PROTOCOL: Practices and Program Components for Enhancing Prosocial Behavior in Children and Youth: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Study title: Practices and Program Components for Enhancing Prosocial Behavior in Children and Youth: A Systematic Review Lead author surname Spivak Authors: Asha L. Spivak, Mark W. Lipsey, Dale C. Farran and Joshua R. Polanin Year of publication: 2015 Publication: The Campbell Collaboration Publication type: Protocol Study type: Systematic review Study status: On-going Headline finding: Intervention Instructional practices or programs with psychological and behavioural components evaluated on the prosocial behaviour effects on children and adolescents. Context :The studies to he included can be from any country with children and adolescents between 3 and 18 years of age. Study questions: - Do practices and programs effectively improve prosocial behaviour in children and teenagers? - What is the magnitude and variability of effects produced by the instructional strategies used by parents and teachers on prosocial behaviour of children and adolescents? - What are the characteristics of the most and least effective instructional strategies (strategy, setting, duration etc.)? - What are the relationships between the effects of the instructional practices and the participant’s characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity and SES before and after the interventions? - What instructional strategies and what are the specific characteristic showing a long-term effect on prosocial behaviour? Inclusion criteria: Only the studies meeting these 6 criteria will be included: - Use experimental or quasi-experimental design with control group comparison; - Include participants aged between 3 to 18 from preschool through high school; - Utilize interventions with behavioural and psychological components, ranging from single to multiple exposures and are delivered by teachers, parents or other adults; - Measure and report prosocial behaviours such as voluntary sharing, providing assistance/comfort, cooperation, donation and the like; - Report follow-up duration and compare baseline data of intervention and control groups; - The intervention is delivered in a natural setting (home, school, after school programs, neighborhoods, camps YMCA). URL: https://www.campbellcollaboration.org/media/k2/attachments/Spivak_Prosocial_Behavior_Protocol.pdf Paywall: No Author email or contact from: asha.spivak@vanderbilt.edu