The purpose of this study is to search for ways to support develop empathy for three years old infants and how the support plans affect the infants. To achieve this purpose, the following research questions were established.
What are some support syst...
The purpose of this study is to search for ways to support develop empathy for three years old infants and how the support plans affect the infants. To achieve this purpose, the following research questions were established.
What are some support systems to help develop the empathy of three years old infants?
What influence does the system affect the infants of three years old?
The research was conducted in a class of three years old infants in a public kindergarten in Seoul, and a total of 16 infants in Sarang Class was the subject for this study. Based on the awareness of the problems of infants’ empathy development, the common problems shown in the overall students and particular problems shown in certain infants were identified. The results were used as the foundation to search for the support system to help develop empathy for the infants in Sarang Class. The research period was from July 13, 2018, to November 30, 2018. During the period, the research was carried out in the following order: identification of problems in infants’ empathy; searching for solutions; the first implementation and evaluation; the second implementation and evaluation; and the evaluation of the first and second implementations. The educational activities related to the research was conducted by the teacher of the class while video recording and note-taking methods were implemented. In addition, daily teaching plan, reflective journal, observation, and audio recording, recording episodes, short note-taking on the site, and activity pictures were collected and categorized systematically. The materials were later analyzed according to the categorized domain.
The results of this research are as follow:
First, to resolve the problem of lack of empathy in infants, the activities such as recognizing the emotions of self and others, expressing emotions of self, and accepting the emotions of self and others were carried out in the first implementation. In this process, the communication of the teachers was sometimes revised. The activities were led by those that are interested in the infants in their daily kindergarten life. In addition, the detailed educational plan for infants based on the elements of the empathy was integrated with the Nuri Course educational goals to restructured and reflected in the process, so that the infants can participate autonomously and proactively. As a result, the infants’ clarification of the emotions, communication skills, social behaviors, and problem-solving skills were improved along with the skills related to the development of empathy. In the first implementation, some findings suggested that there is a need for supplementing the plan with encouraging communication with others, supporting individual infants having difficulties with the empathy development, and engaging with homes. In the second implementation, the result of the first implementation was reflected and activities like expressing empathy by thinking other classmates’ emotions and positions and creating a physical and psychological environment for empathy development were carried out to encourage infants to communicate with others. In addition, to support infants having difficulties in developing empathy, pairing activities and individual communication support activities were carried out. Furthermore, activities to form the parent-teacher and parent-infant empathy were carried out to engage homes.
Second, the analysis of the effects of the support system showed its effectiveness in developing children's empathy. In other words, there were more signs of empathetic communications, social behaviors increased, and the relationships among peers improved. For example, the more signs of empathetic communications (listening carefully and reacting to others, being aware of emotions of self and others and expressing them properly, and conversing under the same topic), the increased social behaviors (giving compliments, helping, sharing toys, and working together), and the improved relationships among peers (infant-infant and infant-teacher relationships) have reinforced each other to improve the quality.
This research has a significant meaning in that it proposed the necessity of the infants’ empathy development through practical research and its possible support system. It is also meaningful that the study suggested that three years old children can develop their empathy with educational support. I hope this study serves as a practical and basic foundation to help set up activities to develop empathy for three years old infants in the field.