The Significance of Nine-Centered Meditation in Alleviating Academic Performance Issues Among Adolescent Boys: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Declining academic performance among adolescents has emerged as a significant educational concern, associated with excessive internet use, poor attention regulation, and inadequate self-discipline. Nine-Centered Meditation, rooted in the Simplified kundalini Yoga tradition, offers a holistic intervention targeting cognitive enhancement and behavioral modification. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Nine-Centered Meditation on academic performance, internet addiction and daily internet usage time among adolescent boys.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 80 adolescent boys (ages 13–17) identified with academic performance issues (GPA < 3.0) from 250 students. Participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 50) receiving a 12-week Nine-Centered Meditation intervention (6 sessions/week, 50 min/session) or a waitlist control group (n = 50). Pre-test and post-test assessments were conducted using standardized instruments. Data were analyzed using independent and paired samples t-tests with Cohen's d effect sizes.

Results: The experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvements across all six dependent variables (p < 0.001). Academic performance (GPA) improved from 2.8 ± 0.4 to 3.4 ± 0.3 (d = 1.71), internet addiction (IAT) decreased from 68.4 ± 8.2 to 42.1 ± 7.5 (d = 1.68), and daily internet usage time from 7.8 ± 1.4 to 4.2 ± 1.2 hours/day (d = 2.68). No significant changes were observed in the control group.

Conclusions: Nine-Centered Meditation is an effective intervention for improving academic performance and reducing digital addiction among adolescent boys. The findings support the integration of meditation-based programs into educational settings to enhance student achievement.