Avaliação de um programa de promoção da empatia implementado na educação infantil

Resumo

Empathy has been linked to inhibition of aggressive behavior, the development of pro social activities and to a better psychosocial adjustment. This paper reports a research intervention with 36 children (5 and 6 years old – 16 boys and 20 girls), attending a public school of early childhood education in Juiz de Fora / MG. The intervention involved pre and post evaluation of a program promoting the development of empathic skills. It was used the Empathy Scale for Children and Adolescents of Bryant (1982), adapted. The comparative results of the stages of pre-and-post program evaluation indicated an increase in empathic skills. It defends the importance of preventive interventions in the educational context and importance of promoting the development of empathy as a protective factor for child development.