Resumen de Mindful writing for faculty and graduate students: A pilot mixed-methods study of effects of a six-week workshop
Donna Strickland, Mollie A. Price Blackshear, B. Ann Bettencourt
Faculty at institutions of higher education face increasing pressure to publish and become productive writers, which may lead to distress and subsequent lack of productivity. The current pilot study examined the effects of a modified version of Robert Boice’s “Blocked Writers Program”, in conjunction with formal training in mindfulness meditation. The modified program lasted six weeks. Eleven faculty and graduate students at a large Midwestern university in the United States participated in the program and answered weekly open-ended assessments regarding their writing. Improvements, particularly with regard to emotions contributing to writer’s block, were supported by the weekly open-ended responses. Although these findings are promising, evidence of the program’s effectiveness needs further support from future research that includes a larger sample size and a control group.
