Assessing the Influence of Interactive Technology and Collaborative Learning in Promoting Character Development and Prosocial Behaviors

Children spend a significant amount of time engaged with media (Rideout et al., 2010; Roberts, et al., 2005; Strasburger, 2004). The impact of media exposure on children’s development and learning has generated ongoing debate and research (Wartella & Robb, 2011). However, much of the research has focused on the negative implications of media use, resulting in a limited knowledge base on how media can be used to promote positive development. Children become media consumers at a very early age (Wartella & Robb, 2007) and behaviors that reflect a lack of character are often established early in life. Thus, more needs to be learned about the bases, development, and range of outcomes related to children’s media use, including how media can be used to support children’s social and emotional learning and development. We propose to design and evaluate the implementation of an intervention targeting young children that uses interactive technologies and cross-age peer mentoring to promote character and prosocial behaviors. The intervention pairs younger and older students to make collaborative decisions within interactive graphic novels based on stories from the popular ARTHUR television program. This innovative approach will provide children with opportunities to practice specific habits of mind by virtually taking on different roles (Templeton, 1998). This method of engaging with content and concepts has the potential to strengthen positive behaviors, but has not yet been studied within character education programs targeted at young children. We will conduct a pilot evaluation to assess the most effective manner to implement the intervention within classroom settings and ultimately test the revised intervention’s effect on children’s character development and prosocial behaviors. Outputs will include refereed journal articles, an implementation plan with an evaluated novel and training materials, evidence-based measures, and a proposal to take the intervention to scale.