New Directions in Compassion Curricula and the Science of the Pedagogy

This chapter provides an overview of several initiatives that use compassion-based psychoeducation and practices to enhance well-being, emotional regulation and prosocial behaviours in educational settings, and discusses theory underlying curricula contents. The term curriculum/s is used when talking about initiatives that have only one version; those that have two distinct components are referred to as curricula. Presented first is an overview of the initiatives we deliver in primary and secondary schools as well as in the higher education sector, including why these are needed. These initiatives range from those for pupils and higher/further education students, to those for the individuals who teach these populations. Key theory is then introduced that supports the curricula and initiatives. This includes compassion as an evolutionary-informed, biopsychosocial approach, how emotions can affect behaviour (with a focus on drive, threat and soothing systems), and how compassion-based practices can support regulation of these emotion systems and prosocial behaviours (including kindness towards self and others). In a final section, we overview research evidence as to compassion in education curricula and consider issues of implementation quality. In sum, drawing on evidence-based research, this chapter demonstrates the impact that short compassion-based interventions can have for educator, student and pupil well-being, the main theories and research supporting the curriculums, and factors that affect intervention efficacy.