FINAL DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF TEACHER EMPATHY SCALE: TES

Back to Page Authors: Bobette Bouton

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Keywords: empathy, education, young adolescent development, scale development

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Abstract: The purpose of this study is to finalize development and validation on an empathy scale designed specifically for educators in grades 6-12. The scale has already been initially validated using a convenient sample and is now in the final stage of the validation process. The study will use a variety of techniques to provide validity and reliability to the scale design, including the use of an additional expert reviewer and scale disbursement to a nationwide sample of teachers in grades 6-12. The scale considers the three primary components of empathy: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. The contextual questions used as items in the scale are directly related to the field of education and are used to help distinguish between cognitive, affective, and behavioral empathy. Once the scale has had additional expert critique, the scale will be disseminated via in-person consultants (hired through the grant) to 6 -12th grade public school teachers in the five primary regions of the United States (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest).

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