test Kindness Stories: A Qualitative Investigation into Early School-Age Children's Perceptions of the Concept of Kindness|Investigating the child’s world

Kindness Stories: A Qualitative Investigation into Early School-Age Children's Perceptions of the Concept of Kindness

PDF (ελληνικά)
Published: Oct 17, 2025
Updated: 2025-10-17
Versions:
2025-10-17 (2)
Keywords:
kindness prosocial behaviors early childhood thematic analysis
Μαρια Βαϊράμη
Ελληνικό Ανοιχτό Πανεπιστήμιο
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4419-8109
Abstract

This study explores the perceptions of early primary school children regarding the concept of kindness. The sample consisted of 28 children (15 boys and 13 girls; M = 6.7 years, SD = 0.45), attending the 1st and 2nd grades of a public primary school. Using semi-structured interviews, the research investigated how children understand and attribute meaning to kindness based on their personal experiences. Thematic analysis revealed six core themes: (a) helping behavior, (b) emotional support, (c) behavioral disposition, (d) moral value/ethical action, (e) social coexistence, and (f) reciprocity. In children’s narratives, kindness was associated with actions such as sharing, helping, cooperation, caring, and politeness, everyday practices and actions aimed at collective welfare. The findings highlight a multidimensional understanding of kindness grounded in prosocial behavior, empathy, moral reasoning, and social regulation. The study underscores the importance of everyday experiences in shaping the concept of kindness and offers valuable insights for the development of educational programs that foster prosocial behavior and cultivate kindness as a core moral and social value in childhood.

Article Details
  • Section
  • Scientific articles & educational projects
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

· Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

· Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

· Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (preferably in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Algoe, S. B. (2019). Positive interpersonal processes. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(2), 183–188. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721419827272
Batson, C. D. (2023). Empathic concern: What it is and why it’s important. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197610923.001.0001
Bear, G. G., & Soltys, A. (2020). Developing social and emotional competencies and self-discipline. In G. G. Bear (Ed.), Improving school climate: Practical strategies to reduce behavior problems and promote social and emotional learning (pp. 47–66). Routledge.
Binfet, J. T., & Gaertner, A. (2015). Children’s conceptualizations of kindness at school. Canadian Children, 40 (3), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs.v40i3.15167
Binfet, J.-T., & Passmore, H.-A. (2017). The Who, What, and Where of School Kindness: Exploring Students’ Perspectives. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 34(1), 22-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573517732202
Blair, C., & Raver, C. C. (2015). School readiness and self-regulation: A developmental psychobiological approach. Annual Review of Psychology, 66(1), 711–731. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015221
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Brophy-Herb, H. E., Lee, R. E., Nievar, M. A., & Stollak, G. (2007). Preschoolers' social competence: Relations to family characteristics, teacher behaviors and classroom climate. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 28(2), 134–148.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2006.12.004
Brownell, C. A., Svetlova, M., & Nichols, S. R. (2009). To share or not to share: When do toddlers respond to another's needs? Infancy, 14(1), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/15250000802569868
Carnevale, F. A. (2020). A “thick” conception of children’s voices: A hermeneutical framework for childhood research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, Article 1609406920933767. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920933767
Chawla, L. (2009). Growing up green: Becoming an agent of care for the natural world. Journal of Developmental Processes, 4(1), 6–23.
Contreras-Huerta, L. S. (2023). A cost-benefit framework for prosocial motivation—Advantages and challenges. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, Article 1170150. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1170150
Dahl, A., & Paulus, M. (2019). From interest to obligation: The gradual development of human altruism. Child Development Perspectives, 13, 10–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12298
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
Dunn, J. (2006). Moral development in early childhood and social interaction in the family. In M. Killen & J. G. Smetana (Eds.), Handbook of moral development (pp. 331–350). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Eisenberg, N., & Fabes, R. A. (2006). Emotion regulation and children's socioemotional competence. In L. Balter & C. S. Tamis-LeMonda (Eds.), Child psychology: A handbook of contemporary issues (2nd ed., pp. 357–381). Psychology Press.
Fraser, H. (2004). Doing narrative research: Analysing personal stories line by line. Qualitative Social Work, 3(2), 179–201. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325004043383
Greig, A. D., Taylor, J., & MacKay, T. (2007). Doing research with children: A practical guide (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Hay, D. F., & Cook, K. V. (2007). The transformation of prosocial behavior from infancy to childhood. In C. A. Brownell & C. B. Kopp (Eds.), Socioemotional development in the toddler years: Transitions and transformations (pp. 45–65). Guilford Press.
Hayes, T. (2017). Kindness: caring for self, others and nature—Who cares and why? In J.Horton & M. Pier, (Eds.) Children, Young People and Care (pp. 175–191). Routledge.
Hoffman, M. L. (2008). Empathy and prosocial behavior. In M. Lewis, J. M. Haviland-Jones, & L. F. Barrett (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (3rd ed., pp. 440–455). The Guilford Press.
Jones, D. E., Greenberg, M., & Crowley, M. (2015). Early social-emotional functioning and public health: The relationship between kindergarten social competence and future wellness. American Journal of Public Health, 105(11), 2283–2290. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302630
Killen, M., & Smetana, J. G. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of moral development. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Kohlberg, L. (1981). Essays on moral development. Volume I: The philosophy of moral development. Harper & Row.
Lim, M. H., Hennessey, A., Qualter, P., Smith, B. J., Thurston, L., Eres, R., & Holt-Lunstad, J. (2025). The KIND Challenge community intervention to reduce loneliness and social isolation, improve mental health, and neighbourhood relationships: An international randomized controlled trial. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 60(4), 931–942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-024-02740-z
Malti, T. (2021). Kindness: A perspective from developmental psychology. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 18(5), 629–657. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2020.1837617
Malti, T., Ongley, S. F., Peplak, J., Chaparro, M. P., Buchmann, M., Zuffianò, A., & Cui, L. (2016). Children's sympathy, guilt, and moral reasoning in helping, cooperation, and sharing: A 6-year longitudinal study. Child Development, 87(6), 1783–1795. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12632
Neale, B. (2019). What is qualitative longitudinal research? Bloomsbury Academic.
Perkins, N., Smith, P., & Chadwick, P. (2022). Young children's conceptualisations of kindness: A thematic analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 909613. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.909613
Pryce, S., & Frederickson, N. (2013). Bullying behaviour, intentions and classroom ecology. Learning Environments Research, 16(2), 183–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-013-9137-7
Qiu, X., Gao, M., Zhu, H., Li, W., & Jiang, R. (2024). Theory of mind, empathy, and prosocial behavior in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Current Psychology, 43, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-05762-7
Seligman, M., Steen, T., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 874–884. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.874
Shin, L. J., Layous, K., Choi, I., Na, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2020). Good for self or good for others? The well-being benefits of kindness in two cultures depend on how the kindness is framed. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(6), 795–805. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1651894
Smetana, J. G. (2006). Social-cognitive domain theory: Consistencies and variations in children's moral and social judgments. In M. Killen & J. G. Smetana (Eds.), Handbook of moral development (pp. 119–153). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Smeets, E., Neff, K., Alberts, H., & Peters, M. (2014). Meeting suffering with kindness: Effects of a brief self‑compassion intervention for female college students. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70(9), 794–807.https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22076
Spinrad, T. L., & Eisenberg, N. (2019). Socialization of moral emotions and behavior. In The Oxford Handbook of Parenting and Moral Development (pp. 57–72).
Stamp, P., Bosacki, S., & Talwar, V. (2024). Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see: kindness, theory of mind and well-being in adolescents. Children, 11(12), 1555. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11121555
Sun, Y., Blewitt, C., Edwards, S., Fraser, A., Newman, S., Cornelius, J., & Skouteris, H. (2023). Methods and ethics in qualitative research exploring young children’s voice: A systematic review. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22, Article 16094069231152449. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231152449
Vaish, A., Missana, M., & Tomasello, M. (2011). Three-year-old children intervene in third-party moral transgressions. The British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 29(1), 124–130. https://doi.org/10.1348/026151010X532888
Warneken, F., & Tomasello, M. (2006). Altruistic helping in human infants and young chimpanzees. Science, 311(5765), 1301–1303. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1121448
Wentzel, K. R. (2015). Prosocial behavior and social competence. In K. R. Wentzel & A. Wigfield (Eds.), Handbook of motivation at school (2nd ed., pp. 279–300). Routledge.
World Medical Association. (2013). World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA, 310(20), 2191–2194. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053
Verba, B., & Vu, P. (2024). Kindness in the classroom: Evaluating the impact of direct kindness instruction on school and emotional outcomes in second-grade students. The Canadian Journal of Action Research, 24(3), 54–70. https://doi.org/10.33524/cjar.v24i3.697