Mind Up (MindUP) Evaluation With Grade 3 Students

NCT04069000 | Terminated

• 1 other identifier: 0000039458
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 429
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Mind Up (MindUP) is a mindfulness-based social-emotional learning program for children that has shown promising evidence of effectiveness across several domains (including executive functioning and behavioral symptoms). MindUP has exploded in popularity in recent years, but much of the existing research is limited by sample size, lack of accounting for clustering, or has been conducted by the program developers. In this study we are evaluating MindUP with grade three students (\~age 8) in three conditions; students who receive MindUP for the first time (n=\~150 in 8-10 classrooms), students have been receiving MindUP since kindergarten (\~150 in 8-10 classrooms), and students in comparison classrooms (i.e., no intervention; \~150 students in 8-10 classrooms). Regular classrooms teachers will receive training in trauma-informed approaches and the MindUP program prior to implementing. Students will be assessed in the fall and at the end of the school year using structured rating scales; they will also provide self-report data. In November 2020, students' grade 4 teachers will provide another set of ratings to be used as 6-month follow-up data. The primary outcome is social-emotional learning. Secondary outcomes include executive functioning, academic skills, classroom climate, and self-concept.

Conditions

Child Development

Keywords

Social-Emotional Learning; Classroom Climate; Self-concept; Academic Skills

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Social and emotional learning

  Composite Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) score from the Social Skills Improvement System-Social Emotional Learning Edition (SSIS-SEL); the score is transformed from a raw score based on norms provided in the manual; higher scores are better. Scores are standardized with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation (SD) of 15.

  Change from baseline to post-intervention; one school year (approximately 6 months)

• Social and emotional learning (follow-up)

  Composite Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) score from the Social Skills Improvement System-Social Emotional Learning Edition (SSIS-SEL); the score is transformed from a raw score based on norms provided in the manual; higher scores are better. Scores are standardized with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.

  Change from baseline to 6-month follow-up; one calendar year

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Academic skills

  Change from baseline to post-intervention; one school year (approximately 6 months)

• Social and Emotional Learning Subscales

  Change from baseline to post-intervention; one school year (approximately 6 months)

• Self-concept

  Change from baseline to post-intervention; one school year (approximately 6 months)

• Class climate

  Change from baseline to post-intervention; one school year (approximately 6 months)

• Executive functioning

  Change from baseline to post-intervention; one school year (approximately 6 months)

Study Arms (3)

Regular grade 3 classrooms

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Students in this condition will participate in the regular grade 3 program. Educators will use their usual teaching methods to meet educational outcomes, including standards for social-emotional learning.

Behavioral: Regular grade 3 program

First time MindUP participants

EXPERIMENTAL

Students in this condition will participate in MindUP for the first time. Their classroom teachers will receive training and implement the program during the school year.

Behavioral: Mindfulness-based social-emotional learning program

Repeat MindUP participants

EXPERIMENTAL

Students in this condition are in schools where MindUP has been implemented since they were in kindergarten (although some students may not have participated in those first three years, depending on when they moved to the school). Their classroom teachers will receive training and implement the program during the school year.

Behavioral: Mindfulness-based social-emotional learning program

Interventions

Mindfulness-based social-emotional learning program BEHAVIORAL

Grade 3 teachers implement MindUP in their classrooms over the academic year. MindUP is a manualized program informed by cognitive-developmental neuroscience, contemplative science, positive psychology, and social-emotional learning. The curriculum consists of 15 sequential lessons taught in 10-15 minute chunks and cross-curricular extension activities. There are four lesson units: Getting Focused (introduction to brain structure and function, the core practice, and how focused awareness affects brains and feelings), Sharpening Your Senses (focus on internal experiences such as mindful smelling and tasting), It's All About Attitude (focus on cognitive experiences such as positive mindset, perspective-taking, and practicing gratitude), and Taking Action Mindfully (performing acts of kindness to others and building positive relationships). An essential component is the core practice, a focused breathing exercise and mindfulness practice that is implemented three times daily.

Also known as: MindUP

First time MindUP participants; Repeat MindUP participants

Regular grade 3 program BEHAVIORAL

Grade 3 teachers are expected to implement activities to achieve a number of pre-specified social-emotional learning outcomes that are identified by the Ministry of Education. Educators have leeway over how they achieve these curriculum expectations and they will report on a weekly basis regarding their implementation of social-emotional learning activities.

Regular grade 3 classrooms

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Decision to implement the MindUP program is made at the school level, with agreement from classroom teachers
• All students in a classroom in any of the three arms of the study are eligible to participate

You may not qualify if:

• Students with very low literacy or cognitive functioning may not be able to complete the self-report measures, but can still participate in the teacher-rating component of the study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Western University, Canada: lead
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Western University

London, Ontario, N6G 1G7, Canada

Location

Related Links

• Study website
• MindUP program website

Study Officials

• Claire Crooks, PhD

  Western University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Due to the nature of the intervention (i.e., classroom teachers both implement the program (or not) and provide ratings of students' behaviour, it is not feasible to have blinded conditions. Most school-based prevention programs of this type are not blinded.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor; Director, Centre for School Mental Health

Model Details: Children within grade 3 classrooms will be evaluated in one of three conditions. One condition includes classrooms that will implement MindUP with students for the first time. A second condition includes classrooms that will implement MindUP, but has students who have largely been exposed to MindUP every year since kindergarten. The third condition is the comparison group wherein classroom teachers will deliver their usual curriculum and teaching strategies.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 12, 2019
• First Posted: August 28, 2019
• Study Start: October 1, 2019
• Primary Completion: November 30, 2019
• Study Completion: November 30, 2019
• Last Updated: June 9, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)