engleski

Measuring empathy in future preschool teachers: Implications for study program modification

High empathic abilities in teachers who work with preschool children are more than desirable, since they have positive influence on teachers-child relationship and they encourage development of empathy in children. The present research was made in order to examine empathy as a multidimensional construct that consists of four dimensions: fantasy, perspective taking, empathic concern and personal distress among future kindergarten teachers and their relationship with students’ age and academic year. For the purpose of this study the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980) was used on a sample of 100 students of Early and Preschool Care and Education at Faculty of Teacher Education in Rijeka. The results showed higher levels of all empathy dimensions among future preschool teachers in comparison to other students. Besides, statistically significant negative correlations between year of studying and empathic concern (r = -0.22, p = 0.01) and fantasy (r = -0.28, p = 0.01) have been determined. These last findings were not expected, and they were discussed within the frame of possible study program modifications.

age; empathy; preschool teachers; students; study program

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