From “Me” to “We”: An Intervention Program to Increase Children’s Acceptance in Classrooms

Highlights: What are the main findings? Participation in the From “Me” to “We” intervention led to a small but statistically significant increase in children’s social status compared to a control group. The effect of the intervention was consistent across genders and independent of classroom-level differences. What are the implications of the main findings? Group-oriented interventions targeting the shift from self-focused to collective per-spectives can support social acceptance in elementary classrooms. Future research is needed to explore long-term effects, implementation fidelity, and applicability across diverse classroom and cultural contexts. Background: The elementary school years are a critical period for children’s social development, during which interactions with peers play a central role. While previous research highlights the importance of integration into the peer group, this study investigated the From “Me” to “We” school-based intervention, designed to enhance peer acceptance by encouraging children to move from an individualistic “Me” perspective toward a more group-oriented “We” mindset. Methods: Participants were 594 fourth- and fifth-graders (Mage = 9.57 years; 46% male, 54% female) from four schools in Israel. Students were assigned to an intervention group (N = 270) or a control group (N = 324). The From “Me” to “We” intervention, led by teachers with psychologist support, spanned three months and included six classroom sessions. Peer acceptance was evaluated using pre- and post-test social status questionnaires that assessed children’s actual social interactions with classmates. Results: Analyses revealed a significant interaction between the intervention and children’s acceptance within the group, such that among the intervention group, children’s social status significantly increased, whereas the control group showed no significant change. Conclusions: The From “Me” to “We” intervention led to a small but statistically significant increase in children’s peer acceptance. While these findings highlight the potential of group-oriented approaches to support social development in elementary school, future research is needed to examine the long-term effects and generalizability of the intervention across diverse classroom and cultural contexts.