Procedure
infections
MAY, DER, INFECTIONS
After receiving approval from the Ethics Review Board (Beirat für Ethikfragen in der Forschung) of the authors’ university on May 6, 2020, that all research was performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations, T1 data collection took place in September 2020. T2 data were collected in December 2020, just a few days before the second COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown in Germany. The T3 assessment took place in May 2021. Because of the pandemic, children’s attendance at school between T2 and T3 was limited. In order to limit infections, most classes were split up into two “learning groups”, with each group attending school for two or three days per week. Data were collected with the help of tablet computers, with a test manager in front of the class who read the items and instructions. Children could read along silently. The working memory updating task was taken in small groups. Trained undergraduate research assistants supported the children who encountered technical difficulties with the tablets. More details can be found in von Salisch and VoltmerData collection took three to four teaching hours at each measurement point, with the usual breaks in between. Informed consent was obtained from all child subjects and their legal guardian(s). Their participation was voluntary. At each measurement point, all children received a small gift after finishing the data collection. Teachers completed rating scales for each child of their class and paper–pencil questionnaires about themselves. Parents completed a brief questionnaire regarding their family situation, the languages spoken at home, and their educational and professional backgrounds. At each measurement point, children took the objective test of arithmetic in their regular math lesson under the supervision of their math teacher.In June 2020, the nine teachers of the IG received the manual of the newly developed BBI curriculum and participated in a short mindfulness training. During the 15 h of the training, they were introduced to the concept of mindfulness, practiced key mindfulness exercises, and received guidance on leading the breathing exercises for the children in their classes. Teachers' implementation of breathing exercises with the children was supervised by a certified MBSR teacher with extensive experience in teaching mindfulness in primary schools. The BBI was conducted between T1 and T2 for approximately nine weeks in all IG classrooms. Teachers invited their students to perform one of the 15 activating or calming breathing exercises or body awareness exercises of the BBI up to three times per day, every school day. There was no pre-determined order or sequence. Exercises had attractive names. Teachers were free to choose the exercise which fit best the current classroom situation. A short description of the learning objectives for each group of exercises is provided in von Salisch and VoltmerDuring the intervention period, the ACG teachers were asked to guide the children to color a mandala for three to five minutes, up to three times each school day. Mandalas were chosen because it is a quiet and easy activity that requires no training. Because the ACG teachers did not receive any training on how to conduct the coloring, it was not considered a mindful activity. Teachers were aware of the fact that their classes were in the ACG condition.