<![CDATA[Purpose of the study: Empathetic character development in elementary students is essential for holistic education. The ages of 6-12 exhibit notable neuroplasticity and social cognition growth, making it ideal for empathy programs. The study aims to assess a neuropedagogy-based interactive storytelling program for empathy enhancement. Materials and methods: A quasi-experimental design involved 120 students (ages 7-12) in Bangkinang, Riau. The experimental group (n=60) underwent a 12-week interactive storytelling intervention, conducted bi-weekly. Results: Assessments utilized the Basic Empathy Scale for Children, behavioral observations, and perspective-taking measures at baseline, post-intervention, and after four weeks. The experimental cohort exhibited significant advancements in cognitive empathy (34.7%), affective empathy (28.3%), and prosocial behaviors (68.8%). Improvement in perspective-taking reached 36.3%. Follow-up results indicated 81% retention of cognitive empathy and 78% for affective empathy improvements. Conclusions: The neuropedagogy-based storytelling approach was effective in fostering empathetic character among elementary students. Integrating neuroscience concepts into character education provides an evidence-based strategy for curriculum incorporation, with lasting effects reflecting substantial neuroplastic transformations.]]>
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