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Research on the Transcendental Meditation Program in Education |
The Transcendental Meditation® and
TM-Sidhi® Programs:
An Educational Technology for the Development of the Knower
This paper presents the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs as a scientifically validated educational technology for the full development of the knower, which has been successfully implemented at all levels of education. Furthermore, the application of this technology in educational institutions is found to contribute directly to the quality of life of the whole society. EDITORS
In any educational setting there are three basic elements that comprise the learning situation: the subject matter, the process of gaining knowledge, and the abilities of the knower or student. The only one of these three elements for which there has previously been no means of development is that of the student's abilities. That is, the development of the subject matter is ensured by the progression of the particular discipline, particularly in the case of the sciences. Similarly, there has been a great deal of attention given to the development of instructional methodology in order to improve the effectiveness of the process of gaining knowledge in the classroom (e.g., Peterson and Walberg, 1979). In spite of the development in both areas of subject matter and instructional methodology, there has been no technology to directly improve the cognitive and affective capabilities of the student, even though it has been pointed out that the cognitive and affective entry characteristics of the student account for 75 percent of the outcome on achievement measures and the quality of instruction accounts for 25 percent (Bloom, 1976).
If there had been a comparable lack of development in the other two elements of education, every educational system in the world would be teaching the same information by the same methods as it had done a century ago. A technology to develop the cognitive and affective capabilities of the student is obviously the most critical need in education today. It is precisely such an educational technology which is provided by the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs. The purpose of this paper is to review the proven effectiveness of the TM and TM-Sidhi programs as an educational technology for the development of the knower. The theoretical foundation for the effects of the programs is first discussed, followed by a presentation of the research evidence for their effects and the results of their implementation in educational settings.
Reference: Dillbeck, S., & Dillbeck, M.C. (1985). “The transcendental meditation program as an educational technology: research and applications.” Educational Technology, 7–13, November.
Department of Education, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, IA 52557
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