Who We Are Affects What We See: Students' Sex, Ethnicity, and Perceptions of Empathy

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Twelve
  In Roundtable Session: How Do Social Identities and the Broader Historical and Cultural Context Shape Motivation? (Table 11)

Abstract

Instructor empathy is an important aspect of effective classrooms, particularly for students who have been historically marginalized. Moreover, research suggests students’ sex and/or ethnicity affects their experience of instructor empathy. The current study examines a measure of student perceptions of instructor empathy for measurement invariance across sex and ethnicity. We found evidence of invariance across sex and some ethnic differences. Next, we used multiple indicator multiple causes (MIMIC) models to examine differences in dimensions of empathy across groups. Results show female students perceived higher cognitive empathy, while males perceive higher affective empathy. Further, Asian students perceived higher cognitive and affective empathy than their White peers. Because instructor empathy can impact student performance, differences in perceptions may impact educational outcomes.

Authors

• Jeff Vomund, University of Tennessee
  Presenting Author

• Angela D. Miller, George Mason University
  Non-Presenting Author