Empathy, Empathizing, and Empathic Development: A Qualitative Analysis of Internet Content for Educators

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Moral Education: The Role of Teachers and Topics

Abstract

This study undertook a content analysis of online information for educators about empathy, empathizing and empathic development. Using a representative sample of six websites, our research identified and critically analysed specific information about the definition of “empathy”, the composite skills of empathy, why educators should be concerned about empathy, and how educators can intervene to improve the skills associated with empathizing and foster children’s empathic development. We found a tendency in the sites in our sample to lack semantic control in conceptualizing empathy, to overlook the significance of the precocity of empathic development, and to misuse neuroscience evidence. Despite these limitations, we concluded that the empathy-related information for educators on the Internet is reasonably consistent with the scientific literature.

Authors

• Bruce Maxwell, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

• Roxanne Desforges, Concordia University