This study examines how reading bullying-themed children's picture books and role-playing based on these books help young children develop perspective-taking abilities and empathy as well as understanding of bullying. Twenty-one 5-year-old children enrolled in a Flower Garden childcare center located in a metropolitan city in South Korea…

There is currently limited research on the relation between forms of empathy and subsequent cyberbullying in middle childhood, a stage in which cyberbullying behaviors are likely to develop. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which affective empathy (experiencing someone else's emotions) and cognitive empathy…

This study investigated the experiences of workplace bullying among primary and postprimary school staff in Ireland. A sample of 630 teachers and members of the Senior Management Team (SMT) completed an online survey inquiring about their own experiences of bullying in the workplace, as targets, bystanders, and perpetrators. Information about…

This study examined the role of: (1) empathic concern for victims of relational aggression (ECV); and (2) perspective taking (PT) in explaining self- and peer-reported relational aggression (RA) and relational inclusion (RI) in a sample of 345 adolescents. The direct association among ECV, PT and self- and peer-reported RA and RI was investigated.…

Children are generally encouraged to tell adults about bullying. Although telling can be effective in ending bullying, adults do not necessarily respond in a way that is helpful. Previous research has rarely included victims' own thoughts and feelings regarding what adult actions and reactions are experienced as positive and helpful, and which are…

We paint a picture of preadolescent students' thinking on a topic of everyday importance: the right to use and the responsibility not to abuse digital technology in school. We analyzed the writing of students in grades 4-7 in response to an essay prompt about classroom iPad (tablet computer) use after a hypothetical cyberbullying incident,…

This case study explores pupils' and teachers' views on using Drama Conventions during primary-secondary transition. The intervention took place during the final month of the Scottish academic year (June), in 3 associated state primary 7 classes (the last year of primary school in Scotland) with 78 pupils and 3 teachers. Forty-nine pupils…

Character education programs in elementary schools are believed to be important for fostering moral development and preparing children to thrive in civil society. Character develops through social relationships across contexts. However, transgressions, such as school bullying, threaten the relationships that foster character development.…

Agentic orientation, critical thinking (CrT) and taking the fourth-person perspective (4PP) are described as teachable attainments. A Personal Viewpoints (PVs) Biblical Studies curriculum challenged Year 7 students to resolve socially problematic situations through group discussion and perspective-taking. A life-issue scenario was used to pre- and…

Background: Children's bullying involvement may arise from biases and deficiencies in social information processing, and it is important to consider cognitive and emotional aspects of bullying because social cognition is an important aspect of children's social skills and their ability to get along with others. It is also important to understand…

During adolescence, concerns about peer rejection and acceptance become increasingly common. Adolescents regularly experience peer rejection firsthand and witness these behaviors among their peers. In the current study, neuroimaging techniques were employed to conduct a preliminary investigation of the affective and cognitive processes involved in…

We explored the relationship between the ascribed tendency of Albanian preschoolers' to take on prosocial and/or hostile roles and their empathy and emotion comprehension. Participants were 63 preschoolers (3- to 6-years-old) and six teachers. Pupils' empathy and hostile/prosocial roles were assessed via teacher reports and their emotional…

Seven schools in an economically challenged area of an urban school district in central California implemented mentored peer mediation programs under the guidance of a university-K-12 partnership project, Mediator Mentors. Individual student outcomes for social-cognitive dispositions, perceptions of school climate, conflict strategy choices, and…

This study had three purposes: to explore psychological characteristics of animal abusers (criminal thinking styles, empathy, and personality traits), to replicate previously reported results (past illegal actions, bullying behavior), and to examine potential gender differences. The self-reported animal abuser group was 29 college students who…

This study examined the associations among gender, empathy, attitudes toward bullying, willingness to intervene, and bullying within peer groups in a sample of sixth and seventh-grade students (N = 346; M Age = 12.22 years). Peer groups were identified via social network analysis using NEGOPY (Richards, 1995) and peer-group predictors were…