Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Resilience and Academic Motivation

This research investigated the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on the resilience and academic motivation of high school students. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test involving two groups (experimental and control). The statistical population comprised students enrolled in the second year of high school (tenth grade of humanities) during the academic year 2022-2033 in Zabol City. Using convenience sampling, 40 students were selected and assigned into experimental and control groups (n=20). Data were collected using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC; 2003) and the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS; Fairchild et al., 2004). The experimental group received 8-session Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, with each session lasting 2 hours and weekly, while no intervention was conducted for the control group. Data analysis was performed with descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (univariate and multivariate) using SPSS-26 software. The Results revealed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of resilience (F=73.48, p=0.000, η²=0.69) and academic motivation (F=11.14, p=0.000, η²=0.37). Following the implementation of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, both resilience and academic motivation showed improvement. Considering the research findings, it is evident that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was beneficial in enhancing resilience and academic motivation. This study contributes to the understanding of the potential positive impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the resilience and academic motivation of high school students.