Intervention Effect of Mindfulness Interventions Combined With Folk-Dance on Academic Burnout Among Left-Behind Children in Rural China

Objectives This study examined the comparative effectiveness of three distinct interventions—a dance-based intervention, a mindfulness-based intervention, and a combined intervention integrating both strategies—in alleviating academic burnout among a sample of rural Chinese left-behind children. Methods A total of 100 rural left-behind children were randomly divided into four groups: mindfulness training, dance therapy, combined intervention, and control groups through a single-blind randomized controlled trial design. Each group received four intervention sessions per week over a 12-week period. The assessment of academic burnout was conducted at three time points: baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention (T1), and at a 6-week follow-up (T2). Data analysis was performed using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni correction in SPSS (version 26.0). Results Between-subjects ANOVA revealed significant group differences in academic burnout (AB) total scores and its dimensions: physical exhaustion (PE), emotional exhaustion (EE), alienation from the teacher (ATT), and low learning efficacy (RLE). Throughout the intervention period, a significant and consistent reduction was observed in both the total academic burnout scores and the scores across its various dimensions for participants in the intervention groups. Notably, the combined intervention group demonstrated a more pronounced reduction in academic burnout compared to the mindfulness group and the dance group, as evidenced by significantly lower scores at both T1 and T2. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the combination of folk-dance and mindfulness interventions is of significant value in reducing academic burnout among left-behind children.