Using a mindfulness-oriented academic success course to reduce self-limiting social stereotypes in a higher education context

Adam Burke

pp. 459-470

in: Ronald E. Purser, David Forbes, Adam Burke (eds), Handbook of mindfulness, Berlin, Springer, 2016

Abstract

Inequity in higher education is a persistent social problem. Challenges with recruitment, lower retention, and graduation rates, and underrepresentation in science and engineering majors disproportionately affect students of color, lower-income students, and women. Institutional factors contributing to inequity include lack of support services and campus cultures that do not encourage multicultural awareness. At the individual level, social psychological factors such as stereotype threat and other self-limiting beliefs can impede success. Although institutional policies and practices are critical for ultimate success, institutional support can be limited by fiscal constraints and lack of vision. An adjunct or alternative strategy is application of best practices in the classroom, using existing university courses as support resources to augment institutional reform. Every faculty member has the potential to promote student success and contribute to social equity in this fashion. One specific example, an undergraduate general-education academic success course, is considered. The objective of the course is to enhance academic self-efficacy through teaching essential skills, including a variety of mindfulness-oriented practices, that can increase self-awareness and resilience, support personal goal achievement, and promote social justice.