Acceptability of bilingual guided meditation with second language learners in a culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged school setting

Abstract

High school students experience considerable stress and anxiety. Meditative practices have been found to reduce stress and anxiety, but research has neglected the acceptability of these practices for adolescents. Bilingual guided meditation (BGM) has been shown to be both acceptable and effective in reducing stress and anxiety for second language (L2) learners in college, but its acceptability for culturally diverse high school students is unknown. The current study investigated acceptability of BGM and its components (music, positive suggestion) with L2 learners in a diverse and low-income high-school setting. Qualitative feedback and content analysis were used to investigate the acceptability of the intervention among 99 student and 5 teacher participants. Results indicate that both music and guided meditation were acceptable to the majority of the students and all of their teachers. Students particularly valued the perceived calming effects of the meditation music. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.