This study was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (No: 2019R1F1A1046796).
This study describes the development of a violence prevention educational program for elementary school children using empathy (VPEP-E) that teachers can use during class.
Hoffman’s theory of empathy and Seels and Richey’s (1994) ADDIE model were applied to develop this program.
The developed program consisted of eight sessions: Orientation/definition of violence and empathy, types and boundaries of violence, look into my feelings, say it with a facial expression, preventing non-empathic violence due to social prejudice, preventing physical violence, verbal and online violence prevention: empathic conversation, and I can do well: review of the whole curriculum. The program was evaluated by 15 elementary school teachers, who considered it to be easily accessible to elementary school students. The final VPEP-E, which will be provided in eight times for 40 minutes each for fifth-grade students, will provide a basis for preventing violence by fostering empathy.
We expect the developed educational program to be effective in preventing violence among elementary school students. However, further research involving children from various age groups is needed.
Violence refers to the use of force, such as fists, feet, or sticks and other weapons, to subdue others through the exercise of power that causes injury or destruction [
As violence manifests through examples of cruel collective behavior, effective strategies are needed to prevent further incidents of violence [
Although school years are critical for children’s development, many children are exposed to violence during this period in their lives [
School violence is not a one-time incident; instead, it is a pattern of consistent and systematic behavior [
Currently, elementary schools in South Korea operate a school violence prevention education program as part of character-building education to solve these problems [
Empathy can be understood as a vicarious experience of the feelings or thoughts of another person and an affective response more appropriate to someone else’s situation than one’s own [
According to previous studies, depending on a person’s capacity to empathize, one may become a bystander or a defender of a victim [
However, studies on violence in South Korea have mostly focused on adolescents [
This study developed a violence prevention educational program using empathy (VPEP-E) for elementary school children that provides basic guidelines on preventing violence and can be used by teachers and health teachers can utilize it in fieldwork.
Hoffman’s Empathy Theory [
Mimicry refers to the process of imitating the emotional expressions of the victim’s face, voice, and posture, through afferent feedback with emotions consistent with those of the victim. Classical conditioning describes how a child forms the basis of an empathic response by generalizing conditioned stimuli through expressions and behaviors in encounters with others and the resulting feelings. Direct association refers to feeling the emotions appropriate to the victim’s situation based on reminders of one’s past experiences through clues, such as facial expressions, behavior, and language, seen in the victim’s situation. Mediated association involves a reminder of one’s past experiences by looking at clues arising from the verbal mediation of information about the victim. Role taking is a way of empathizing by “thinking about someone else’s position” and considering “what other people are feeling”.
Based on this, the VPEP-E included five empathy-arousing components. Elementary school students who develop empathy after participating in the VPEP-E are expected to experience empathic distress related to the victim’s distress and to engage in pro-social moral behavior after experiencing sympathy, guilt, empathic anger, and empathy over injustice (
This methodological study provided basic data for implementation in the field by developing a program for preventing violence among elementary school children using empathy.
The goal of this study was to develop an educational program using empathy to prevent violence, ultimately promoting the health of elementary school children. Accordingly, the phases of analysis, design, and development in the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation) model proposed by Seels and Richey [
The teaching strategies of the ARCS theory [
Ethical approval for this study was granted by the Institutional Review Board (HIRB-2020-EX004) of Hallym University after submitting a research proposal for the purpose, contents, and methods of the study. It was evaluated as having no ethical issues during the entire study process. The program development was conducted from July to August 2020 according to the procedure presented in the study results.
To analyze educational needs, learners, and the environment, we conducted preliminary research among 195 elementary school students in fifth and sixth grades to identify content related to violence prevention in the upper grades of elementary school [
A literature review related to empathy and violence prevention education programs was conducted. We searched for studies published from the earliest available date until August 2020 that described the application of programs related to “violence” and “empathy” for children. We shared the references identified in the literature review with the panel 1 week before meeting for the first discussion. Four in-depth discussions, lasting for over 2 hours, were conducted with an expert panel that included two elementary school teachers, one health teacher, and three professors in the nursing department. In the first discussion, all the panel members reviewed the literature. Then, in the second discussion, the current status of the study was reviewed. In the third discussion, key words relating to violence prevention education for elementary school students were extracted, and in the fourth discussion, these terms were organized into content categories to help fifth-graders understand the relevant concepts by using empathy, and all of the panel members reached a consensus. Based on the literature review and expert opinions, the content categories of the VPEP-E were summarized as “definition of violence and empathy”, “types and boundaries of violence”, “role taking for empathy”, “mimicry with imitation and feedback”, “conditioning and association in facial expression”, “non-empathic violence due to social prejudice”, “classical conditioning and physical violence”, and “empathic conversation as preventing verbal/online violence”.
The program was designed to achieve its goals in a way that would make it easy for the students to understand and implement empathy in real life. It had eight sessions, as follows: “Orientation/definition of violence and empathy”, “Types and boundaries of violence” (role taking),”Look into my feelings” (mimicry), “Say it with a facial expression”(classical conditioning/direct association), “preventing non-empathic violence due to social prejudice”(mediated association), “Preventing physical violence”(classical conditioning), “Verbal and online violence prevention: empathic conversation (mediated associations/role taking)”, and “I can do well: review of the whole curriculum”. Each session started with an introduction, followed by an elaboration of the learning points (referred to hereafter as “enhancement”), and ended with an activity. Hoffman’s arousal patterns [
We also applied attention (A), relevance (R), confidence (C), and satisfaction (S) from the ARCS theory [
The main content of the lectures was summarized using Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA). The Microsoft PowerPoint slides were created using clear colors, fonts, and font sizes that elementary school students could easily understand and focus on. The text contained simple and easy words in keeping with the sentence-reading ability of elementary school students.
After the development of this program, a group of experts were requested to verify the validity of the content and to further improve the program. As a tool for evaluation, a feasibility questionnaire for experts was constructed by supplementing the instrument for evaluating satisfaction with training programs [
The evaluation process in ADDIE is conducted in two stages: formative in the development phase and summative in the evaluation phase [
The program was evaluated by 15 elementary school teachers after developing and verifying it. We created a program book that included the content of all eight sessions of the program and sent it to them by mail. After reviewing the content of the program book, they filled out the enclosed paper-based questionnaire and wrote down comments on directions for further improvement. To reflect their suggestions, the order of role play was adjusted to two sessions, and the terms were changed to reflect the groups used by elementary school students. Ultimately, the total satisfaction level of the 15 elementary school teachers was high, at 3.64±0.29 for the eight items (
This program was developed by applying Hoffman’s Empathy Theory [
In the first session, “Orientation/definition of violence and empathy”, the goal is to understand the purpose of VPEP-E and acquire knowledge of violence and empathy. In the introduction, students are given time to think about their friends in the class, their words and actions, and watch the related videos (for attention and relevance). In the enhancement portion of the session, a lecture is then prepared to improve participants’ understanding of empathy and violence-related knowledge. For the activity, students write the pledge of participation (for confidence). Finally, students think about what actions and words hinder the peace of the class (for relevance) and take a quiz (for confidence and satisfaction).
In second session, “Types and boundaries of violence” (role taking), the goal is to clearly understand the types and boundaries of violence. In the introduction, students watch videos related to violence that may have occurred in the classroom (for attention and relevance). Then, for enhancement, students learn about the types and boundaries of violence and differentiate between pranks and violence through several examples. As an activity, students perform role-plays using actual examples of violence based on what they see in the video (for attention, relevance, and confidence). Finally, they evaluate and discuss ideas on problem-solving methods in groups.
In third session, “Look into my feelings” (mimicry), the goal is to understand the types of emotions that are felt and how they feel. The introduction involves describing current feelings or situations that they are facing (for relevance). Next, for enhancement, they compare situations where one knows one’s feelings (especially anger related to violence) and play an emotion-matching game to improve empathy (for relevance, confidence, and satisfaction). The group activity, writing exercise, and sharing feelings relate to confidence.
In the fourth session, “Say it with a facial expression” (classical conditioning/direct association), the goal is to practice conveying emotions accurately by connecting emotions with appropriate facial expressions. In the introduction, students watch an empathy-related video from the Korean Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) (“Mirror in my brain” [4:40], for attention and relevance) and engage in circular layout play using empathy (relevance, confidence, and satisfaction). Next, for enhancement, students practice looking back at emotions, facial expressions, and words (when angry, sad, and happy) and compare their experiences with those of their friends as a small-group activity involving drawing and writing, and a lecture is given on how to control one’s anger through empathy. For the activity, a discussion about how to understand and respond to a friend’s facial expressions and how to respond appropriately in an encouraging manner is planned.
In the fifth session, “Preventing non-empathic violence due to social prejudice” (mediated association), the goal is to think about social prejudice and learn ideas through empathy. In the introduction, a text about situations in the classroom related to empathy (for attention and relevance) is read. Next, for enhancement, a lecture addresses the topics of thinking about a friend’s habits and ways of speaking (for relevance), identifying one’s biases and prejudices using a checklist, and using words to express empathy without prejudice, followed by a group activity. Subsequently, respectful words for others through empathy (for confidence and satisfaction) are discussed. As the activity, students create a motto for a campaign designed to address thoughts or feelings about unsympathetic misunderstandings, prejudices, or discrimination (for confidence).
In the sixth session, “Preventing physical violence” (classical conditioning), the goal is to identify and prevent different types of physical violence. For the introduction, a video dealing with physical violence among students is provided (for attention and relevance). Then, for enhancement, a lecture on types of physical violence and how to control anger through empathy is delivered using Microsoft PowerPoint. The activity involves a discussion on ways to stop physical violence among students through empathy.
In the seventh session, “Verbal and online violence prevention: empathic conversation”(mediated associations/role taking), the goal is to practice communicating with empathy and to rectify problems in online settings. The introduction involves a small-group activity where students pick the three best words that they often use (attention and relevance), find reasons to use them, and practice empathizing with a friend’s thoughts. Next, for enhancement, a lecture and small-group activity deal with how to correct hurtful words and use empathic language, writing a life pledge to use proper language (confidence and satisfaction), finding the most empathic words that one can say in each situation (for relevance and confidence), words that make one happy, and good words to say to friends (for confidence). Finally, blog posts from the internet are read and inappropriate words are identified to strengthen previous activities (relevance and confidence). The group activity includes a discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of using internet terminology (confidence).
In the eighth session, “I can do well: review of the whole curriculum”, the final goal is to look back at the entire program and declare one’s intention to be a peacekeeper. After repeating the circular layout play using empathy (for relevance, confidence, and satisfaction), students find a guardian angel friend in the classroom (attention and relevance) and identify the guardian angel friend’s good qualities (confidence). The instructor reviews all sessions again with a Microsoft PowerPoint lecture. The final activity is the Peacekeeper Appointment Ceremony, where all students receive an award (satisfaction).
Regarding the formative evaluation, the developed VPEP-E was considered appropriate to educate fifth-grade elementary school children by 15 school teachers. The final VPEP-E will be provided in eight times of 40-minute sessions to a class of fifth-grade elementary school students in the classroom by the authors. Thus, the significance of this study is that it verified that VPEP-E can provide a foundation for preventing violence by promoting empathy among elementary school students, and the effectiveness of the program was improved through class-oriented activities and audio-visual educational methods.
The seriousness of the problem of violence due to the failure of overall respect for human rights has recently been pointed out in Korea. The necessity of approaching this problem from a human rights perspective, including human dignity and educational equality, has been emphasized [
In this study, we developed VPEP-E using the analysis, design, and development phase of the ADDIE model. A literature review was conducted, expert opinions were incorporated into the program, and the theory of empathy was applied in each of the eight sessions. The formative evaluation comprehensively checked the effectiveness and efficiency of the training materials developed in the analysis, design, and development process, in addition to finding and correcting problems. In most previous studies on the prevention of violence against children, objective measurements of satisfaction were omitted, and only a comprehensive evaluation of the entire program was conducted [
As an educational strategy, Keller’s ARCS theory [
In this study, Hoffman’s Empathy Theory [
It is well known that empathy appears during the first 3 years of life and thereafter remains stable or develops gradually. Therefore, during the elementary school years, empathy may increase along with education. Lim and Kim [
According to previous studies dealing with the relationship between empathy and violence, the effects of various types of empathy can be confirmed. specifically, since empathy motivates prosocial behavior and inhibits aggression, it may prevent violence [
Since the program developed in this study may be helpful for preventing violence among children, we hope to make it available to the target audience and make efforts to disseminate it in schools. Although this study focused on elementary school students, it is expected that violence prevention programs using empathy for children at various developmental stages will be developed based on this study. Additionally, since the content and methods of violence prevention change according to the times and social needs, efforts should be made to continue developing educational materials that can attract the interest of elementary school students and to disseminate the developed materials. Violence prevention education using empathy will be more effective if supported by legal and institutional support, such as mandating a longer duration of violence prevention education or establishing integrated educational methods.
This methodological study should be interpreted in light of several limitations. To develop the program, we used the three phases of the ADDIE model instead of conducting preliminary testing targeting the elementary school children. Of particular note, because the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, it was not possible to investigate students face-to-face or to hold in-person meetings. In addition, although this study proposes a new education program for preventing violence among children, it cannot be generalized because it was evaluated by a small number of elementary school teachers. Therefore, to address the limitations of the study, the effectiveness of this program should be evaluated through continuing interventional research among numerous elementary students across in regions. Children’s violence prevention programs using empathy should be expanded for various developmental stages of children or to provide differentiated education according to gender.
This study developed a violence prevention education program for elementary school students using empathy (VPEP-E), which is considered useful for elementary school students as it offers basic guidelines. Its reliability and feasibility were evaluated by experts. Therefore, we expect that it may contribute to preventing violence among elementary school students. Further research to measure the effectiveness of the VPEP-E is needed to generalize its reliability and validity. We also suggest that violence prevention programs using empathy should be expanded to include children in various developmental stages.
No existing or potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.
Please contact the corresponding author for data availability.
Theoretical framework of this study according to Hoffman’s (2000) Empathy Theory. VPEP-E, violence prevention education program using empathy.
The process of this study according to ADDIE. VPE, violence prevention education; VPEP-E, violence prevention education program using empathy.
Elementary Teachers’ Satisfaction with the Program (
Questions on satisfaction | M±SD |
---|---|
The goals of the program are clear. | 3.91±0.30 |
The program’s goals match what was expected. | 3.82±0.41 |
The contents of the program are structured appropriately as per the subject. | 3.64±0.50 |
It is composed in a way that entails expectations of high professionalism(content and delivery power). | 3.36±0.51 |
The program consisted of activities appropriate for the goals and content. | 3.45±0.52 |
The program will be helpful in future classes. | 3.73±0.47 |
The program can be applied to actual instruction. | 3.64±0.51 |
Overall, I am satisfied with this program. | 3.55±0.52 |
Total | 3.64±0.29 |
Content of the Educational Intervention
Session (duration) | Theme | Content | Methods | |
---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
Tool/material | Practical application | |||
I (40 mins) | Orientation/definition of violence and empathy | Introduction
Self-introduction What do your friends in your class think of your words and actions (A/R)? Identifying goals: understanding the purpose of VPEP-E and knowing violence and empathy. Watching violence prevention education animation video (5:20) (A/R). |
Microsoft PowerPoint, video clip | Small-group activity |
Enhancement
Understanding the definition of violence and present conditions (R). Definition and method of empathy. Writing the pledge of program participation (C). |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Lecture, small-group activity | ||
Activity
What actions and words have hindered the peace of our class so far (R)? Quiz related to the definition and reality of school violence and empathy (C/S). |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Quiz | ||
| ||||
II (40 mins) | Types and boundaries of violence (role taking) | Introduction
Identifying goals: clearly understanding the types and boundaries of violence. Videos on types of violence that may be present in the classroom (9:17) (A/R). |
Microsoft PowerPoint, video clip | Lecture |
Enhancement
Types and boundaries of violence. Differentiating between pranks and violence using several examples. |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Lecture | ||
Activity
Perform role-plays using actual examples of violence in the video (A/R/C). - Examples, such as forced errands and bullying. - Composed of violent abusers, victims, and bystanders. - Evaluation, discussion, and exploration of ideas on problem-solving methods in groups. |
Role-play, discussion | |||
| ||||
III (40 mins) | Look into my feelings (mimicry) | Introduction
Identifying goals: understanding what kinds of emotion I feel, and how they feel. Describing the current feelings or situations using words in Microsoft PowerPoint (R). |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Lecture |
Enhancement
Comparison of situations for knowing one's feelings (especially anger related to violence). Emotion-matching game to improve empathy (R/C/S). |
Emotion cards | Small-group activity | ||
Activity
Writing testimony and sharing feelings (C). |
Group activity | |||
| ||||
IV (40 mins) | Say it with a facial expression (classical conditioning/direct association) | Introduction
Identifying goals: Practicing conveying emotions accurately by connecting emotions with appropriate facial expressions. "Mirror in my brain," watching the empathy video (4:40) (A/R). Circular layout play using empathy (R/C/S). |
Microsoft PowerPoint, video clip | Small-group activity |
Enhancement
Looking back on emotions, facial expressions, and words (when angry, sad, happy). Comparing with friends. How to control your anger using empathy. |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Drawing, writing, group activity, lecture | ||
Activity
How to understand and respond to your friend's facial expressions and to respond appropriately and encourage them. |
Discussion | |||
| ||||
V (40 mins) | Preventing non-empathic violence due to social prejudice (mediated association) | Introduction
Identifying goals: thinking about social prejudice and learning ideas through empathy. Reading articles about situations in the classroom related to empathy (A/R). |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Lecture |
Enhancement
Thinking of your friends' habits and ways of speaking (R). Finding out my bias and prejudice using a checklist. Turning the way into words of empathy without prejudice. Discussing the words of respect for others through empathy (C/S). |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Group activity discussion | ||
Activity
Making a motto for the campaign with thoughts or feelings about unsympathetic misunderstandings, prejudices, or discrimination (C). |
Drawing/writing | |||
| ||||
VI (40 mins) | Preventing physical violence (classical conditioning) | Introduction
Identifying goals: Identifying and preventing different types of physical violence. Watching a video showing physical violence among students (3:20) (A/R). |
Microsoft PowerPoint, video clip | Lecture |
Enhancement
Type of physical violence (injury, assault, robbery, kidnapping, imprisonment…). How to control anger through empathy? |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Lecture | ||
Activity
Thinking about ways to stop physical violence through empathy. |
Discussion | |||
| ||||
VII (40 mins) | Verbal and online violence prevention: empathic conversation (mediated associations/role taking) | Introduction
Identifying goals: Practicing how to communicate with empathy and correct the problem in online settings. Picking the three best words I often say (A/R). - Finding reasons for saying them, and empathizing with your friend's thoughts. |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Small-group activity |
Enhancement
Learn how to correct bad words and use empathic language. Writing a life pledge to use proper language (C/S). Finding the best empathic words you can say in each situation (R/C). Words that make us happy, good words to say to your friends (C). Reading blog posts from the internet and looking for inappropriate words (R/C). |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Lecture, small-group activity | ||
Activity
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using internet terminology (C). |
Group activity | |||
| ||||
VIII (40 mins) | I can do well: review of the whole curriculum | Introduction
Identifying goals: Looking back at the whole program and declaring that one will be a peacekeeper. |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Lecture |
Enhancement
Circular layout play using empathy review (R/C/S). Finding my guardian angel friend in the classroom (A/R). Finding my guardian angel friend's good things (C). Reviewing the entire session. |
Microsoft PowerPoint | Small-group activity | ||
Activity
Peacekeeper appointment ceremony: awarding all students (S). |
Certificate | Awards, ceremony |
A, attention; C, confidence; R, relevance; S, satisfaction; VPEP-E, violence prevention educational program using empathy.