The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Intervention upon Communication Skills and Creativity of Elementary School Students

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention upon communication skills and creativity of elementary students. This quasi-experimental research had a pretest-posttest control group design with a one-month follow-up session. The statistical population of the study was comprised of all female senior elementary students in District 20 of Tehran in 2020-21 school year. Using cluster sampling method in the screening stage, 30 students were selected and randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control (15 subjects in each group). The experimental group was administered 10 sessions of mindfulness training and the control group did not receive any intervention. To collect the required information, Jerabak Communication Skills Inventory (2004) and Abedi Creativity Test (2002) were used. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA via SPSS22. Results showed that mindfulness intervention had a significant effect on creativity and communication skills (p<0.01). The difference between post-test and follow-up scores on creativity and communication skills was not significant (p>0.05) and the durability of the intervention was confirmed. Based on the findings, teaching the components of mindfulness is effective on cognitive processes such as concentration and awareness of emotions of self and those of others and boosts interpersonal relationships and creative activities. Accordingly, it seems that mindfulness intervention can be used to improve communication skills and creativity of elementary school students.