Browsing by Subject "compassion"

A large body of experimental research indicates that from an early age children are able to engage in compassionate behaviour. However, less focus has been paid on how children's compassionate behaviour is constituted in naturalistic settings. The aim of this study was to investigate what are children's compassionate acts in a natural kindergarten setting and how do children's peer relationships interrelate with these acts. The study is part of the research project "Constituting Cultures of Compassion in Early Childhood Education (CoCuCo)". The theoretical framework of the study is based on the complex concept of compassion and the constitution of children's compassionate behaviour in social contexts. Although human's have a natural tendency to empathy and compassion, the sociocultural context in which people interact has a great influence on whether compassion is nurtured or suppressed. Previous research suggests that as children age their compassionate behaviour changes, which might be due to the increase in children's social understanding. The current study was conducted by observing 30 5-7-year-olds children's interaction in a kindergarten setting. Children's compassionate acts and contextual factors were recorded by using a semi-structured observation form. The data was analysed using qualitative analysis methods. Sociograms compiled by child group's staff were used to define children's peer relationships. The findings of the study showed a wide variation in children's compassionate acts. Acts such as helping and defending a friend were more frequent among children than acts of caring, comforting and inclusion. There was no clear correlation between children's compassionate acts and peer relationships. Children exhibited more compassion towards other peers than close friends but also failed to respond to the need of a non-friend peer more frequently. In addition, children with more reciprocal friendships seemed to engage more in compassionate behavior while at the same time failing to react compassionately to peers' needs more frequently than children with less reciprocal friendships. The findings strengthen the idea of compassion's complex nature and call for broader research on how children's acts of compassion are constituted in naturalistic settings in children's everyday life.