Effects of Mindfulness-based Interventions on Improving Teacher Wellbeing and Teaching Outcomes: A Multi-site, Mixed-methods Randomized Controlled Study

Effects of Mindfulness-based Interventions on Improving Teacher Wellbeing and Teaching Outcomes

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of MBCT-L among Chinese teachers on their mental well-being and teaching outcomes and explore the mechanisms of how mindfulness practice brings these benefits. The study is a multi-site, mixed-methods randomized controlled trial including 160 teachers.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Mental Health; Teaching Skills
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mindfulness for Life; Behavioral: Positive education training

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 160
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jennifer Tang, PhD; Phone Number: 852-39435677; Email: jymtang@cuhk.edu.hk

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
    • Recruiting
    • The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    • Contact: Jennifer YM Tang; Phone Number: +852-3943-6904; Email: jymtang@cuhk.edu.hk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Teachers aged 21-65 years;
2. Teachers currently working in a school; and
3. Teachers willing to commit time for the 8-week course.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Teachers previously joined a related group mindfulness-based intervention, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness - Finding Peace in a Frantic World (FPFW); or
2. Teachers who are mentally unstable or having active suicidal risk.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mindfulness for Life; MBCT-L is an 8-week program consisting of mindfulness practices and cognitive-behavioral techniques with 8 sessions (2 hours and 15 minutes per session) and one-day retreat that can provide participants with an extended period to deepen their personal mindfulness practices.	Behavioral: Mindfulness for Life; Behavioral: Mindfulness for Life (MBCT-L) MBCT-L is an 8-week program consisting of mindfulness practices and cognitive-behavioral techniques with 8 sessions (2 hours and 15 minutes per session) and one-day retreat that can provide participants with an extended period to deepen their personal mindfulness practices.
Active Comparator: Positive education training; Positive Education program is an 8-week course consisting of theories and activities of positive psychology to enhance teachers' skills to support students' learning and wellbeing using a strength-based approach.	Behavioral: Positive education training; Positive Education program is an 8-week course consisting of theories and activities of positive psychology to enhance teachers' skills to support students' learning and wellbeing using a strength-based approach.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Teaching efficacy	The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale-Short Form (TSES-SF). Participants will rate their responses on a 9-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (nothing) to 9 (a great deal). A higher total score indicates a higher sense of teaching efficacy of teachers.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention
Teaching practices	The Classroom Strategies Scale-Teacher Form (CSS-T). Participants will rate their frequency of using a specific strategy in two domains on a 7-point Likert scale from 1 (never used) to 7 (always used). Higher scores indicate teachers use specific strategies more frequently.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention
Classroom climate	Three subscales of Delaware School Climate Scale-Teacher/Staff (DSCS-T/S): Student-Student Relations, Student Engagement, and Clarity of Expectations. It uses a 4-point Likert scale from 1 (disagree a lot) to 4 (agree a lot). A higher total score indicates a better classroom climate.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Stress	The Perceived Stress Scale. Participates rate their stress on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). A higher total score indicates higher stress levels.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention
Anxiety	Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7). The items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) over the past two weeks. A higher total score indicates a higher level of anxiety.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention
Depression	The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) over the past two weeks. A higher total score indicates higher depressive symptoms.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention
Burnout	Maslach Burnout Inventory - Educators Survey (MBI-ES). Participants report scores on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 6 (every day). A higher total score indicates a higher level of burnout.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Trait mindfulness	The Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-15). Participants give ratings on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (never or very rarely true) to 5 (very often or always true). A higher total score means a higher level of trait mindfulness.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention
Emotion regulation	The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Participants will rate their responses on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). A higher total score in each subscale indicates a higher tendency of using the specific emotion regulation strategy.	Baseline, 9 weeks, and 3 months post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Collaborators: The University of Hong Kong; University of Macau

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 7, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 7, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 13, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 19, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 17, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mindfulness; School; Teachers; Professional development
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Psychological Well-Being; Behavior Therapy; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Mindfulness
• Other Study ID Numbers: SBRE-24-0445

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No