Mindfulness and critical consciousness development in social work students: a mixed-methods convergent design study

A key goal in social work education is supporting students’ growth toward action that explicitly addresses Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This can be framed as critical consciousness (CC) development. However, social work educators often find that emotional barriers can hinder students’ abilities to develop CC. This mixed-methods study explored mindfulness as an intervention to address emotional barriers and support social work students’ growth toward CC. No statistically significant relationship was found between a mindful disposition and CC, as measured through the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Critical Consciousness Inventory (CCI) (N = 132). However, a vast majority (78%) of students (n = 120) reported that mindfulness supported their CC development. Analysis of semi-structured interviews (n = 13) added to the findings. Study implications include: 1) Assessing mindfulness unidimensionally as present-moment awareness alone was not related to CC; 2) Students identified mindfulness as a support to critical action, which is the final stage of CC development; and 3) Students found benefit in the application of mindfulness to their CC development in four specific wtpdel ays: a clearer understanding of the context, emotion regulation, increased self-awareness, and engagement in critical sociopolitical action.