Exploring Adolescents’ Perceptions of Contemplatives Practices and Forms of Learning in Indian Secondary Schools

Abstract

Four different secondary schools in India that were implementing different forms of contemplative education and contemplative practices with adolescents were studied to (a) document adolescent student perceptions of such approaches and (b) explore the impacts of such approaches on students. Results revealed that students were familiar with the notion that such practices trained mental skills such as attention regulation and relaxation, and that such skills could be beneficial for life outcomes like academic learning. Students reported only moderate levels of engagement with these practices, and engagement seemed to be linked to the framing of the practice in the school. Results are discussed in relation to (a) research in the West on contemplative practices with adolescents; (b) different notions of learning that seem to be implicated in the practices observed in Western India; and (c) how different cultures are introducing new forms of education as means of addressing societal-level changes and challenges.

Peer Reviewed Articles