Provision of Open-Ended Storytelling Activities with Integrated Materials and Positive Communication to Enhance Empathy Skills in Young Children
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This research aimed to investigate the effects of provision of open-ended storytelling activities with integrated materials and positive communication to enhance empathy skills in young children. The experiment was conducted using a one-group pretest-posttest design. The participants consisted of nine young children aged 3-4 years who were enrolled in a Kindergarten 1 class at Wat Thephakorn School (Liam Matuthit). The research instruments included: A set of 24 activity plans for open-ended storytelling activities with integrated materials and positive communication to enhance empathy skills in young children. Quantitative data were analyzed using means and standard deviations, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis.
The results of the study revealed that the empathy skill scores of early childhood children significantly increased after participating in unfinished storytelling activities integrated with positive communication media, at the statistical significance level of 0.05. The post-intervention mean score was 7.55 (S.D. = 1.01), which was higher than the pre-intervention mean score of 3.77 (S.D. = 1.85). The highest mean scores were found in the cognitive and compassionate domains, both at 2.55 (S.D. = 0.72), while the emotional domain had the lowest mean score at 2.44 (S.D. = 0.34). Children’s behaviors demonstrated a progressive improvement in expressing empathy. Specifically: 1) Cognitive empathy: Children were able to take the perspective of others, articulate others’ feelings and needs, and explain the reasons behind those feelings and needs. 2) Emotional empathy: Children showed emotional resonance with others through facial expressions and gestures, and could describe their own emotional responses toward others. 3) Compasionate domain: Children were able to demonstrate helping behaviors and engage in positive communication as a means to express empathy toward others.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Views and opinions expressed in the articles published by The Journal of MCU Peace Studies, are of responsibility by such authors but not the editors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors.
References
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215.
Derong, B., Smith, A., & Lee, C. (2017). Using Puppets to Influence Children's Eating Behaviors. Journal of Early Childhood Education, 45(3), 123-130.
Dubiel, J. (2024). The Crucial Role of Storytelling in Early Childhood Education. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ9mVVgTGVU
Egan, K. (2005). An Imaginative Approach to Teaching. (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Eisenberg, N., & Miller, P. A. (1987). The Relation of Empathy to Prosocial and Related Behaviours. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 91-119.
Epstein, I. (2008). Using Puppetry to Elicit Children's Talk for Research. Nursing Inquiry, 15(1), 49-56.
Erikson, E. (1980). Identity and the Life Cycle. New York: Norton.
Freud, S. (1986). Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality. In J. Strachey (Ed. and Trans.), The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, 7, 125-245. London, England: Hogarth Press.
Goleman, D. (2017). Cognitive vs. Emotional Empathy with Daniel Goleman. Retrieved August 31, 2023, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhVWlLEcshE
Goleman, D. (2024). The 4 Domains of Emotional Intelligence. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhVWlLEcshE
Jones, B., & Brazzel, M. (2012). The NTL Handbook of Organization Development and Change: Principles, Practices, and Perspectives. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Kolb, A., & Kolb, D. (2021). The Kolb Experiential Learning Profile. Retrieved January 3, 2024, from https://learningfromexperience.com/index.html
Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning Experience as the Source of Learning and Development Retrieved January 3, 2024, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235701029
Mujahidah, N., Afiif, A., & Damayanti, E. (2021). The Role of Storytelling Methods Using Hand Puppets in Early Children’s Language Development. Child Education Journal, 3(2), 78-91.
Muryanti, E., & Herman, Y. (2017). Building Children's Critical Thinking by Puzzle Story Telling. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 58, 147-151.
Pellegrini, A. D., & Blatchford, P. (2000). The Child at School: Interactions with Peers and Teachers. London: Arnold.
Piaget, J. (1951). Play Dreams and Imitation in Childhood. (Attengno, C., & Hodgson, M. Translator). Norton, New York: Viking Press.
Piaget, J. (1977). The Development of Thought: Equilibration of Cognitive Structures. New York: NY: Viking Press.
Scott, L. (2019). 21st Century Learning for Early Childhood Framework. (1st ed.). United States: Battelle for Kids.
Swick, K. (2001). Nurturing Decency Through Caring and Serving During the Early Childhood Years. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(2), 131-138.
Tantiplacheewa, K. (1998). Storytelling. Journal of Early Childhood Education, 2(2), 10-19.
Unicef, (2023). How to Communicate Effectively with Your Young Child. Retrieved January 3, 2024, from https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/9-tips-for-better-communication
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
