Effects of Mentorship on Empathy Development and Civility in an Upper School Community

This action research project investigated the effects of mentorship on empathy development and civility in an upper school classroom. The environment was a Montessori upper school with 21 children ages 6 through 13. It is a newer classroom; however, there is a level of incivility and indifference in their social behaviors. Data was collected using an interactions matrix, pre and post surveys, classroom behavior tally, and the Developmental Environmental Rating Scale before and after the intervention. Results showed civility and joy greatly increased over time. Individuals’ understanding of empathy showed a positive change. Overall, the classroom became more civil and showed a better awareness of appropriate social behaviors. The action plan proposed creating a study focusing more intently on mentorship implementation using prepared activities for the mentors to share. Also suggested is conducting a study of relationship building within a classroom instead of across classrooms