An investigation of Korean children’s prejudicial attitudes toward a national tragedy in Japan

Abstract

Prejudice against another nation or culture is often perceived as a major hindrance to world peace. This paper will report on the early emergence of such prejudices, identified in eight-year-old primary school children in Korea. The research, conducted in June 2012, investigated Korean children’s reactions to the Japanese tsunami of 2011. A pedagogically embedded research methodology (PERM) was used, where the research initiative was embedded within the teaching and learning of a normal school lesson. The research reveals that young Korean children’s prejudices are nationally and culturally deep-seated, and are reinforced by parochial viewpoints projected by Korean mass media programmes. These influences place constraints on children’s ability to empathise with people beyond their national borders. Nevertheless, the project provides evidence that prejudicial attitudes remain malleable in children and can be changed in a challenging but supportive educational context.

Keywords:

• prejudice
• education
• empathy
• moral development

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Erratum