Utilizing the Japanese Anime, ‘Kotaro Lives Alone’ to Foster Awareness of the Concept of Child Abuse and Neglect among Filipino Pre-service Teachers

The study aimed to utilize the Japanese anime, ‘Kotaro Lives Alone’ as an intervention to foster awareness of the concepts of child abuse and neglect among Filipino pre-service elementary teachers from a teacher education institution in Pampanga, Philippines. Using a qualitative action research paradigm, a total of 53 pre-service teachers preliminarily responded to validated open-ended questions related to the said concepts to assess their existing knowledge and understanding. After a thorough screening of responses, ten students were identified to have a limited understanding of the concepts. They voluntarily participated to watch the Japanese anime and were provided the same set of questions after. Using reflexive thematic analysis, three themes were derived to describe the encompassing totality of the qualitative data captured in the study. The first theme summarized the descriptions of the participants on the concepts of child abuse and neglect before the intervention which they associate with physical harm, threat, and failure to provide a child’s basic rights and needs. The second theme highlighted the participants’ understanding of the two concepts after the intervention which pointed out that they are not all about physical abuse, and abandonment, and that they contribute to the personality and behavior of a child. The third theme revealed the totality of the experience in watching the anime as they understand the concepts. Ultimately, the study recommends the use of applicable Japanese anime as it may prospectively foster an understanding of critical concepts in education