Date

1-14-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Angela Rathkamp

Keywords

Altruism, early childhood, empathy, emotion regulation, parent-child relationship, parenting style, prosocial behavior, religion, secure attachment theory, social interaction, teacher-student relationship, volunteer

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

There are several factors that can influence prosocial development in early childhood, including secure attachments, perspective-taking skills, empathy, parent-child relationships, teacher-student relationships, and parent/teacher religiosity. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to explore how parent–child relationships, teacher–student relationships, and the religiosity of both parents and teachers are perceived to influence prosocial behavior in 5- to 6-year-old children in early childhood settings. Through an in-depth examination of multiple cases, this study aimed to understand the lived experiences and perspectives of parents and teachers regarding the relational and spiritual factors that may support or shape prosocial development during this critical stage. Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, NVivo 15, was used to conduct a thematic content analysis which revealed valuable domains from the parent follow-up questionnaires and the teacher follow-up questionnaires. The domains included, ‘Need for parents and teachers to model prosocial behavior’, ‘Children have the will to be helpful, sharing, giving, cooperative and compassionate’, ‘Environment encourages prosocial behaviors, ‘Impact of Biblical stories on early childhood relationships and behaviors’. The domains identified could potentially be used for future research on prosocial behavior in early childhood.

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