Activating Social Empathy: An evaluation of a school-based social and emotional learning programme

Abstract

Previous evidence suggests that empathy is important for promoting positive youth development, and there is growing advocacy for the inclusion of empathy education within the school system. However, knowledge about the efficacy of empathy-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes in post-primary school settings is limited. The current research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, empathy-based SEL programme (i.e., Activating Social Empathy; ASE) in promoting empathy and prosocial responding among secondary school students in Ireland. METHOD: Participants included 539 (91 male, 392 female, 56 other) students from nine secondary schools across the Republic of Ireland (Mage = 14.29; SD =.83). Participants were randomly allocated to an intervention or a control condition, and completed self-report questionnaires at pre-test and post-test. RESULTS: Results from mediated regression models indicated that, in comparison to the control group, participants in the intervention condition showed significantly higher levels of empathy post-test. Results also indicated that empathy significantly mediated the relationship between condition and youth’s prosocial behaviour, emotional efficacy, and social responsibility. DISCUSSION: Overall, the findings from this study indicated that participation in the ASE programme was directly associated with higher empathy, which in turn was indirectly linked with greater prosocial responding, social responsibility, and emotional efficacy. Given the growing importance placed on the inclusion of SEL within education curricula internationally, and robust associations between empathy and positive youth development, these findings have important implications for school-related research, policy and practice. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an empathy-based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programme, Activating Social Empathy (ASE), in promoting empathy, social concern and helping among secondary-school students in Ireland. Findings from this study show that adolescents who participate in the ASE programme show higher levels of empathy over time (compared to adolescents who do not participate in ASE). Higher empathy was in turn linked to greater altruism, emotional understanding, and social concern. This study has implications for schools by documenting the positive outcomes associated with participation in the ASE programme and highlighting the important connection between empathy and wider social values.