What is it about?
Intro physics is a gateway course to many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors -- but for many students, it's also a *psychologically threatening* experience. We tested whether mindfulness, which encourages paying attention to difficult emotions and thoughts, can help students with how they interpret and respond to stress in this high-stakes environment. A brief, 5-day mindfulness training made students feel less threatened by and more engaged with their introductory physics course. These effects lasted up to three months after the training.
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Why is it important?
This work suggests that mindfulness can guide students to think about their negative experiences as temporary and common, rather than as a sign that they cannot succeed. In this way, the work demonstrates that mindfulness can help support student learning and persistence in STEM course by empowering students to remember that they are braver than they believe, stronger than they seem, and smarter than they think.
Perspectives
Writing this article was a great experience as our large team of interdisciplinary researchers had a rich set of perspectives. I think the work has the potential to help inform educators and researchers in a variety of disciplines and I'm excited about how this paper turned out.
Dr. Tessa M. Benson-Greenwald
Seton Hall University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Building courage, strength, and knowledge: Mindfulness training reduces psychological threat and increases engagement in college physics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 2026, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2521857123.
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