Research Article

The effect of philosophy for children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of middle school students

Number: 80 October 26, 2026
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The effect of philosophy for children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of middle school students

Abstract

This study examined the effect of Philosophy for Children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of sixth-grade middle school students. The study was conducted using a pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design. The study group consisted of 65 sixth-grade students enrolled in two classes at a public middle school in Burdur during the 2024-2025 academic year, with one class assigned as the experimental group (n = 32) and the other as the control group (n = 33). Over eight weeks, the experimental group received a P4C curriculum designed by the researchers to develop the five dimensions of caring thinking (appreciative, affective, active, normative, and empathic), while the control group continued with the existing national curriculum. Data were collected using the Caring Thinking Skills Inventory and analyzed through one-way ANCOVA; for the sub-dimensions in which the homogeneity of regression slopes assumption was violated, models including the Group × Pretest interaction were estimated, and the Mann-Whitney U test on gain scores was reported as a supplementary sensitivity analysis. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference favoring the experimental group in the total caring thinking score, with a large group effect, and in the normative and empathic sub-dimensions. In the appreciative, affective, and active sub-dimensions, the experimental group scored higher at average pretest levels, but the group difference diminished as pretest scores increased. The results indicate that P4C activities can meaningfully develop the affective dimension of thinking, and recommendations were offered regarding the applicability of the caring thinking dimension of the 4C model at the middle school level.

Keywords

References

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  5. Asgari, M., Whitehead, J., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Weber, B. (2023). The impact of Philosophy for Children (P4C) on middle school students’ empathy, perspective-taking, and autonomy: Preliminary outcomes. *Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 43*(1), 26–43.
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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Instructional Technologies

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

October 26, 2026

Submission Date

June 21, 2026

Acceptance Date

October 14, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 80

APA
Çakar Özkan, E., & Özdemir, A. C. (2026). The effect of philosophy for children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of middle school students. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty, 80, 117-140. https://doi.org/10.21764/maeuefd.1975529
AMA
1.Çakar Özkan E, Özdemir AC. The effect of philosophy for children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of middle school students. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty. 2026;(80):117-140. doi:10.21764/maeuefd.1975529
Chicago
Çakar Özkan, Esra, and Aysel Ceren Özdemir. 2026. “The Effect of Philosophy for Children (P4C) Activities on the Caring Thinking Skills of Middle School Students”. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty, nos. 80: 117-40. https://doi.org/10.21764/maeuefd.1975529.
EndNote
Çakar Özkan E, Özdemir AC (October 1, 2026) The effect of philosophy for children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of middle school students. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty 80 117–140.
IEEE
[1]E. Çakar Özkan and A. C. Özdemir, “The effect of philosophy for children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of middle school students”, Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty, no. 80, pp. 117–140, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.21764/maeuefd.1975529.
ISNAD
Çakar Özkan, Esra - Özdemir, Aysel Ceren. “The Effect of Philosophy for Children (P4C) Activities on the Caring Thinking Skills of Middle School Students”. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty. 80 (October 1, 2026): 117-140. https://doi.org/10.21764/maeuefd.1975529.
JAMA
1.Çakar Özkan E, Özdemir AC. The effect of philosophy for children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of middle school students. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty. 2026;:117–140.
MLA
Çakar Özkan, Esra, and Aysel Ceren Özdemir. “The Effect of Philosophy for Children (P4C) Activities on the Caring Thinking Skills of Middle School Students”. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty, no. 80, Oct. 2026, pp. 117-40, doi:10.21764/maeuefd.1975529.
Vancouver
1.Esra Çakar Özkan, Aysel Ceren Özdemir. The effect of philosophy for children (P4C) activities on the caring thinking skills of middle school students. Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty. 2026 Oct. 1;(80):117-40. doi:10.21764/maeuefd.1975529

Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Education Faculty

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