The Impact of Incorporating Mindfulness into Nigerian Secondary Schools Curricula: Advantages and Disadvantages

Abstract

The study explored the impact of incorporating mindfulness into Nigerian secondary schools curricula: advantages and disadvantages. Incorporating mindfulness into secondary schools curricula offers numerous benefits for students’ mental health, academic performance, social skills and positive school culture. The study adopted the survey research method. The population for this study comprised all public secondary school principals, teachers and students in Delta State. The sample for this study was 50 principals, 100 teachers and 150 students in selected public secondary schools Delta State. A self-structured questionnaire titled Incorporation of Mindfulness into Secondary School Curricula Questionnaire (IMSSCQ) were used to collect data for the study. The reliability coefficients of the instruments ranged from 0.81 to 0.86 through Cronbach Alpha. Simple percentage, Mean, standard deviation, and Pearson “r” statistics were the statistical tools deployed for the analysis of data collected. The results of the study indicated that incorporating mindfulness into secondary school curricula has the potential to transform the educational landscape and also improve decision-making of students through thoughtfulness and self-awareness. In conclusion, the integration of mindfulness practices in schools offers significant potential benefits, including improved student focus, emotional regulation, and overall well-being. However, successful implementation requires careful consideration of the challenges, such as time, teacher training, cultural resistance, logistical constraints, and the need for age-appropriate interventions.