The current study examined the impact of a digital educational program for prevention of aggressive behaviors and promotion of pro-social behaviors, among kindergarten children. For this purpose, a special education program for coping with children aggressive behaviors was modified into digital platform (tablets) and was imparted to kindergarten children by their kindergarten teachers, for a full academic year. It was hypothesized that among children who will be exposed to the digital program, there will be a decrease in aggressive behaviors and an increase in pro-social behaviors, compared to children who will be exposed to the traditional and control groups. One hundred and fifty two children (aged 4-5) were divided into three study groups: A digital intervention group, a traditional intervention group and a control group. The children aggressive behaviors and pro-social skills were evaluated by the kindergarten teachers, before and six months after the program was completed. Results revealed that after completing the program, the level of aggressive behaviors in the digital group decreased significantly compared to traditional and control groups, with similar results for three different types of aggression (proactive, reactive, mixed aggression). Furthermore, a significant increase was found in the level of pro-social behaviors in the digital study group, compared to the traditional group, while a significant decrease was found in the traditional study group. The effectiveness of a digital educational program in preventing and coping with aggressive behaviors and its' potential to enhance social learning, social skills and interpersonal behaviors in an early age will be discussed.

Authors:
Dorit Olenik-Shemesh, The Open University of Israel, Israel
Tali Heiman, The Open University of Israel, Israel
Karen Galloway, The Open University of Israel, Israel

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Dorit Olenik-Shemesh is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at The Open University of Israel in Israel

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