Introduction

Bridgework Theater creates and performs plays that address urgent problems faced by children and youth. In 2004, Bridgework created a play that addresses the problem of conflict resolution through empathy. The play, Trading Places, meets the needs of children in grades 1 - 4. During the spring of 2005, Bridgework performed Trading Places for 9,000 children in ten states including schools in Imlay City, Michigan.

Imlay City Schools used an evaluation instrument designed by Bridgework Theater to measure whether or not the program accomplished its objective.

Goal and Objectives

The goal of Trading Places is to help children prevent or resolve conflict through empathy. The objective of the play is that participants will demonstrate at least one of the following:

· More willing to empathize with other people

· More confident in ability to empathize with other people

· More willing to empathize in a situation where empathy is likely to resolve or prevent conflict

· More willing to empathize with people whose behavior generates conflict

The Play and Related Activities ‑ Program Description

Bridgework's program consists of:

1. A live performance of Trading Places, a 40 minute play

2. A classroom activity session led by a classroom teacher

3. A list of resources that classroom teachers can use to create or improve long-term strategies for increasing responsibility

Evaluation Design

Bridgework's evaluator compared the attitudes of a group of young people who had not participated in the program (control group) with the attitudes of a similar group of young people who had (test group).

Statement (1): I (don’t like, sort of like, like) to imagine how other people feel. The statement measured willingness to empathize with other people.

Statement (2): Even though it can be hard, I think I am (good, sort of good, not so good at figuring out how people feel. The statement measured confidence in ability to empathize with other people.

Statement (3): If I am tempted to take something that belongs to a person I don't like, I will (almost never, sometimes, almost always) imagine how this person will feel. The statement measured willingness to empathize in a situation where empathy is likely to resolve or prevent conflict

Statement (4): If a person in my class is mean and selfish, I (don’t want, sort of want, want) to figure out how they feel. The statement measured willingness to empathize with people whose behavior generates conflict.

The evaluator received completed tests from a total of 386 students. Of those students, 196 were in the control group, 190 were in test group.

Scoring

Points along the semantic continuum were weighted with values of one (left side of the continuum) to three (right side of the continuum). The mean score of the control group was compared to the mean score of the test group. For statements 1, 3 and 4, a larger mean score was desired. For statement 2, a smaller mean score was desired. A z‑test at the .05 level of significance (95% chance that test results can be replicated) was used to determine the statistical significance of differences in mean scores.

Results

The difference between responses of the control group and test group was significantly different (and was in the desired direction) for statements 1, 2 and 4. The results indicate that children who participated in the program were more willing to empathize with other people, more confident in their ability to empathize with people and were more willing to empathize with people whose behavior generates conflict. Trading Places accomplished its objective.

	Statement 1	Statement 2	Statement 3	Statement 4
Mean, Control Group	2.16	1.96	2.40	2.13
Mean, Test Group	2.33	1.78	2.34	2.33
Z-score (Control compared to Test)	2.52	1.96	.86	2.43
p value	p< .01	p< .025	p>.1	p< .01
Desired Direction?	Yes	Yes	Insignificant Change	Yes