The Theories of the Development of Students: A Factor to Shape Teacher Empathy From the Perspective of Motivation

Empathy represents an essential prerequisite for developing effective interpersonal behavior and maintaining interpersonal relationships. Education is a result of teacher-student interaction, and, therefore, it is worth noting that teaching empathy is critical for the development of students and the professional growth of teachers. Recently, researchers began to explore the influential factors of empathy (e.g., empathic mindsets) based on motivation. Beyond their empathic attitudes, teachers also have a mindset toward the development of students. A survey study was adopted to explore the relationship between the theories of the growth of students and teacher empathy. Four hundred and eighty-four Chinese teachers completed the student development scale, the teacher empathic motivation scale, and the teacher empathy scale. The mediation model results showed that the theories of the development of students could significantly predict teacher empathy and teacher empathic motivation. The teacher empathic motivation mediated the positive relationship between the theories of the development of students and teacher empathy. This study proposes a new concept and method for teacher empathy intervention in future.

The idiodynamic method: willingness to communicate and anxiety processes interacting in real time

The idiodynamic method is a relatively new mixed-method approach to studying in real time the complex dynamics of integrated affective and cognitive states that interact continuously with human communication. The method requires video recording a sample of communication from a research participant and then using specialized software to play the video back while collecting contemporaneous self-reported ratings (approximately one per second) on one or more focal variables of interest to the researcher, such as willingness to communicate (WTC) or communication anxiety (CA). After the participant rates the communication sample, a continuous graph of changes in the focal variable is printed. The final step is to interview the speaker to gather an explanation for changes in the ratings, for example at peaks or valleys in the graph. The method can also collect observer ratings that can then be compared with the speaker’s self-ratings. To date, studies have been conducted examining WTC, CA, motivation, perceived competence, teacher self-efficacy, teacher empathy, and strategy use, among other topics. The strengths and limitations of the method will be discussed and a specific example of its use in measuring WTC and CA will be provided.

Teacher Self-Concept and its Association with Willingness to Include Children with Special Needs in Regular Classes: Teacher Empathy as a Mediator

More appealing is the inclusive education practice that recognizes diversity among children than practices that lead to inequality in education. However, there have been implementation challenges including the rejection of children with special needs (CWSNs) in regular classes by teachers. Given this, the study attempted to build an empirical model to explain associations between teacher self-belief system and socio-emotional factors and their willingness to include CWSNs in their classes. The sample size consisted of 316 teachers. Using path analysis, findings showed, among others, that the conceptual model fit the data satisfactorily, and that teacher self-concept had direct effects on teachers’ willingness to include CWSNs in their regular classes. Teacher cognitive self-concept was a better predictor and its impact was significantly mediated by teacher empathy. It was concluded that willingness for inclusion could be influenced by teacher belief system and socio-emotional characteristics. Received: 27 October 2020 / Accepted: 17 December 2020 / Published: 5 March 2021

Examining Teacher Dispositions for Evidence of (Transformative) Social and Emotional Competencies with Black Boys: The Case of Three Urban High School Teachers

Drawing from a larger study of teacher empathy, this article offers a critical race analysis of three teachers’ dispositions to discern (a) their social and emotional competencies (SEC) and (b) evidence of transformative social and emotional learning (SEL). Data sources include one-on-one teacher interviews, focus groups, document analyses, and more than 1,500 minutes of video-recorded classroom observations. Findings illustrate the influence of race, identity, and one’s conceptions of power for determining transformative expressions of teacher participants’ SEC. Implications for creating the conditions to effectively design and facilitate transformative SEL programming in urban school settings are discussed.