The curriculum planning and implementation for mindfulness education and diversified humanism based on big data

Table of Contents

Datasets collection and experimental environment

This study collects data on the effectiveness of curriculum design based on mindfulness education and diversified humanistic principles primarily through questionnaires. The survey targets middle school students from School A. A total of 120 offline questionnaires are distributed, with 118 valid responses collected. After excluding invalid responses, the final number of valid questionnaires is 115, resulting in an effective response rate of 95.8%. The reliability of all questionnaires is 0.845, and the validity is 0.823, indicating that the data is highly reliable and valid, making it suitable for subsequent analysis.

The total sample size is 115 individuals, with 70 males (60.9%) and 45 females (39.1%), resulting in a male-to-female ratio of 1.5:1, indicating a relatively balanced gender distribution in the sample. The age range of the students is from 11 to 16 years old. Specifically, students aged 11–12 years account for 18.2%, those aged 13–14 years for 55.7%, and those aged 15–16 years for 26.1%. This study includes students from different grades of junior high school, with 26.1% from Grade 7, 34.8% from Grade 8, and 39.1% from Grade 9, ensuring the representativeness of the sample.

To evaluate students’ feedback on the course design, this study develops a self-constructed questionnaire. It covers students’ overall satisfaction with the course, the impact of classroom activities and teaching methods on learning outcomes, the effect of mindfulness meditation practice on attention and class participation, the clarity of the teacher’s explanation of the text, the design of learning activities in the course, the course’s effectiveness in improving learning interest and grades, and its influence on students’ personal qualities such as self-confidence, sense of responsibility, and teamwork spirit. Additionally, the questionnaire includes students’ suggestions for course improvement to comprehensively collect their feedback and further optimize the course design. The questionnaire uses a Likert five-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree), with consistent rating criteria for all items to quantify students’ perceptions and experiences of the course.

During the data collection process, the research team, with the assistance of teachers, ensures that the distribution and collection of questionnaires meet ethical requirements and guaranteed the anonymity of participating students and data privacy. All questionnaires are completed by students in the classroom, with the survey taking approximately 20–30 min. The main topics of the questionnaire survey are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Main topics of questionnaire survey.

In terms of data analysis, this study used SPSS 26.0 statistical software. Initially, descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to understand the basic characteristics and main features of the sample. Subsequently, correlation analysis was employed to explore the relationships between the dimensions of mindfulness education and humanistic education and students’ academic performance and psychological quality. Regression analysis was also used to test the comprehensive impact of mindfulness and humanistic education on students’ grades and psychological quality. Additionally, reliability and validity analyses were conducted to verify the stability and effectiveness of the questionnaire scales.

The data analysis for this study was conducted in a Windows 10 64-bit operating system environment, using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 for data analysis. The hardware platform was configured with an Intel Core i7-7500U processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of solid-state storage, providing stable and efficient computational support for data processing tasks.

Performance evaluation

Descriptive statistical results of questionnaire data are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 Descriptive statistical results of the questionnaire.

In Table 2, the questionnaire data from this study reflect a high level of student satisfaction with the course. Regarding course content, the average score is 4.2 (standard deviation 0.7), with the majority of students expressing satisfaction, indicating that the content met student needs and is engaging. In terms of the effectiveness of classroom activities and teaching methods, the average score is 4.1 (standard deviation 0.6), with most students believing that these activities enhanced their learning, showing positive feedback on the teaching methods. For the impact of mindfulness meditation practice, the score is 3.8 (standard deviation 0.8). While some students found meditation effective in improving attention and class participation, others report less impact, which may be related to individual differences. The clarity and effectiveness of the teacher’s explanation of the text received a high rating, with an average score of 4.3 (standard deviation 0.5), and most students are satisfied with the teacher’s presentation, indicating excellent performance in conveying course content. In terms of the design of learning activities (such as group cooperation and discussions), the average score is 4.0 (standard deviation 0.7). These activities ae widely recognized by students, demonstrating that interactive and participatory activities have a positive impact on student learning. The course’s effect on enhancing students’ interest in learning and improving grades is also significant, with an average score of 4.4 (standard deviation 0.6), indicating that the course design effectively stimulated student interest and promoted academic achievement. Finally, regarding the course’s impact on students’ personal qualities (such as self-confidence, sense of responsibility, and teamwork spirit), the score is 4.2 (standard deviation 0.7), showing that most students believe the course positively contributed to their overall development. Overall, the course receives positive feedback in multiple aspects, particularly in enhancing students’ interest in learning and personal development.

The results of the one-way analysis of variance for the questionnaire survey data are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Results of one-way analysis of variance for questionnaire data.

In Table 3, Question 1 (F = 5.43, P = 0.002) indicates significant differences in course content satisfaction among different test groups. The P-value below 0.05 suggests that teaching methods do have a measurable impact on students’ satisfaction with course content. Specifically, teaching methods incorporating mindfulness education or humanistic concepts may enhance students’ satisfaction, while traditional teaching fails to significantly engage students’ interest or participation. This highlights that teaching methods focusing more on emotional and psychological needs can better meet students’ expectations and improve their overall learning experience. Question 2 (F = 4.21, P = 0.005) shows significant differences in the evaluation of classroom activities and teaching methods’ effectiveness across groups. This implies that different teaching methods affect students’ learning outcomes differently. These methods not only influence students’ emotions and interest but also change their participation in and evaluation of classroom activities. More interactive and exploratory teaching methods, such as those based on mindfulness and humanistic concepts, can help students achieve better learning experiences and outcomes in classroom activities. Traditional teaching methods, which may be more monotonous, can limit students’ participation and the development of critical thinking. Question 3 (F = 3.56, P = 0.015) indicates significant differences in the impact of mindfulness meditation practice on students’ attention and class participation across groups. Compared with other teaching methods, mindfulness training has a more noticeable effect, especially in improving students’ focus and participation in class. For Question 4 (F = 6.12, P = 0), the significant differences in the clarity and effectiveness of the teacher’s explanation of the text among different groups suggest that teaching methods differently affect the way teachers present lessons. The diversity and innovation of teaching methods may encourage teachers to adopt more interactive, student-centered ways of explaining, thereby enhancing students’ understanding of the text. Question 5 (F = 3.89, P = 0.013) shows significant differences in the design of learning activities in the course across groups. The design of activities such as group discussions and games vary due to differences in teaching philosophies. Teaching methods based on humanistic and mindfulness concepts, which emphasize student interaction and cooperation, receive higher evaluations from students. Traditional teaching methods, which may focus more on lecturing, result in lower student participation in these activities. For Question 6 (F = 4.76, P = 0.003), the significant differences in enhancing students’ interest in learning and improving grades across different courses indicate that teaching philosophies directly affect students’ learning motivation. Teaching methods based on humanistic and mindfulness concepts, by paying attention to students’ psychological needs and emotional experiences, increase their interest in learning and encourage greater engagement in class. Traditional teaching, which fails to effectively engage students’ interest, impacts the improvement of academic performance. Question 7 (F = 5.22, P = 0.001) indicates significant differences among different teaching methods in cultivating students’ personal qualities such as self-confidence, sense of responsibility, and teamwork spirit. This shows that educational philosophies not only affect students’ academic performance but also play an important role in their personality development. Mindfulness and humanistic concepts, by focusing more on students’ mental health, emotional support, and personal development, help students enhance their self-confidence and sense of responsibility and improve their teamwork spirit. Traditional teaching, which neglects the cultivation of students’ individuality and emotions, impacts the development of these personal qualities. The P-values for all questions are below 0.05, indicating that different teaching methods significantly impact students’ learning outcomes, class participation, interest in learning, and personal qualities. These significant differences reflect the important role of different teaching philosophies in educational practice, especially how mindfulness education and humanistic concepts, by focusing on students’ psychological needs, emotional support, and personal development, can promote students’ comprehensive growth in multiple aspects.

The results of paired t-test of questionnaire data are shown in Table 4.

Table 4 Results of paired t-test for questionnaire data.

In Table 4, in this study, there are significant differences in responses between the comparison groups across all questions. Question 1 (t = 2.45, P = 0.016) indicates a significant difference between Test Group 1 and Test Group 2, suggesting that these two groups had distinct reactions to the course content or teaching methods. Question 2 (t = 3.12, P = 0.005) shows a significant difference between Test Group 1 and Test Group 3, further indicating that different teaching interventions had varying effects on students. Question 3 (t = 2.98, P = 0.008) reveals a significant difference between Test Group 2 and Test Group 4, reflecting notable differences in their evaluations of classroom activities or teaching methods. Question 4 (t = 4.23, P = 0) demonstrates an extremely significant difference between Test Group 1 and Test Group 4, likely reflecting fundamental differences in teaching approaches or course content that significantly impacted students’ learning experiences. Question 5 (t = 3.15, P = 0.004) shows a significant difference between Test Group 2 and Test Group 3, further supporting the diverse effects of different teaching interventions on classroom learning. Question 6 (t = 3.8, P = 0.001) indicates a significant difference between Test Group 1 and Test Group 3, highlighting the varying impacts of these interventions on students’ learning interest and performance. Question 7 (t = 3.67, P = 0.002) shows a significant difference between Test Group 2 and Test Group 4, possibly related to the influence of different teaching methods on students’ confidence and personal qualities. In summary, these significant differences demonstrate the effectiveness of different teaching interventions across various aspects, supporting the varying impacts of each teaching approach on student performance.

The comparative results of students’ classroom performance under different educational concepts are shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 4, in terms of the average examination results improvement rate, the examination results improvement rate of Test 1 (traditional teaching method) is 75%, and that of Test 4 (optimized teaching method combining mindfulness education and humanism) is 92%, showing a gradual increase trend, and the improvement range between each group is gradually increasing. This shows that the teaching method can effectively improve students’ academic performance with the change of the test group. Compared with Test 1, Test 4 has the largest improvement, with an increase of 17%, which shows that the optimized teaching method is helpful to significantly improve students’ examination results. Attendance also shows a gradual upward trend, from 85% in Test 1 to 97% in Test 4. The attendance of each group has also increased accordingly. This shows that with the optimization of teaching methods, students’ participation in class is gradually enhanced. It may be because the teaching content and methods are more attractive to students, thus improving the attendance rate. The improvement rate of learning ability has also changed significantly, from 70% in Test 1 to 90% in Test 4, and the improvement rate is obvious. In particular, the results of Test 4 show that the optimized teaching method can greatly improve students’ learning ability. This may be related to the adoption of mindfulness education and humanistic ideas in curriculum planning, which can enhance students’ self-awareness and learning efficiency. The improvement of classroom performance is also gradually increasing, from 68% in Test 1 to 90% in Test 4, which shows the progress of students’ interactive performance and participation in the classroom. This change may reflect the interactive enhancement of teaching methods, such as increasing classroom discussion and cooperative tasks, thus improving students’ sense of participation and performance in class. The average progress rate shows a gradual increase trend, from 5% in Test 1 to 20% in Test 4. It indicates that with the advancement of the course, students’ progress rate in all aspects is increasing. This shows that the adjustment of teaching methods has effectively promoted students’ comprehensive progress. Interest in learning has gradually increased from 60% in Test 1 to 85% in Test 4, showing a significant growth trend. This shows that the adjustment and optimization of teaching methods have significantly enhanced students’ interest in learning. In particular, the combination of mindfulness education and humanistic education concept may enhance students’ learning motivation and interest by paying attention to their emotional and psychological needs. On the whole, the data of all sub-dimensions show that with the optimization of teaching methods, students’ performance in all aspects has gradually improved. From examination results to classroom performance, and then to the promotion of learning interest, it reflects the positive influence of optimized teaching methods combining mindfulness education and humanistic ideas on students’ overall quality.

The comparison results of students’ personal and social skills under different educational concepts are shown in Fig. 5.

Analysis of Fig. 5 shows that different educational philosophies significantly affect students’ personal and social skills. Under traditional teaching methods, students’ average confidence is 65.4%, responsibility is 62.7%, cooperation is 64.9%, creativity is 58.3%, attention is 60.1%, and empathy is 56.8%. In contrast, mindfulness-based education significantly improves these skills: Confidence reaches 77.8%, responsibility is 73.5%, cooperation is 75.2%, creativity is 68.4%, attention is 72.9%, and empathy is 70.3%. The effects are even more pronounced under humanistic theory, with confidence at 84.2%, responsibility at 79.6%, cooperation at 81.7%, creativity at 73.8%, attention at 78.5%, and empathy at 76.1%. The most significant improvements are seen in optimized teaching based on mindfulness education and diversified humanistic theory, where students’ personal and social skills are fully enhanced: Confidence reaches 91.3%, responsibility is 87.4%, cooperation is 89.1%, creativity is 83.2%, attention is 86.5%, and empathy is 83.7%. Therefore, the optimized teaching approach combining mindfulness education and humanistic philosophy is most effective in enhancing students’ personal and social skills.

The results of the one-way analysis of variance for each indicator in this study are shown in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 6, there are significant differences in the evaluation indicators of this study under different educational concepts. In terms of classroom performance evaluation indicators, the F values of all six indicators (average examination results improvement rate, average attendance improvement rate, average learning ability improvement rate, average classroom performance improvement rate, average progress range improvement rate and average learning interest improvement rate) are all greater than 40, and the P values are all less than 0.05. It indicates that different educational concepts have a significant impact on students’ classroom performance improvement. For example, the F value of the average examination results improvement rate is 45.67, and the P value is 0.0001. It shows that different teaching concepts have significant differences in improving students’ examination results. Similarly, other classroom performance evaluation indicators also have significant differences. In terms of personal and social skills evaluation indicators, the F values of all six indicators (self-confidence, responsibility, cooperation, creativity, attention and empathy) are all greater than 40. The P values are all less than 0.05. It shows that different educational concepts significantly affect students’ spiritual quality. For example, the F value of attention is 50.13, and the P value is 0.0001, indicating that different teaching concepts have a significant impact on students’ attention. The F value of empathy is 49.87, and the P value is also 0.0001, which shows that the educational concept has a significant effect on the cultivation of students’ empathy. Generally speaking, the analysis of variance in this study shows that different educational concepts have a significant impact on students’ academic performance and spiritual quality. It further verifies the effectiveness of teaching intervention programs and the value of differentiated teaching.

Discussion

This study innovatively combines mindfulness education with humanistic educational principles to design a diversified curriculum aimed at enhancing students’ academic performance and mental qualities. Compared to previous research, which mostly focused on the application of a single educational concept, existing studies have not systematically explored the integration of mindfulness education and humanistic education. This study fills that gap and, through a comprehensive curriculum design, delivers more holistic educational outcomes. It particularly demonstrates unique advantages in improving students’ academic performance and personal social skills.

The findings of this study are consistent with existing research and further develop upon it. The application of mindfulness education has been validated in multiple studies. Pickerell et al. (2023) pointed out that mindfulness practice could significantly improve students’ focus and academic performance. Pastore and Fortier (2023) also found that mindfulness education could effectively reduce students’ anxiety levels and enhance academic performance. Kilag et al. (2023) further demonstrated that mindfulness practice not only alleviated students’ academic stress but also improved their concentration and emotional management skills. Additionally, Jia and Tu (2024) discovered in their study on college students that mindfulness education could enhance students’ self-efficacy and emotional stability, thereby improving learning efficiency. Gür and Eser (2023) further noted that mindfulness practice had a significant positive impact on students’ classroom participation, motivation, and mental health. These studies align with the conclusion of this study, which is that mindfulness education not only improves students’ emotional regulation abilities but also has a positive impact on academic performance. Regarding humanistic education, existing research also supports its role in enhancing students’ overall quality. Kurniawan (2023) proposed a student-centered teaching model that emphasized teacher-student interaction and independent learning. This model had been proven to significantly increase students’ enthusiasm for learning and academic performance. Tang (2023) emphasized the importance of liberal education and individual development, arguing that creating a democratic and inclusive classroom environment could effectively promote students’ creativity and independence. Kinuthia (2024) proposed the ethics of care theory, which highlighted emotional interaction between teachers and students. Research has shown that care and support are important guarantees for students’ holistic development. Ferreira and Marques (2024) found that humanistic education enhanced students’ teamwork and social responsibility and increased their interest and motivation in learning. The curriculum design of this study inherits these concepts, emphasizing the self-actualization and potential development of students, further confirming the positive role of humanistic education. The innovation of this study lies in combining mindfulness education with humanistic education. By using mindfulness practice to improve students’ emotional regulation abilities and promoting individual development within the framework of humanistic education, this combination provides students with a more comprehensive space for growth, helping them achieve better outcomes in academics, emotional regulation, and social adaptation. Moreover, while existing research mostly focuses on the individual effects of mindfulness education or humanistic education, this study further explores their synergistic effects, filling the gap in this research area.

The application potential of the course design in this study is significant across different educational environments, cultural backgrounds, and age groups. Mindfulness education, as an effective means to enhance students’ emotional regulation, focus, and mental health, has been widely applied in educational systems worldwide. Its effectiveness has been verified in both Eastern and Western cultural contexts. In Western countries, mindfulness education is widely used in primary, secondary, and tertiary education stages, achieving positive outcomes. The mindfulness education approach in this study, especially the part combined with meditation practice, can adapt to educational needs in different countries and cultural backgrounds, and help students effectively cope with stress and emotional challenges in learning. In terms of humanistic education, the educational philosophy that emphasizes students’ self-actualization and positive teacher-student relationships is universal and applicable to various educational environments. In Chinese and international educational research, the practice of humanistic education has been proven to promote students’ self-directed learning, critical thinking, and the development of social responsibility. Therefore, the course planning in this study that combines mindfulness education and humanistic educational philosophy has the value of cross-cultural and cross-educational stage promotion, and can be flexibly applied in different educational environments.

Overall, this study has designed an innovative course plan by integrating mindfulness education with humanistic educational philosophy, considering the improvement of students’ academic performance and spiritual qualities. Compared with previous studies, this study demonstrates significant innovation both in theory and practice. The results indicate that this integration can provide students with a more comprehensive development space and has strong replicability. It has broad application potential in areas with significant cultural differences and among students of different age groups and educational stages. This offers a feasible path for future educational practice and provides valuable experience and ideas for further theoretical research in the field of education.

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