Fostering contact intentions through imagined contact: A theory of planned behaviour approach

Imagined contact is a type of intergroup contact based on a mental simulation of the interaction with a member of an outgroup. Interventions based on imagined contact are often proposed as strategies to reduce prejudice among children in the school context. This study investigates the mechanisms underlying the effects of a school-based imagined contact intervention on host-society pupils' intentions for contact with their refugee peers. Indirect effects are examined in the framework of the theory of planned behaviour. The research involved 645 children from grades two to four in six primary schools, divided into intervention and comparison groups. Their attitudes towards refugee children, perceived peer and teacher norms regarding contact with refugees, contact-related self-efficacy and their contact intentions were assessed at three points: before the intervention, approximately a week after the last intervention session and around two and a half months later. Our findings suggest that attitudes, along with peer and teacher norms, mediate the intervention's impact on contact intentions. However, no indirect effect was observed through self-efficacy related to contact with refugee children. The findings of this study offer various recommendations for future interventions, aiming to enhance our understanding of the effective implementation of imagined contact with children in a school setting.