Development and testing of a program for fostering digital empathy among university students in kazakhstan under hybrid learning conditions

Abstract

The article presents the development and testing of a program for fostering digital empathy among university students in Kazakhstan under hybrid learning conditions. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to address the deficit of empathy in online communication, identified in previous research, against the background of intensive digitalization of education within the "Digital Kazakhstan" program. The aim is to develop and experimentally verify the effectiveness of a program aimed at increasing the level of digital empathy. The theoretical foundation includes concepts of digital empathy (García-Pérez et al., 2016; Friesem, 2016) and methods of its development using digital tools (Chen, 2018; Sljivic et al., 2021; Sun & Li, 2024). The program comprises modules based on digital storytelling, video production, and role-playing online simulations. Testing was conducted on a sample of Kazakhstani university students (experimental and control groups). The results demonstrated a statistically significant increase in digital empathy levels in the experimental group, as well as a positive impact on overall emotional intelligence and adaptation to hybrid learning. The findings allow recommending the implementation of the developed program in the educational practice of higher education institutions in the Republic of Kazakhstan.