Background
Kindness researchers have largely focused on assessing the effects of being kind on participants’ wellbeing (e.g., Hui et al., 2020). Less research has explored perceptions of kindness and how individuals demonstrate kindness (Cotney & Banerjee, 2019). The aims of this study were to explore the viability of incorporating a kindness assignment into undergraduate coursework to assess the effect of performing a series of kind acts on students’ perceptions of kindness and to identify how students demonstrate kindness.
Hypotheses / Research Questions
It was hypothesized that self-perceptions of in-person and online kindness would increase as would participants’ perceptions of their campus as kind. At post-test, participants’ ratings of their connectedness to others would significantly increase.
Sample Characteristics and Sample Size
Participants (N = 93, Mage = 20.41, SD = 4.02) self-identified as 74% female and were largely first- or second-year students (53% and 21% respectively).
Design
Participants were enrolled in a course on health and wellness at a western Canadian university and planned and delivered five acts of kindness over the course of one week. Pre- and post-test measures of self- and campus-perceptions of kindness and campus connectedness were administered and content analysis was used to identify the salient themes in acts of kindness.
Results
Participants who completed at least 3 of the 5 planned acts of kindness reported significantly higher scores on measures of in-person kindness and campus connectedness however did not report significantly higher scores on measures of self-perceived online kindness or on their perception of the kindness of their campus community. Participants in this study planned a total of 492 acts which contained the salient themes of Helping Others, Giving, Demonstrating Appreciation, and Communicating.
Scientific Contribution
The findings inform how to incorporate a kindness intervention into university coursework and demystify how students enact kindness.