SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 24 Sayı: 1

Teacher Empathy in Education: A Multi-Method Study

Eğitimde Öğretmen Empatisi: Çoklu Yöntemli Bir Araştırma

Mehmet Akif Topal(Kastamonu Üniversitesi)0000-0003-2066-590X
Pages
204–227
Publication Date
2026-04-29
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

According to the results of the research, it was determined that social studies teachers' empathy skills with their students were above average, and they agreed.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study aims to provide practical ideas by evaluating the role of empathy in education in the development of academic achievement, social participation, social relations, communication and problem-solving skills of children who will play a key role in shaping Türkiye’s future by revealing teachers' perceptions of empathy.
📊
Key Findings & Data:In the quantitative dimension of the study, the study group included 100 social studies teachers working in the provincial and district centers of Kastamonu in the 2024-2025 academic year.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:According to the results of the research, it was determined that social studies teachers' empathy skills with their students were above average, and they agreed.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2024-2025 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Empati · Eğitim · Beceri

Abstract

This study aims to provide practical ideas by evaluating the role of empathy in education in the development of academic achievement, social participation, social relations, communication and problem-solving skills of children who will play a key role in shaping Türkiye’s future by revealing teachers' perceptions of empathy. In order to determine the teachers' opinions and attitudes towards empathy skills, a convergent parallel design was used, which is a multi-method method. In the quantitative dimension of the study, the study group included 100 social studies teachers working in the provincial and district centers of Kastamonu in the 2024-2025 academic year. The study group for the qualitative dimension of the study included 30 social studies teachers working in the provincial and district centers of Çankırı. As the data collection tool, “Teacher Empathy Scale” was used in the quantitative phase of the study, and “Teacher Empathy Interview Form” was used in the qualitative phase. The quantitative data in the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. According to the results of the research, it was determined that social studies teachers' empathy skills with their students were above average, and they agreed. Teachers described empathy as putting themselves in the other person's shoes. They stated that teachers told stories to help their students cope with the challenges they faced, emphasized that challenges were a natural part of life, worked together to find solutions, communicated, made students feel supported, collaborated with other teachers, referred students to counseling services, and contacted civil society organizations.

Özet

Bu çalışmada, öğretmenlerin empati algılarını ortaya koyarak Türkiye’nin geleceğinin şekillenmesinde kilit rol oynayacak çocukların akademik başarıları, toplumsal katılımları, sosyal ilişkileri, iletişim ve problem çözme becerilerinin gelişiminde empatinin eğitimdeki rolüne ilişkin değerlendirmeler yaparak uygulamaya dönük fikirler elde etmek amaçlanmıştır. Öğretmenlerin empati becerisine yönelik görüş ve tutumlarının belirlenmesi amacıyla çoklu yöntemlerden yakınsayan paralel desen kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın nicel boyutunda çalışma grubunu 2024-2025 eğitim öğretim yılı Kastamonu il ve ilçe merkezinde görev yapan 100 sosyal bilgiler öğretmenidir. Araştırmanın nitel boyutundaki çalışma grubunu Çankırı il ve ilçelerinde görev yapmakta olan 30 sosyal bilgiler öğretmenidir. Veri toplama aracı olarak çalışmanın nicel aşamasında “Öğretmen Empati Ölçeği” nitel aşamasında ise “Öğretmen Empati Görüşme Formu” kullanılmıştır. Araştırmada nicel veriler betimsel istatistik yöntemiyle, nitel veriler içerik analiziyle çözümlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucuna göre sosyal bilgiler öğretmenlerinin öğrencileri ile ilgili empati becerilerinin orta düzeyin üzerinde ve katılıyorum şeklinde olduğu belirlenmiştir. Öğretmenler empatiyi karşısındaki kişinin yerine kendini koymak olarak belirtmişlerdir. Öğretmenlerin öğrencilerinin karşılaştıkları zorluklarla başa çıkabilmeleri için hikâye anlattıklarını, zorlukların hayatın doğal parçası olduğunu ifade ettiklerini, birlikte çözüm bulmaya çalıştıklarını, iletişim kurduklarını, öğrencinin yanında olduğunu hissettirdiklerini, diğer öğretmenlerle iş birliği yaptıklarını, rehberlik servisine yönlendirdiklerini ve sivil toplum kuruluşlarıyla iletişime geçtiklerini ifade etmişlerdir.

🔖

Cite This Article

Topal, M. A., *, M. A. T. (2026). Teacher Empathy in Education: A Multi-Method Study. Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, Cilt: 24 Sayı: 1, 204–227. https://doi.org/10.37217/tebd.1688628

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (43)

  1. Allison, C., Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S. J., Stone, M. H., & Muncer, S. J. (2011). Psychometric analysis of the empathy quotient (EQ). Personality and Individual Differences, 51, 829–835.
  2. Arghode, V., Yalvac, B., & Liew, J. (2013). Teacher empathy and science education: A collective case study. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 9(2), 89-99.
  3. Atlas. ti. (2025). The guide to mixed methods research. Https://atlasti.com/guides/the-guide-to-mixed-methods-research/mixed-methods-vs-multiple-methods-research sayfasından erişilmiştir.
  4. Bahr, P. R. (2008). Does mathematics remediation work? A comparative analysis of academic attainment among community college students. Research in Higher Education, 49(5), 420–450.
  5. Barton, G. & Garvis, S. (2019). Theorizing compassion and empathy in educational contexts: What are compassion and empathy and why are they important? G. Barton & S. Garvis (Ed.), Compassion and empathy in educational contexts içinde (s. 3–14). Palgrave Macmillan.
  6. Bloom, P. (2017). Empathy and its discontents. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 21(1), 24-31.
  7. Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılıç-Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö. E., Karadeniz, Ş., & Demirel, F. (2008). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri. Pegem.
  8. Calloway-Thomas, C. (2010). Empathy in the global work: An intercultural perspective. Sage. Campbell, E. (2003). Moral lessons: The ethical role of teachers. Educational Research and Evaluation, 9(1), 25-50.
  9. Cooper, B. (2002). Teacher empathy and professional development. Learning and Instruction, 12(1), 1–15.
  10. Creswell, J. W. & Plano-Clark, V. L. (2014). Karma yöntem araştırmaları tasarımı ve yürütülmesi (Y. Dede & S. B. Demir, Çev. Ed.). Anı.
  11. Davis, C. M. (1990). What is empathy, and can empathy be taught? Physical Therapy, 70(11), 707-711.
  12. Decety, J. & Jackson, P. L. (2004). The functional architecture of human empathy. Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Reviews, 3(2), 71-100.
  13. Demetriou, H., Wilson, E., & Winterbottom, M. (2009). The role of emotion in teaching: Are there differences between male and female newly qualified teachers' approaches to teaching? Educational Studies, 35(4), 449- 473.
  14. Derakhshan, A. (2021). The predictability of Turkman students’ academic engagement through Persian language teachers’ nonverbal immediacy and credibility. Journal of Teaching Persian to Speakers of Other Languages, 10(1), 3-24.
  15. Duan, C. & Hill, C. E. (1996). The current state of empathy research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(3), 261-274.
  16. Gordon, M. (2009). Roots of empathy. The Experiment.
  17. Hashim, N. M. H. N., Alam, S. S., & Yusoff, N. M. (2014). Relationship between teacher’s personality, monitoring, learning environment, and students’ EFL performance. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 14(1), 101-116.
  18. Hen, M. (2010). Sense of self-efficacy and empathy among teachers who include in their classrooms students with special needs. J. Study Res. Vis. Pract., 13, 134–165.
  19. Ikiz, F. E. (2009). Investigation of counselor empathy with respect to safe schools. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 1(1), 2057-2062.
  20. Kaya, B. (2016). An evaluation of the empathy levels of pre-service social studies teachers. Educational Research and Reviews, 11(6), 229-237.
  21. Khan, S. & Armstrong, A. (2019). Math-a-POLKA: Mathematics as a place of loving kindness and agency. Journal of the Canadian Association for Curriculum Studies (JCACS), 17(1), 1–12.
  22. Jalaludin, R. (2009). Psikologi komunikasi. Pt Remaja Rosdakarya.
  23. Meyers, S., Rowell, K., Wells, M., & Smith, B. C. (2019). Teacher empathy: A model of empathy for teaching for student success. College Teaching, 67(3), 160-168.
  24. Nathan, P. (2018). Towards a model of teacher empathy. (Doktora Tezi). University of Nottingham.
  25. Palincsar, A. S. (1998). Social constructivist perspectives on teaching and learning. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 345-375.
  26. Patton, M. Q. (2014). Nitel araştırma ve değerlendirme yöntemleri (M. Bütün & S. B. Demir, Çev. Ed.). Pegem.
  27. Richaud, M. C. (2017). Algunos aportes sobre la importancia de la empatía y la prosocialidad en el desarrollo humano. Revista Mexicana de Investigación en Psicología, 6(2), 171-176.
  28. Riess, H. (2017). The science of empathy. Journal of Patient Experience, 4(2), 74-77.
  29. Rodrigues, M. C. & da Silva, R. D. L. M. (2012). Avaliação de um programa de promoção da empatia implementado na educação infantil. Estudos e pesquisas em Psicologia, 12(1), 59-75.
  30. Sadoughi, M. & Hejazi, S. Y. (2021). Teacher support and academic engagement among EFL learners: The role of positive academic emotions. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 70, 101060.
  31. Tanhan, F., Kasap, S., Hasan, F., & Ünsal, F. (2022). Development of teacher empathy scale: A study of validity and reliability. Humanistic Perspective, 4(3), 493-511.
  32. Teich, N. (1992). Teaching for and about empathy as a collaborative rhetoric. N. Teich (Ed), Rogerian perspectives: Collaborative rhetoric for oral and written communication içinde (s. 237-248). Ablex.
  33. Tettegah, S. & Anderson, C. J. (2007). Pre-service teachers’ empathy and cognitions: Statistical analysis of text data by graphical models. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 32(1), 48-82.
  34. Uyar, A. & Kadan, Ö. F. (2023). Öğretmen Empati Ölçeğinin Türkçeye uyarlanması: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Cumhuriyet Uluslararası Eğitim Dergisi, 12(1), 258-268.
  35. Vaquier, L. M. V., Pérez, V. M. O., & González, M. L. G. (2020). Teacher´ s empathy in preschool education: a study on Mexican educators. Educação e Pesquisa, 46, e219377.
  36. Vrečer, N. (2015). Empathy in adult education. Andragoška Spoznanja, 21(3), 65-73.
  37. Wang, H. (2017). Learning to teach with compassion: Heritage, hope, and humanities. Routledge.
  38. Wang, Y., Derakhshan, A., & Pan, Z. (2022). Positioning an agenda on a loving pedagogy in second language acquisition: Conceptualization, practice, and research. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 894190.
  39. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University.
  40. Wink, M. N., LaRusso, M. D., & Smith, R. L. (2021). Teacher empathy and students with problem behaviors: Examining teachers' perceptions, responses, relationships, and burnout. Psychology in the Schools, 58(8), 1575-1596.
  41. Wiyanarti, E. (2011). Social studies learning for the development of empathic awareness. Historia: Jurnal Pendidik dan Peneliti Sejarah, 12(2), 274-295.
  42. Xie, F. & Derakhshan, A. (2021). A conceptual review of positive teacher interpersonal communication behaviors in the instructional context. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 708490.
  43. Zhang, Z. (2022). Toward the role of teacher empathy in students’ engagement in English language classes. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 880935.