Speaker
Description
Inclusive and supportive classroom environments are crucial, particularly during political and societal crises such as wars, disinformation, polarization, and rising populism and extremism. While existing research highlights the importance of these aspects of school environments, there is a lack of studies examining the impact of anti-hate speech prevention programs on the classroom environment and students’ social development and its interplay. Narrowing this research gap, this study investigated the direct and indirect effects of participating in the anti-hate speech prevention program HateLess on inclusive classroom climate, classroom cohesion, empathy for victims of hate speech, and self-efficacy toward intervening in hate speech among adolescents (N = 820, 12 to 16 years [M = 13.27, SD = 1.04]). Using multilevel mediation analysis showed that the intervention group reported significantly higher levels of inclusive classroom climate, classroom cohesion, empathy, and self-efficacy at T2 compared to the control group. Inclusive classroom climate and cohesion at T2 were positively associated with empathy and self-efficacy at T2. Significant indirect effects were found, with the intervention influencing empathy and self-efficacy through inclusive classroom climate and cohesion. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the HateLess program in enhancing classroom environments and promoting key psychosocial outcomes among adolescents. More broadly, these findings contribute valuable insights to educational interventions and highlight the importance of comprehensive approaches to creating inclusive and supportive learning spaces for all students.
Keywords
hate speech; school climate; prevention; social skills
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Scientific |
|---|---|
| Please indicate what type of scientific contribution it is | Quantitative method study |
