The Efficacy of Mindfulness Technique on Concentration Problem of University Students

Authors

  • Maryam Noor Department of Psychology, Islamia College University, Peshawar, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3184-9406
  • Sidra Noor (Ph.D) Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad – Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3453-3898
  • Salma Rehman Department of Psychology, Islamic College Peshawar, Peshawar – Pakistan
  • Irum Saba Department of Psychology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar – Pakistan https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4345-4524

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15997202

Abstract

Abstract Views: 667

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness practices in enhancing concentration and attention among university students. A quasi-experimental technique was employed to assess concentration and attention before and during the implementation of the mindfulness practice. A total of 130 university students from three distinct universities provided verbal consent to participate in the study. The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) was used in the pre- and post-intervention phases of the study to find out the level of concentration in students. During the pre-intervention phase, we identified 42 students with low MAAS (15 score). Students were categorised into two groups: a control group and an experimental group. The experimental group administered the technique of mindfulness for two consecutive weeks. After applying the intervention, MAAS was again calculated for both groups. The results indicate a statistically significant difference in the mean MAAS between the pre- and post-intervention periods for the experimental group (p < 0.001). The results conclude that mindfulness techniques improve the level of concentration and attention in the students in the form of increasing MAAS. This technique should be applied by students who have concentration problems.

Keywords:

Academic performance, Cognitive processing, Concentration, Mindfulness, Psychological distress

Author Biographies

Maryam Noor,

She is a Lecturer at the Department of Psychology, Islamic College Peshawar in Peshawar – Pakistan. She obtained her Doctorate in Applied Psychology from Islamic College Peshawar in Peshawar – Pakistan.

Sidra Noor (Ph.D),

She is an Assistant Professor at Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University in Islamabad – Pakistan. She obtained her Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Peshawar in Peshawar – Pakistan.

Salma Rehman,

She is a Lecturer at the Department of Psychology, Islamic College Peshawar in Peshawar – Pakistan. She completed her MS in Psychology from the Islamia College University in Peshawar – Pakistan.

Irum Saba,

She is a Research Scholar at the Department of Psychology, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University in Peshawar – Pakistan. She completed her MPhil. in Clinical Psychology from Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University in Peshawar – Pakistan.

References

Albrecht, N. J. (2019). Responsibility for nurturing a child’s well-being: Teachers teaching mindfulness with children. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 47(5), 487-507. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2018.1499012

Bradley, L., Parr, G., Lan, W. Y., Bingi, R., & Gould, L. J. (1995). Counselling expectations of international students. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 18, 21-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01409601

Cahn, B. R., & Polich, J. (2009). Meditation (Vipassana) and the P3a event-related brain potential. International journal of Psychophysiology, 72(1), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2008.03.013

Calderon, J. L., Baker, R. S., & Wolf, K. E. (2000). Focus groups: a qualitative method complementing quantitative research for studying culturally diverse groups. Education for Health, 13(1), 91-95.

Carpena, MX, & Menezes, CB (2018). Effect of focused meditation on stress and dispositional mindfulness in university students. Psychology: Theory and Research , 34 , e3441. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102.3772e3441

Chan, D., & Woollacott, M. (2007). Effects of level of meditation experience on attentional focus: is the efficiency of executive or orientation networks improved?. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 13(6), 651-658. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2007.7022

Dionne, F. (2016). Using acceptance and mindfulness to reduce procrastination among university students: Results from a pilot study. Revista Prâksis, 1, 8–20.

Erisman, S. M., & Roemer, L. (2010). A preliminary investigation of the effects of experimentally induced mindfulness on emotional responding to film clips. Emotion, 10(1), 72. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017162

Franco, C., Mañas, I., Cangas, A. J., & Gallego, J. (2011). Exploring the effects of a mindfulness program for students of secondary school. International Journal of Knowledge Society Research (IJKSR), 2(1), 14-28. https://doi.org/10.4018/jksr.2011010102

Galante, J., Dufour, G., Vainre, M., Wagner, A. P., Stochl, J., Benton, A., ... & Jones, P. B. (2018). A mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress in university students (the Mindful Student Study): a pragmatic randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Public Health, 3(2), e72-e81. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(17)30231-1

Goldin, P. R., & Gross, J. J. (2010). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder. Emotion, 10(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018441

González-Martín, A. M., Aibar-Almazán, A., Rivas-Campo, Y., Castellote-Caballero, Y., & Carcelén-Fraile, M. D. C. (2023). Mindfulness to improve the mental health of university students. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1284632. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1284632

Goretzki, M., & Zysk, A. (2017). Using mindfulness techniques to improve student wellbeing and academic performance for university students: A pilot study. JANZSSA: Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 25(1), 1-14.

Huppert, F. A., & Johnson, D. M. (2010). A controlled trial of mindfulness training in schools: The importance of practice for an impact on well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(4), 264-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439761003794148

Hutasuhut, D. H., & Yarshal, D. (2025). Influence of Mindfulness Techniques on Reducing Academic Stress and Enhancing Students' Concentration in Learning. International Journal of Educational Development, 2(1), 21-24. https://doi.org/10.61132/ijed.v2i1.168

Kabat‐Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness‐Based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144-156. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bpg016

Lynch, S., Gander, M. L., Kohls, N., Kudielka, B., & Walach, H. (2011). Mindfulness‐based coping with university life: A non‐randomized wait‐list‐controlled pilot evaluation. Stress and Health, 27(5), 365-375. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1382

Moore, A., & Malinowski, P. (2009). Meditation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. Consciousness and Cognition, 18(1), 176-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2008.12.008

Mrazek, M. D., Franklin, M. S., Phillips, D. T., Baird, B., & Schooler, J. W. (2013). Mindfulness training improves working memory capacity and GRE performance while reducing mind wandering. Psychological Science, 24(5), 776-781. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612459659

Nakamura, Y., Lipschitz, D. L., Landward, R., Kuhn, R., & West, G. (2011). Two sessions of sleep-focused mind–body bridging improve self-reported symptoms of sleep and PTSD in veterans: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 70(4), 335-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.09.007

Priore Fraire, AA, & González Armario, MM (2016). Mindfulness: Executive functions, self-compassion, and emotional states in university students. In Psychology and Education: Present and Future (pp. 1303–1310). [Madrid]: Scientific Association of Psychology and Education (ACIPE), 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10045/64532

Rosenzweig, S., Reibel, D. K., Greeson, J. M., Brainard, G. C., & Hojat, M. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction lowers psychological distress in medical students. Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 15(2), 88-92. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328015TLM1502_03

Sarfraz, A., Siddiqui, S., Galante, J., & Sikander, S. (2023). Feasibility and acceptability of an online mindfulness-based intervention for stress reduction and psychological wellbeing of university students in Pakistan: A pilot randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(8), 5512. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20085512

Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Bonner, G. (1998). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21, 581-599. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018700829825

Stallman, H. M. (2008). Prevalence of psychological distress in university students: Implications for service delivery. Australian Journal of General Practice, 37(8), 673.

Stallman, H. M. (2010). Psychological distress in university students: A comparison with general population data. Australian Psychologist, 45(4), 249-257. https://doi.org/10.1080/00050067.2010.482109

Tillott, S., O'Donnell, M., Harper, J. R., & Leinonen-Davies, E. (2025). Mindfulness and transition pedagogy. University of Wollongong. Conference contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uow.27695064.v1

Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., Sumich, A., Sundin, E. C., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014). Meditation awareness training (MAT) for psychological well-being in a sub-clinical sample of university students: a controlled pilot study. Mindfulness, 5, 381-391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0191-5

Vilarino del Castillo, D., & Lopez‐Zafra, E. (2022). Antecedents of psychological capital at work: a systematic review of moderator–mediator effects and a new integrative proposal. European Management Review, 19(1), 154-169. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12460

Vu, X. H. (2023). The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on well-being in university students. International Journal of Psychological Science, 3(1), 6-11. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijps.20230301.12

Williams, J. M. G. (2010). Mindfulness and psychological process. Emotion, 10(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018360

Zanesco, A. P., King, B. G., MacLean, K. A., & Saron, C. D. (2013). Executive control and felt concentrative engagement following intensive meditation training. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 566. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00566

Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z., & Goolkasian, P. (2010). Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and Cognition, 19(2), 597-605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2010.03.014

Published

2025-07-01

How to Cite

Noor, M., Noor, S., Rehman, S., & Saba, I. (2025). The Efficacy of Mindfulness Technique on Concentration Problem of University Students. Bulletin of Multidisciplinary Studies, 2(2), 211–219. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15997202

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)