Reprint
The Role of Empathy in Teaching Culturally Diverse Students: A Qualitative Study of Teachers' Beliefs
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5152770 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gretchen Mcallister (Northern Arizona University), Jacqueline Jordan Irvine (Emory University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 74 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 191-199 |
| Publication date | 2023-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Teacher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-4871 • E-ISSN: 1552-7816 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00224871231161450 |
| OpenAlex | W4362600870 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 11 |
This study provides a description of 34 practicing teachers' beliefs regarding the role of empathy as an attribute in their effectiveness with culturally diverse students.Empathy involves cognitive, affective, and behavioral components that teachers believed were manifested in their practice.All of these teachers had participated in a multicultural professional development program geared to fostering culturally responsive practice.Through a content analysis of more than 125 documents, three themes in teachers' practices emerged: more positive interactions with culturally diverse students, more supportive classroom climates, and more studentcentered practices.In addition, teachers discussed their most valuable learning experiences in the professional development course.These included a cross-cultural simulation, cultural immersion trips, and their own experiences as minorities.The results from this study underscore the importance of creating contexts in teacher education and professional development programs in which teachers and preservice teachers use and nurture empathetic dispositions and behaviors.An empathic disposition has been seen as a desirable trait for teachers in diverse settings.This disposition has been associated with increased sensitivity to different cultures (Germain, 1998) and has been identified as a key characteristic in being effective in urban diverse schools (Darling-Hammond, 2000;Gordon, 1999).Specifically, empathetic people take on the perspective of another culture and respond to another individual from that person's perspective (Goleman, 1998;Oliner & Oliner, 1995).Noddings (1984) referred to this as "feeling with," wherein one does not feel for or act on behalf of an individual; rather, one is with the individual in a nonjudgmental fashion.This type of empathy has also been referred to as "altruism," which implies action on behalf or in service to other's needs (Goodman, 2000).This empathic disposition often manifests itself in teachers' caring relationships with students.Researchers have noted that students, especially students of color, who have caring relationships with their teachers are more motivated and perform better academically than students who do not (Foster, 1995;Gay, 2000;Irvine, 1990).In addition, empathy 1161450J TEXXX10
Empathy · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Qualitative research · Reprint · Social science · Sociology · Teaching method · Early Childhood Education and Development · Education and Critical Thinking Development · Psychology · Social Psychology · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |