Effect of a Positive Mindfulness Program on Positive Emotional Development in Final-Year Students: A Pre-Experimental Study in Semarang
Abstract
Purpose of the study: This study aims to determine the effect of a positive mindfulness program on increasing positive emotions in final year students.
Methodology: This study uses a quantitative approach with an experimental research type. The research design used is a Pre-experimental one group pretest-posttest design. The study was conducted on final year students in Semarang with 18 participants. The determination of research participants used a purposive sampling technique. Data were obtained by filling out the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Mindfulness Based Self-Efficacy Revised (MSES-RR) scales before and after being given a positive mindfulness intervention.
Main Findings: The results of the hypothesis test using the paired sample t-test obtained a significance value of p <.001 (p <0.05), thus the hypothesis in this study was accepted, this means that the positive mindfulness intervention program significantly influenced in increasing positive mindfulness in final year students with a Cohen's d value or effect size of 0.632 on the PANAS instrument and an effect size of 0.270 on the MSES-R instrument.
Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty of this study lies in its adoption of a positive mindfulness approach, which explicitly aims to cultivate positive emotions. This study will measure the increase in positive emotions directly. Through positive mindfulness, final-year students can view problems more focusedly and objectively, as well as be fully aware of what they are feeling, thereby helping individuals to bring forth positive emotions.
References
B. L. Fredrickson, “The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions.,” Am. Psychol., vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 218–226, Mar. 2001, doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218.
C. L. Ching and V. L. Chan, “Positive emotions, positive feelings and health: A life philosophy,” Linguist. Cult. Rev., vol. 4, no. 1, 2020, doi: 10.37028/lingcure.v4n1.16.
G. Arslan, “Beyond happiness: The three waves of positive psychology and the future of wellbeing,” J. Happiness Heal., no. Articles in press, pp. 42–47, Jul. 2025, doi: 10.47602/johah.v5i2.121.
N. Levit-Binnun, K. Arbel, and D. Dorjee, “The mindfulness map: A practical classification framework of mindfulness practices, associated intentions, and experiential understandings,” Front. Psychol., vol. 12, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.727857.
S. L. Shapiro, L. E. Carlson, J. A. Astin, and B. Freedman, “Mechanisms of mindfulness,” J. Clin. Psychol., vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 373–386, Mar. 2006, doi: 10.1002/jclp.20237.
T. Tanti, A. Astalini, D. A. Kurniawan, D. Darmaji, T. O. Puspitasari, and I. Wardhana, “Attitude for physics: The condition of high school students,” Jurnal Pendidikan Fisika Indonesia, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 126-132, 2021, doi: 10.15294/jpfi.v17i2.18919.
G. A. Askara, R. P. Putra, H. Herwin, and D. A. Rizky, “Mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and gender as predictors of academic motivation in high school students,” Int. J. Islam. Educ. Psychol., vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 291–308, Dec. 2024, doi: 10.18196/ijiep.v5i2.24634.
E. K. Lindsay et al., “How mindfulness training promotes positive emotions: Dismantling acceptance skills training in two randomized controlled trials.,” J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., vol. 115, no. 6, pp. 944–973, Dec. 2018, doi: 10.1037/pspa0000134.
X. Chen and A. M. Padilla, “Emotions and creativity as predictors of resilience among L3 learners in the Chinese educational context,” Curr. Psychol., vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 406–416, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s12144-019-00581-7.
A. Sverdlik, N. C. Hall, L. McAlpine, and K. Hubbard, “The PhD experience: A Review of the factors influencing doctoral students’ completion, achievement, and Well-Being,” Int. J. Dr. Stud., vol. 13, pp. 361–388, 2018, doi: 10.28945/4113.
T. Tanti, D. Deliza, and S. Hartina, “The effectiveness of using smartphones as mobile-mini labs in improving students’ beliefs in physics,” JIPF (Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan Fisika), vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 387-394, 2024, doi: 10.26737/jipf.v9i3.5185.
M. Brueckmann, J. Hachenberger, E. Wild, and S. Lemola, “Repetitive negative thinking mediates the relationship between self-esteem and burnout in an ecological momentary assessment study,” Commun. Psychol., vol. 3, no. 1, p. 134, Aug. 2025, doi: 10.1038/s44271-025-00318-2.
Y. B. Zhang et al., “Combined lifestyle factors, all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies,” Jan. 01, 2021, BMJ Publishing Group. doi: 10.1136/jech-2020-214050.
L. Li, A. D. I. Gow, and J. Zhou, “The role of positive emotions in education: A neuroscience perspective,” Mind, Brain, Educ., vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 220–234, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1111/mbe.12244.
J. G. Allen, J. Romate, and E. Rajkumar, “Mindfulness-based positive psychology interventions: A systematic review,” BMC Psychol., vol. 9, no. 1, p. 116, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.1186/s40359-021-00618-2.
M. D. Bamber and E. Morpeth, “Effects of mindfulness meditation on college student anxiety: A meta-analysis,” Mindfulness (N. Y)., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 203–214, Feb. 2019, doi: 10.1007/s12671-018-0965-5.
P. Ritvo, F. Ahmad, C. El Morr, M. Pirbaglou, and R. Moineddin, “A Mindfulness-Based intervention for student depression, anxiety, and stress: randomized controlled trial,” JMIR Ment. Heal., vol. 8, no. 1, p. e23491, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.2196/23491.
H. P. Phan et al., “Advancing the study of positive psychology: The use of a multifaceted structure of mindfulness for development,” Front. Psychol., vol. 11, Jul. 2020, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01602.
P. Xue and S. M. S. Abdullah, “A systematic review of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and its effects on mental health and academic performance in university students,” Open Psychol. J., vol. 18, no. 1, Jul. 2025, doi: 10.2174/0118743501379520250716121048.
J. N. Donald et al., “Mindfulness and its association with varied types of motivation: A systematic review and meta-analysis using self-determination theory,” Personal. Soc. Psychol. Bull., vol. 46, no. 7, pp. 1121–1138, Jul. 2020, doi: 10.1177/0146167219896136.
Z. Schuman-Olivier et al., “Mindfulness and behavior change,” Harv. Rev. Psychiatry, vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 371–394, Nov. 2020, doi: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000277.
H. Alomari, “Mindfulness and its relationship to academic achievement among university students,” Front. Educ., vol. 8, pp. 1–9, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1179584.
T. Y. Tan, L. Wachsmuth, and M. M. Tugade, “Emotional nuance: Examining positive emotional granularity and Well-Being,” Front. Psychol., vol. 13, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.715966.
R. Wu et al., “Brief mindfulness meditation improves emotion processing,” Front. Neurosci., vol. 13, Oct. 2019, doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01074.
C. J. Price and C. Hooven, “Interoceptive awareness skills for emotion regulation: Theory and approach of mindful awareness in body-oriented therapy (MABT),” Front. Psychol., vol. 9, May 2018, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00798.
T. Jislin-Goldberg, G. Tanay, and A. Bernstein, “Mindfulness and positive affect: Cross-sectional, prospective intervention, and real-time relations,” J. Posit. Psychol., vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 349–361, Sep. 2012, doi: 10.1080/17439760.2012.700724.
C. Keane, D. Waldeck, A. Holliman, S. Goodman, and K. Choudhry, “Exploring the experience of anxiety among final year students at university: A thematic analysis,” Qual. Rep., Aug. 2021, doi: 10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4874.
P. Koutsimani, A. Montgomery, and K. Georganta, “The relationship between burnout, depression, and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” Front. Psychol., vol. 10, Mar. 2019, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284.
J. M. Rung and G. J. Madden, “Experimental reductions of delay discounting and impulsive choice: A systematic review and meta-analysis.,” J. Exp. Psychol. Gen., vol. 147, no. 9, pp. 1349–1381, Sep. 2018, doi: 10.1037/xge0000462.
S. B. Bierer et al., “Moving Beyond Simplistic Research Design in Health Professions Education: What a One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design Will Not Prove,” MedEdPORTAL, May 2025, doi: 10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11527.
D. Watson, L. A. Clark, and A. Tellegen, “Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales.,” J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., vol. 54, no. 6, pp. 1063–1070, 1988, doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063.
P. R. E. Crocker, “A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) with a Youth Sport Sample,” J. Sport Exerc. Psychol., vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 91–97, Mar. 1997, doi: 10.1123/jsep.19.1.91.
S. Miralles-Armenteros, R. Chiva-Gómez, A. Rodríguez-Sánchez, and Z. Barghouti, “Mindfulness and academic performance: The role of compassion and engagement,” Innov. Educ. Teach. Int., vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 3–13, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1080/14703297.2019.1676284.
J. Kabat-Zinn, “Meditation is not what you think,” Mindfulness (N. Y)., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 784–787, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.1007/s12671-020-01578-1.
M. Yavuz Sercekman, “Exploring the sustained impact of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program: A thematic analysis,” Front. Psychol., vol. 15, Jul. 2024, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347336.
S.-L. Keng, M. J. Smoski, and C. J. Robins, “Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies,” Clin. Psychol. Rev., vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 1041–1056, Aug. 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006.
T. Tanti, W. Utami, D. Deliza, and M. Jahanifar, “Investigation in vocation high school for attitude and motivation students in learning physics subject”, Jor. Eva. Edu, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 479-490, 2025, doi: 10.37251/jee.v6i2.1452.
A. Crawford, E. Sellman, and S. Joseph, “Journaling: A more mindful approach to researching a Mindfulness-Based intervention in a junior school,” Int. J. Qual. Methods, vol. 20, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1177/16094069211014771.
A. Kalamatianos, K. Kounenou, C. Pezirkianidis, and N. Kourmousi, “The Role of Gratitude in a Positive Psychology Group Intervention Program Implemented for Undergraduate Engineering Students,” Behav. Sci. (Basel)., vol. 13, no. 6, p. 460, Jun. 2023, doi: 10.3390/bs13060460.
L. Zheng, Q. Lu, and Y. Gan, “Effects of expressive writing and use of cognitive words on meaning making and post-traumatic Growth,” J. Pacific Rim Psychol., vol. 13, Jan. 2019, doi: 10.1017/prp.2018.31.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ajeng Octavia Insani Harits, Farida Harahap, Sholeha Tri Asih

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and acknowledge that the Integrated Science Education Journal is the first publisher licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges and earlier and greater citation of published work.



.png)
.png)



