Spirituality Studies 11-2 Fall 2025 25 Petra Kacafírková 3 Research Design This study forms part of a larger mixed-methods project examining changes in university students’ mental health indicators and their associations with self-compassion, self-efficacy, and personal growth, as well as their subjective experiences with mindfulness and self-compassion practices. Quantitative data were collected through standardised self-report instruments, while qualitative data were obtained via a focus group discussion at the end of the intervention and semi-structured questionnaires to capture participants’ reflections, perceived benefits, and barriers to practice. The project was conducted in two stages: Stage 1 (pilot) – Winter semester 2024/2025 (September – December 2024), 15 students. This stage is the focus of the present article. Stage 2 – Summer semester 2024/2025 (February – March 2025), with two additional groups of 21 students each. These data will be combined for analysis in a subsequent publication. The present paper, therefore, reports only on qualitative findings from Stage 1. 3.1 Aims and Research Questions The pilot stage aimed to address three research questions: 1. What are the perceived impacts of mindfulness and self-compassion practices on students’ well-being, self-awareness, and everyday life? 2. What barriers or challenges do students encounter when practising in a group-based educational setting? 3. How do students perceive the potential for integrating mindfulness and self-compassion practices into their future work as educators? 3.2 Participants The participants were first-year bachelor’s students enrolled in the Pedagogical Studies programme (Pedagogická studia) at the Faculty of Science, Humanities and Education, Technical University of Liberec in the Czech Republic. The programme prepares students for careers in non-formal education. The pilot sample consisted of 15 students (13 female, 2 male). Exact ages were not recorded, but participants were generally young adults typical of first-year university cohorts in the Czech Republic (approximately 19–21 years old). 3.3 Procedure The intervention was delivered as part of the compulsory General Psychology seminar. While attendance in the seminar was mandatory, participation in the research component was entirely voluntary. All students were informed about the purpose of the study and their rights before data collection, and written informed consent was obtained from those who agreed to participate. During the sessions, students were encouraged to take part in all activities, but they were also informed that if any exercise felt uncomfortable, they could choose not to engage and simply observe instead. In practice, all students participated fully, but this option was always available. Ethical approval for the study was granted by the university’s ethics committee (decision no. TUL–24/5120/074769). The pilot intervention consisted of four structured 90-minute sessions, delivered biweekly over the winter semester 2024/2025. Two sessions focused on self-compassion and two on mindfulness. The content was based on established frameworks, primarily Neff’s model of self-compassion and selected elements inspired by the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme. The aim was to introduce participants to a broad range of techniques rather than to replicate a full intervention protocol. Self-compassion sessions included psychoeducation (e.g., the distinction between self-compassion and self-esteem) and guided experiential activities, such as reflective writing (e.g., How do I treat my friend?), compassion-based meditations and exercises that explore the contrast between tender and fierce compassion. Mindfulness sessions covered key concepts (e.g., mindfulness versus relaxation), experien-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUwMDU5Ng==