Examining Attention Control in Pre-service EFL Teachers: Effects of A Mindfulness-Based Intervention

Purpose: In today's digital world, students often struggle with short attention spans, constant distractions, and high levels of stress. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the impact of mindfulness practices on the English Language Teaching (ELT) pre-service teachers’ (PTs) mindfulness and attention control in a state university in Türkiye. Method: Following a mixed-methods approach with a pre-experimental design, 81 ELT PTs were administered the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory and the Attention Control Scale before and after the 12-week mindfulness-based intervention, in addition to employing an open-ended questionnaire. Findings: A paired sample t-test results revealed a significant increase in general mindfulness and a highly significant improvement in attention control, suggesting that the intervention enhanced the PTs’ attention control. Content analysis of the qualitative data supported these results, with a notable subset of individuals mentioned psychological comfort and readiness before lessons, reporting that mindfulness practices help them appreciate themselves, reduce their anxiety and stress, particularly before the presentations and exams, increase their emotional self-regulation and motivation in addition to helping them focus on their current activity and regain their attention through clearing their mind; thus, they become more open to learn new things. Conclusion: Ultimately, the study suggests that mindfulness serves as a catalyst for mitigating situational stress by enhancing PTs’ emotional self-regulation strategies, as well as improves students' capacity to sustain attention focus through increased internal awareness.