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Cited by 8Educational Philosophies and PedagogiesThemes in Literature AnalysisLiteracy and Educational Practices

The Wonder of Empathy: Using Palacio’s Novel to Teach Perspective Taking

Open access
Guarisco, Martha, Freeman, Louise·2015·The ALAN Review
DOI 10.21061/alan.v43i1.a.6
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Abstract

R. J. Palacio's Wonder offers an engaging look at the challenges a child with facial deformities encounters when attending school for the first time. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel emphasizes kindness, acceptance of differences and the common anxieties associated with fitting into a social group. Narrative fiction has been shown to promote empathy and reduce stigmatization in both adults and children. We tested whether sixth grade students' interpersonal skills changed after an academic unit that combined reading Wonder with traditional lessons in characterization, analysis and perspective, and an empathy-building activity led by a guidance counselor. Children improved on one specific empathy skill, perspective taking. Outcomes were identical in both genders, and unrelated to whether the children had previously read Wonder. This study highlights the practical benefits of literary study in developing both academic and social skills in the middle school grades.

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Crossref · 10.21061/alan.v43i1.a.6

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  • We previously reported that sixth graders' perspective-taking skills increased after a 5-week reading unit on Wonder.

    “We previously reported (Guarisco & Freeman, 2015) that sixth graders' perspective-taking skills increased after a 5-week reading unit on Wonder (Palacio, 2012).”

    From Reading Books and Reading Minds: Differential Effects of Wonder and The Crossover on Empathy and Theory of Mind (2017) · cites this paper as Guarisco & Freeman, 2015

    The paper’s description reports that sixth graders improved in perspective taking after an academic unit combining Wonder with lessons and an empathy-building activity. The cited passage on p. 56 also reports improved empathy-assessment scores after the unit. Our copy does not establish the claimed five-week duration (searched: “five weeks” and “5-week reading unit”). (LLM, conf=0.83)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • After the Wonder unit, we observed a small but significant increase in one empathy subscale: Perspective Taking.

    “After the Wonder unit, we observed a small but significant increase in one empathy subscale: Perspective Taking.”

    From Reading Books and Reading Minds: Differential Effects of Wonder and The Crossover on Empathy and Theory of Mind (2017) · cites this paper as Guarisco & Freeman, 2015

    The paper’s description says that sixth-grade students improved in perspective taking after an academic unit on Wonder, and the introduction (p. 56) reports improved empathy-assessment scores. The passages available from our copy do not establish that the increase was small or statistically significant. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The increase in Perspective Taking after reading Wonder replicates our previous study, even though the current sample was much smaller.

    “The increase in Perspective Taking after reading Wonder replicates our previous study (Guarisco & Freeman, 2015), even though the current sample was much smaller.”

    From Reading Books and Reading Minds: Differential Effects of Wonder and The Crossover on Empathy and Theory of Mind (2017) · cites this paper as Guarisco & Freeman, 2015

  • After the unit, students reported more inclination to examine situations from another's point of view.

    “After the unit, students reported more inclination to examine situations from another's point of view, an important social skill for reducing conflict and improving understanding.”

    From Reading Books and Reading Minds: Differential Effects of Wonder and The Crossover on Empathy and Theory of Mind (2017) · cites this paper as Guarisco & Freeman, 2015

  • This finding eliminates the possibility that the students in the previous study, who were atypical in lacking the expected gender differences in empathy, were also atypical in their response to Wonder.

    “In addition, this finding eliminates the possibility that the students in the previous study, who were atypical in lacking the expected gender differences in empathy (Guarisco & Freeman, 2015) were also atypical in their response to Wonder.”

    From Reading Books and Reading Minds: Differential Effects of Wonder and The Crossover on Empathy and Theory of Mind (2017) · cites this paper as Guarisco & Freeman, 2015

    The available article passages (pp. 56–57) describe improved empathy scores after the Wonder unit but do not report whether the students lacked the expected gender differences in empathy. I searched the indexed copy for gender differences and baseline comparisons; the matching description says outcomes were identical across genders, which does not establish that baseline empathy lacked a gender difference. The claim that a later finding eliminates a possibility is the citing authors’ inference, not the point this citation is asked to support. (LLM, conf=0.67)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Guarisco, M., & Freeman, L.
Venue
The ALAN Review
Publisher
Virginia Tech Libraries
Published
2015-09-22
Volume
43
Issue
1
Pages
56-68
ISSN
  • 0882-2840 (ISSN-L)
  • 1547-741X
DOI
10.21061/alan.v43i1.a.6
OpenAlex
W2739904106
Cited by
8
References
22
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2
FWCI
5.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The ALAN Review (publishedVersion)
  • Knowledge Commons (Lakehead University)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Educational Philosophies and Pedagogies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Themes in Literature Analysis
  • Social Sciences › Education › Literacy and Educational Practices
Keywords
empathy, perspective taking, Palacios, novel, literature in teaching, empathy education

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