Pangaea undertakes participant surveys regarding our webcam activities. We hand out survey forms and ask attendees to fill out the forms on site before and after attending the webcam activities.
Below is the result of the survey responded by Korean and Malaysian participants regarding the 8 Webcam activities held between the period of November 2005 - February 2010. (Korea: 6 times, Malaysia: 2 times)
Malaysia
Q1. Please rate your current feelings toward Japanese participants.
Before Activity
After Activity
Total Survey Responses: 47
Q2. Please share your immediate thoughts about Japanese participants.
Malaysia Girl (3th Grade)
Before Activity
"I don't know very much about Japan. I want to try to learn the Japanese."
After Activity
"After the Pangaea activity, I really like Japan now and also I have met new friends."
Malaysia Boy (8th Grade)
Before Activity
"I love Japanese food. I love watching the Japanese animations."
After Activity
"Japanese people seem to be fun and kind. I still think the Japanese food is great. I want to study Japanese very hard and I think I will try to speak to the Japanese people in Japanese as much as I can."
Malaysia Boy (8th Grade)
Before Activity
"I think the Japanese language is quite unique and very hard to study. I love the animations made in Japan."
After Activity
"Japan is really a developed country with the most advanced technology. Also, the Japanese people are very beautiful."
Korea
Q1. Please rate your current feelings toward Japanese participants.
Before Activity
After Activity
Total Survey Responses: 86
Q2. Please share your immediate thoughts about Japanese participants.
Korean Girl (6th Grade)
Before Activity
"I love Japanese animations, but I think Japanese people are wrong to claim that a part of South Korea belongs to Japan. I also think Japan wrongly occupied our country."
After Activity
"I feel Japanese kids are nice."
Korean Boy (8th Grade)
Before Activity
"I don't have any special feelings."
After Activity
"Before, I did not have any feelings toward the Japanese people, but we look quite similar and now I feel a little closer to the Japanese people."
Korean Girl (6th Grade)
Before Activity
"I love reading the Japanese comics. The Japanese is the language I want to learn the most, but I often hear that the Japanese people are bad people and I don't think I will like the Japanese people."
After Activity
"I found that both Japan and Korea are the same. The Japanese people are very good at drawing. I feel I have become closer to them."
According to our survey results, children are more likely to show negative attitudes toward unknown people. We also found that children's negative emotions and beliefs tend to turn into positive ones through our webcam activities. These facts indicate that face-to-face communication via webcams may play a crucial role in eliminating children's negative thoughts and feelings towards people from different countries. In addition, it can help children to develop emotional bonds with other children as playmates, regardless of geographical distance.
Pangaea will continue to conduct our participant surveys and properly utilize the information gathered to improve our operation and materials.