The Impact of Mindfulness Bibliotherapy on Children's Social and Emotional Development

An increased prevalence of social, emotional and behavioral problems among students has raised awareness of the importance of appropriate Social and Emotional development (Humphrey, 2013). This is further supported by the large amount of research demonstrating the connection between social and emotional development and academic competencies (Durlak et al., 2011). The purpose of this present study was to look at the effectiveness of programs that involve bibliotherapy and mindfulness in the preschool setting on the social and emotional functioning of children before they enter the pivotal academic years that set the foundation for later success. This study examined two different treatment groups, in a quasi-experimental design made up of a total of 25 students from private preschool classrooms located in a large metropolitan area ranging in age from 36-47 months. One group received the bibliotherapy intervention; the other group received the mindfulness bibliotherapy intervention. Results suggested that there was no significant impact of the bibliotherapy or the mindfulness intervention on social and emotional development. Implications for future research and the practice of school psychology were discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]