Transcendental Meditation links to higher graduation rates says new study.
The study was just published in the June 2013 issue of the journal Education*.
Graduation rates have enormous impact on society because higher rates translate into higher earnings potential, lower crime and lower need for government assistance.
South Africa’s university graduation rate is reported as around 15%, one of the lowest in the world, according to the HSRC. The Department of Education has issued a public statement that the cost of the drop outs is R4.5 BILLION in grants and subsidies alone, without any return on investment. So the true cost is probably a multiple of this figure.
According to lead author Robert Colbert: “Students need to be provided with value-added educational programs that can provide opportunities for school success. Our study investigated one such program, Transcendental Meditation, which appears to hold tremendous promise for enriching the lives of our nation’s students.”
235 students enrolled during their senior year were studied to determine on-time graduation. Over 82% of the entire meditating group graduated, versus only 2/3 of the non-meditating controls. I reckon that’s a 23% improvement. Student grade point average was controlled for.
It looks like a 50% difference in graduation rates when only the low academic performing students in both groups were compared!
These findings have tremendous significance for South African education.
Sanford Nidich, Ed.D, co-author and professor of education at Maharishi University of Management says: “These results are the first to show that the Transcendental Meditation program can have a positive impact on student graduation rates. The largest effect was found in the most academically challenged students. Recently published research on increased academic achievement and reduced psychological stress in urban school students may provide possible mechanisms for the higher graduation rates found in this study.” Classroom stress is discussed elsewhere on this site.
Meditating students were less apt to dropout from school, or enter prison, and were more likely to be accepted to post-secondary institutions.
The research was funded by the David Lynch Foundation. Contact them if you would like your institution to be considered for an education grant to learn Transcendental Meditation.
Contact us using the form top right if you would like help with your application.
References:
*Colbert, R.D. and Nidich, S. (2013). Effect of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Graduation, College Acceptance and Dropout Rates for Students Attending an Urban Public High School. Education, 133 (4), 495-501.
