An SEL program with mindfulness training (MindUP) improved diurnal cortisol slopes and social-emotional, self-concept, and math outcomes versus an active control¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2023 · checked against its sources 2026-10-27 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? In a randomized trial, 4th-5th grade children receiving the MindUP SEL program showed steeper diurnal cortisol slopes at post-test and improved social-emotional functioning, school self-concept, and teacher-reported math achievement relative to an active control group. → Madeline B. Harms and Sherona D. Garrett-Ruffin 2023
Evidence¶
Madeline B. Harms and Sherona D. Garrett-Ruffin 2023¶
Madeline B. Harms and Sherona D. Garrett-Ruffin. (2023). Disrupting links between poverty, chronic stress, and educational inequality. npj Science of Learning 8:50. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-023-00199-2
q3 · i? · review · r2
The review reports this randomized trial, "considered the gold-standard for program efficacy research": MindUP versus social responsibility training in 4th-5th graders produced "steeper diurnal cortisol slopes at post-test" plus behavioral improvements. No effect sizes printed.
"Schnonert-Reichl and colleagues 52 found that 4th-5th grade children who received an SEL program that included mindfulness training (MindUP) showed steeper diurnal cortisol slopes at post-test (indicative of healthier HPA axis function), as well as improved outcomes in social-emotional functioning, self-reported school self-concept, and teacher-reported math achievement, relative to a control group of children who received a social responsibility training program."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Academic Self-Concept — outcome: instruction changes it
- Adverse Experiences — outcome: instruction changes it
- Social Awareness and Relationship Skills — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- Large-scale RCTs show school mindfulness training does not benefit overall well-being or social-emotional functioning and can harm those most at risk — reports the opposite
- Prior studies support the experiential canalization framework: preschoolers in poverty are almost five times as likely to show disrupted diurnal cortisol patterns, and increased economic hardship is associated with significantly lower cognitive self-regulation — related
- Social-emotional learning benefits persist at follow-up — a broader claim this one bears on
- Universal school-based SEL programs improve students' behaviour, with a small and, in recent randomised trials, negligible effect on academic achievement — a broader claim this one bears on
- Hypothesized chain linking implementation supports to teacher fidelity to student responsiveness to child outcomes in the MindUP trial — related
- Participation in the Student Success Skills program reduced the growth of test anxiety over the school year in 5th graders — related
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