抄録
The purpose of this study was to compare the experiences of elementary school children in home
economics “community studies” classes who developed sympathetic responsiveness (SR) through
interactive activities with younger elementary school children, with those who did not. Six students
showing significant changes in SR after the interaction were analyzed through behavioral records and
post-activity narratives. Narrative analysis revealed that children whose SR improved perceived the
experience more positively. Behavioral analysis further identified a characteristic of children whose SR
improved: they “noticed the younger children’s difficulties and engaged in interactions that showed SR
towards those difficulties.” A key future challenge is to develop lessons that enable all children to enhance
their SR.
