Impact of an Empathy Training Program on Children's Perspective-Taking Abilities

Aslan D., Akyol A. K.

PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORTS, vol.123, no.6, pp.2394-2409, 2020 (SSCI) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 123 Issue: 6
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/0033294119868785
  • Journal Name: PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORTS
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, AgeLine, ATLA Religion Database, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, Gender Studies Database, MEDLINE, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index
  • Page Numbers: pp.2394-2409
  • Keywords: Preschool education, children, perspective taking, empathy training program, DRAMA
  • Çukurova University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of an empathy training program developed by the researchers to promote perspective-taking abilities of preschool children. Participants were 34 children from two different kindergartens. Children in the treatment group attended an empathy training program that consisted of 30 activities and lasted for 10 weeks, whereas those in the nonintervention group attend the regular preschool program. Data were obtained through individual interviews with children. Perspective-Taking Test for Children, designed by the researchers, was used to assess children's perspective-taking abilities. The results of the study demonstrated that the training program significantly improved perspective-taking performance of children in the treatment group compared to their peers in the nonintervention group, and this effect persisted one month after the intervention.