Summer camps provoke altruism in children, study shows

Source: University of Geneva (UNIGE)

Children who take part in summer camps display more altruistic behaviour than those who don’t participate, a new study suggests.

Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) sampled 265 children aged 6 – 16, made up of both camp and non-camp goers, asking them to complete a questionnaire on a number of topics at the beginning and end of the summer camp period.

Questions included 'to what extent would you help a stranger find his way?' and 'to what extent would you help a friend with his homework?’. Possible answers ranged from 'never' to 'very often' on a five-point scale, Yves Gerber, first author of the study, said.

The answers of the 145 children who took part in the camps were compared with those of the 111 children in the 'control' group who did not participate in this type of activity.

The responses revealed ‘an increase in the level of altruism in the former and a decrease in the latter’, said Jennifer Malsert, co-author of the study.

The study showed that having had a positive camp experience in the past, or participating in this type of activity with friends, increases the development of altruism. The study authors also noted an increase in self-esteem of the children who took part in summer camps.

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Bibliography

The effects of Swiss summer camp on the development of socio-emotional abilities in children

Yves Gerber, Edouard Gentaz, Jennifer Malsert
PLoS ONE | Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Funding:

Abstract:
This quasi-experimental research explores the relationship between participation in two-week summer camps and changes in children’s altruism and self-esteem. Data were collected from 256 children aged 6 to 16 years. A self-reported altruism scale, a self-evaluation questionnaire and a temperament measure (EAS) were administered on two occasions either two weeks apart during the summer holidays or in class before and after the autumn holidays. The responses of 145 children attending summer camps were compared with those of 111 pupils. A significant increase in the altruism score was found between the pre-test and post-test in the camp condition, but no change in the children’s self-esteem was found with the entire sample. Exploratory analyses suggest variables that may be associated with more favourable participation in summer camps; certain dimensions of temperament are among them, as well as factors related to the camps themselves. Differences in the increase of altruism and self-esteem scores in summer camp were observed according to the identified child profiles. The limitations of this work are highlighted before proposing perspectives for future research.

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