Empathic Teaching and Students’ Challenging Behaviors: The Role of Compassion and Teacher Characteristics

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 2:30 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Research of Mindfulness in Schools (Table 13)

Abstract

We investigated the relation of teachers’ empathy to their compassion and affective word use
regarding their appraisals of their most challenging students. Next, we explored the relation of
well-being (i.e., gratitude, happiness, trait mindfulness), teaching efficacy, and burnout to
teachers’ empathy. Teachers (N = 31) from public elementary and middle schools completed
surveys and responded to open-ended questions about a challenging student. We found a
significant and positive relation between teachers’ empathy to situational compassion and positive
word use regarding their responses to their challenging students’ behaviors. Teachers’ empathy
was also significantly and positively related to their gratitude, happiness, and teaching efficacy.
Results highlight the importance of teacher empathy in relation to students’ challenging behavior
and teacher well-being.

Authors

• Suchitra Sarda, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Joshua Lovett, University of Illinois Chicago

• Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl, University of Illinois at Chicago