Study case, mindfulness in higher education: a strategy to enhance linguistic skills and reduce academic anxiety

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71112/df379q38

Keywords:

mindfulness, higher education, language learning, academic anxiety, self-regulation

Abstract

Mindfulness, understood as full and conscious awareness of the present moment, has become a valuable tool in education, particularly in higher education. Its practice enhances emotional self-regulation, concentration, and the reduction of academic anxiety—factors that directly influence students’ linguistic performance. This study proposes integrating mindfulness techniques into language teaching to strengthen skills such as listening comprehension, oral expression, and writing. Using a mixed-method approach, it analyzes the effects of different techniques and their impact on stress reduction and meaningful learning. The expected results aim to establish mindfulness as an effective pedagogical strategy to promote well-being and the integral development of university students.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alrashdi, D. H., Chen, K. K., Meyer, C., et al. (2024). A systematic review and meta-analysis of online mindfulness-based interventions for university students: An examination of psychological distress and well-being, and attrition rates. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 9, 211–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41347-023-00321-6

Bamber, M. D., & Schneider, J. K. (2020). Mindfulness-based interventions for college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 11, 1125–1138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00592-4

Benavides Mayaute, L. D. C., & Benavides Mayaute, A. L. (2021). La aplicación del mindfulness para mejorar las estrategias de enseñanza y aprendizaje en la educación superior. Horizontes. Revista de Investigación en Ciencias de la Educación, 5(21), 1554–1562. https://doi.org/10.33996/revistahorizontes.v5i21.297

British Educational Research Association. (2018). Ethical guidelines for educational research (4th ed.). https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research

Carsley, D., Heath, N. L., & Fajnerova, S. (2015). Brief mindfulness-based interventions in school settings: A review. School Mental Health, 7, 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01885-9

Castillo, M. I. M., & Ruiz Crespín, J. D. A. (2024). Mindfulness en la educación: Una revisión sistemática. RIDE. Revista Iberoamericana para la Investigación y el Desarrollo Educativo, 15(29). https://doi.org/10.23913/ride.v15i29.2081

Cheuquemán Arévalo, C. E., Cerda-González, C., Fernández-Carriba, S., & León-Herrera, M. (2025). Intervenciones basadas en mindfulness en estudiantes universitarios: Revisión sistemática y fundamentos neuroeducativos. Revista Colombiana de Educación, (96), e19371. https://doi.org/10.17227/rce.num96-19371

Choomchaiyo, N., & Varma, P. (2021). The influences of mindfulness on foreign language fluency mediated by irrational thoughts, foreign language anxiety and self-efficacy on Thai English learners. Scholar: Human Sciences, 13(2), 166. https://assumptionjournal.au.edu/index.php/Scholar/article/view/5442

Chuquin Cuatis, M. R. M. (2023). Fomento de habilidades socioemocionales a través de programas de mindfulness en la educación superior: Una revisión de la literatura. Revista Multidisciplinaria UNNIVAL, 1(4). https://doi.org/10.70577/unnival.v1i4.19

Creswell, J. D., & Lindsay, E. K. (2014). How does mindfulness training affect health? A mindfulness stress-buffering account. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(6), 401–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414547415

EF Education First. (s. f.). EF SET 50 — Prueba de inglés estandarizada de 50 minutos. https://www.efset.org/es/ef-set-50/

Franco Justo, C. (2019). Mindfulness en el ámbito educativo: Propuestas para una pedagogía integral. Revista de Educación y Desarrollo, 49, 53–60. https://www.cucs.udg.mx/revistas/edu_desarrollo/

Galante, J., Dufour, G., Vainre, M., Wagner, A. P., Stochl, J., Benton, A., Lathia, N., Howarth, E., Jones, P. B., & Kuyken, W. (2018). A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study). The Lancet Public Health, 3(2), e72–e81. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(17)30231-1

Goldberg, S. B., Riordan, K. M., Sun, S., & Davidson, R. J. (2021). The empirical status of mindfulness-based interventions: A systematic review of 44 meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(1), 108–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620968771

Kiken, L. G., Garland, E. L., Bluth, K., Palsson, O. S., & Gaylord, S. A. (2015). From a state to a trait: Trajectories of state mindfulness in meditation during intervention predict changes in trait mindfulness. Personality and Individual Differences, 81, 41–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.12.044

Lemelin, A. (2004). Métodos cuantitativos de las ciencias sociales aplicados a los estudios urbanos y regionales.

Mer-Nazarieh, M. (2025). Enhancing ESL learning through mindfulness: Strategies for engagement and emotional well-being. Communication and Linguistics Studies, 11(2), 53–58. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cls.20251102.12

Napkin AI. (s. f.). Napkin turns your text into visuals so sharing your ideas is quick and effective. https://www.napkin.ai/

Oblitas Guadalupe, L. A., Soto Vásquez, D. E., Anicama Gómez, J. C., & Arana Sánchez, A. A. (2019). Incidencia del mindfulness en el estrés académico en estudiantes universitarios: Un estudio controlado. Terapia Psicológica, 37(2), 116–128.

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (versión de marzo de 2025) [Modelo de lenguaje de gran escala]. https://chat.openai.com/

Phan, M. L., Renshaw, T. L., Caramanico, J., Greeson, J. M., MacKenzie, E., Atkinson-Diaz, Z., Doppelt, N., Tai, H., Mandell, D. S., & Nuske, H. J. (2022). Mindfulness-based school interventions: A systematic review of outcome evidence quality by study design. Mindfulness, 13(7), 1591–1613. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01885-9

Renshaw, T. L., & Cook, C. R. (2017). Mindfulness in the schools: Theoretical and empirical considerations for mixed-methods research. Psychology in the Schools, 54(1), 13–26. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21982

Rui, Y., Zhang, Y., & Jin, H. (2025). The relationship between mindfulness and second language resilience among Chinese English majors: The mediating role of academic hope. BMC Psychology, 13, 497. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02827-5

Sarabia, O. R. (2023). Mindfulness como estrategia para mejorar el desempeño académico en la educación 4.0: Estudio de caso universitario. Ciencia Nicolaita, (88).

Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Roeser, R. W. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of mindfulness in education: Integrating theory and research into practice. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3506-2

Tang, Y.-Y., Hölzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3916

Trejo-González, H., & Ortiz-Quiñones, R. C. (2024). La meditación mindfulness como estrategia pedagógica para el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras. Sincronía, 28(85), 666–706.

Troyer, M., & Britton, B. K. (2021). Mindfulness practice and second language learning: Enhancing attention, anxiety reduction, and communicative performance. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 12(3), 389–398. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1203.05

Waters, L., Barsky, A., Ridd, A., & Allen, K. (2015). Contemplative education: A systematic, evidence-based review of the effect of meditation interventions in schools. Educational Psychology Review, 27(1), 103–134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-014-9258-2

Zenner, C., Herrnleben-Kurz, S., & Walach, H. (2014). Mindfulness-based interventions in schools: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, Article 603. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00603

Published

2025-12-29

Issue

Section

Artículos

How to Cite

Fernández Cuevas, H., & Ricaño Vega, D. J. (2025). Study case, mindfulness in higher education: a strategy to enhance linguistic skills and reduce academic anxiety. Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences, 2(4), 2193-2216. https://doi.org/10.71112/df379q38