Cultivating compassion in Jewish-Israeli kindergartners: The effectiveness of mindfulness- and empathy-based interventions as facilitators of compassion
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Publication year
2024Number of pages
21 p.
Source
Early Education and Development, 35, 6, (2024), pp. 1353-1373ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor
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Organization
SW OZ BSI FGW
Journal title
Early Education and Development
Volume
vol. 35
Issue
iss. 6
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 1353
Page end
p. 1373
Subject
Developing normativity in educationAbstract
We examined the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) compared to a social-emotional empathy-based intervention (EBI), and a passive control group in promoting compassion among Jewish-Israeli kindergartners. Three middle-class public kindergartens were randomly assigned to the MBI (n = 26;Mage = 5.03), EBI (n = 24;Mage = 5.02), or control groups (n = 24;Mage = 5.16; Ngirls = 40). The interventions lasted 12-weeks. Pre- and post-intervention, children’s cognitive compassion was assessed utilizing computerized continuous performance tasks for attention/impulsivity, and structured observations of attention to teacher and on-task behaviors; emotional compassion was measured with structured observations of prosociality, negative affect, social-emotional difficulties, and aggression; intentional and actual compassion was measured using a compassionate responding paradigm. Research Findings: Results showed that MBI participants decreased impulsivity and improved sustained attention, increased attentiveness to the teacher, and reduced social difficulties and aggression – these effects did not appear for either other group. Additionally, the MBI and EBI participants increased prosociality and compassionate behaviors more than the control group, however the magnitude of change from the MBI was significantly larger. The MBI increased cognitive, emotional, intentional, and behavioral skills and understanding that are essential components necessary to engage in compassion. Practice or Policy: MBIs can be effectively led by teachers and integrated into school curriculum to facilitate just and caring educational communities.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [245131]
- Electronic publications [132467]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [30338]
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