Peer-reviewed article

Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of the Renkli Adımlar Game- and Drama-Based Program for Preventing Peer Bullying and Promoting Empathy: A Pilot School-Level Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Ayşe Sezer Balcı, Sultan Günal, Rukiye Sarıca, Asiye Kaya · 25 Sept 2026

Abstract

Aim: This pilot school-level cluster-randomized controlled trial evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effects of the Renkli Adımlar (Colorful Steps) game- and drama-based intervention on bullying and victimization, with empathy assessed as a secondary outcome, among primary school students. Methods: A pretest-posttest pilot trial was conducted with 79 third- and fourth-grade students allocated to an intervention group (n = 40) or a control group (n = 39). The eight-week program included six 40-min sessions using educational games, creative drama, role-playing, storytelling, puppet activities, and collaborative learning. Outcomes were assessed using the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents and the Peer Bullying Identification Scale-Child Form. Intervention effects were primarily examined using mixed repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: The mixed ANOVA showed group × time interactions for bullying (F(1, 77) = 3.959, p = 0.05, ηp2 = 0.049) and victimization (F(1, 77) = 3.870, p = 0.04, ηp2 = 0.048), with greater reductions in the intervention group than in the control group. No significant group × time interaction was observed for empathy (F(1, 77) = 0.882, p = 0.35, ηp2 = 0.011). Exploratory within-group Wilcoxon signed-rank analyses showed significant reductions in bullying and victimization and a significant increase in empathy in the intervention group, whereas no significant within-group changes were observed in the control group. Conclusions: The findings provide preliminary evidence that Renkli Adımlar may reduce bullying and victimization and is feasible to implement in primary schools. However, the non-significant empathy interaction does not support an intervention-specific effect on empathy. Given the inclusion of only two school clusters, findings should be considered exploratory. Larger multicenter trials with multiple schools per condition and cluster-adjusted analyses are needed. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07696455), registered retrospectively after completion of data collection.