Empathy is central to many conflict resolution processes, but the concept has not been adequately described in the field. This dissertation investigates processes of cultivating empathy by examining structured classroom role-play activities which have been found to increase participants' empathy. The qualitative study focuses on undergraduate students' participation in role-plays about conflicts related to the practice of mountaintop mining in Appalachian communities. Components of the role-plays that cultivated empathy were discovered through interviews with students, observations during role-plays, review of audio and video recordings of the role-plays, students' reflection papers, and pre and post testing.
Key findings include the importance of narrative preparation for role-play and the performance of characters during role-play to the development of empathy. In particular, two activities were found to cultivate empathy in student participants: the screening of a documentary film, and a journal writing exercise focused on developing a story for their role-play character. The study also revealed that the act of performing characters in an interactive environment contributed to the development of empathy toward other conflict parties enacted by fellow student participants.