A Meta-Analysis of Empathy Programs for Young Children

This study used a meta-analysis method to examine the effectiveness of empathy programs for young children. Specifically, this study examined the effect size of empathy programs for young children and the heterogeneity of the effect size. For this purpose, 40 studies published between 2013 and 2024 (39 articles) were selected that included the effects of empathy programs for young children aimed at developing empathy. This study calculated the overall mean effect size of the studies, checked whether there was heterogeneity in the overall mean effect size, and conducted a meta-analysis of variance. The meta and metafor packages in R 4.3.3 were used for the analysis. The findings suggest that the empathy programs for young children are overall very effective (ES = 1.83). Meta-analysis of variance showed that four factors were associated with differences in the effect size: age, duration, main activity type, and main medium. Specifically, the effect size for empathy programs was larger in the order of 3-year-olds, 5-year-olds, 4-yearolds, and 4-5-year-olds. The study also found that empathy programs had the largest effect sizes when implemented for four months, and the largest effect sizes were found for activities focused on book-making, and using picture as the primary medium. However, these results need to be understood in light of the overall large effect sizes of the programs and the specific number of studies included in each moderator. The findings from this study provide important resources for early childhood teachers who want to plan and implement empathy programs.