Development of a violence prevention educational program for elementary school children using empathy (VPEP-E).

PURPOSE: This study describes the development of a violence prevention educational program for elementary school children using empathy (VPEP-E) that teachers can use during class.

METHODS

Hoffman's theory of empathy and Seels and Richey's (1994) ADDIE model were applied to develop this program.

RESULTS

The developed program consisted of eight sessions: Orientation/definition of violence and empathy, types and boundaries of violence, look into my feelings, say it with a facial expression, preventing non-empathic violence due to social prejudice, preventing physical violence, verbal and online violence prevention: empathic conversation, and I can do well: review of the whole curriculum. The program was evaluated by 15 elementary school teachers, who considered it to be easily accessible to elementary school students. The final VPEP-E, which will be provided in eight times for 40 minutes each for fifth-grade students, will provide a basis for preventing violence by fostering empathy.

CONCLUSION

We expect the developed educational program to be effective in preventing violence among elementary school students. However, further research involving children from various age groups is needed.