater for the breathing exercise than for PMR. Writing self-efficacy showed marginally greater improvement at T2 for breathing, and engagement in breathing was associated with writing self-efficacy at T2, while PMR engagement was not.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Guten tag