Exploring the effects of integrating process drama in life education on enhancing students' empathy in school bullying situations

Abstract

The current study aimed at exploring the potential benefits of integrating process drama, an interactive teaching methodology, into Life Education curriculum on anti-school bullying. The program effectiveness was evaluated through the enhancement in students’ empathy, including both cognitive and affective empathy, helping behavior and tendency as well as their knowledge on the basic concepts of bullying. Data was collected through self-reports. 141 S.2 students were recruited and randomly assigned to two groups, experiencing an anti-bullying intervention program through process drama (experimental) or conventional teaching methods (control). The study found that students in both groups showed enhancement in all three aspects, while the increase in affective empathy and helping tendency of the experimental group was significantly larger than the control group.