Abstract

Healthy socioemotional development in childhood is key to successful societal functioning adulthood (Kim, 2016). Prosocial behaviours such as showing empathy, navigating friendships, and resolving conflict can be challenging if proper socioemotional development is interrupted or delayed in childhood (Spivey & Mechling, 2016). This can be especially challenging for some populations where nuance is difficult, as many of our societal rules are communicated indirectly. Various developmental and environmental factors may interfere with healthy socioemotional development (Alzyoudi, Sartaw, & Almuhiti, 2014).
While these factors sometimes lead to disorders, they also translate to low level of social competence in children (Landy & Bradley, 2014). This low social competence may lead to victimization and rejection in childhood and may even follow an individual into adulthood (Bellini & Akullian, 2007).
Most school-based social skills programs are based on direct instruction and focus on special needs populations (Wilson, 2013). However, Positive Youth Development (PYD) takes a holistic view and assumes that every child has potential that can be nurtured (Damon, 2004). Furthermore, current studies neglect to fully investigate how more highly socially competent peers can benefit from interacting with those with less social competence.
There is also evidence that empathy and friendships can act as protective factors against victimization and bullying (Masten, 2014). Empathy can also be fostered in those with higher social competency by integrating with those with lower social competence (Corbett et al., 2011). Drama and video-based activities have been used in after-school and extra-curricular programs for some time. There is evidence that these fields have components that can help with indirect socioemotional learning (Emunah, 1994).
This phenomenological project takes an exploratory approach to drama and video-based activities in an after-school context. Through this project, we observed children with different levels of social competence interact in a collectively creative way. Overall, findings suggest that creating a process-oriented after-school program, with the child at the center, and strong consistent adult relationships affects levels of trust, agency, and negotiation.