Does Empathy Predict Instructional Assignment-Related Stress? A Study in Special and General Education Teachers

Maria Platsidou, Ioannis Agaliotis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The role of empathy in the teaching profession has been vastly investigated in relation to its effect on students, but research on how teachers’ empathy affects their own well-being at work is limited. This study investigated empathy and instructional assignment-related stress factors of primary school teachers serving in general or special education; moreover, it investigated if empathy predicted instructional assignment-related stress. Data were collected from 190 primary school teachers using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the Inventory of Job-related Stress Factors. Teachers reported moderately high levels of perspective-taking and empathic concern and lower levels of fantasising and personal distress. Also, they reported moderate to low levels of stress regarding instructional assignment-related factors. General and special education teachers did not differ in their reported scores on empathy or stress-related factors. Finally, it was found that instructional assignment-related stress factors can be predicted by personal distress and fantasising; however, the core empathy skills (empathic concern and perspective taking) were not found to be strong predictors of the stress factors tested.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)57-75
Number of pages19
JournalInternational Journal of Disability, Development and Education
Volume64
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Jan 2017

Keywords

  • Empathy
  • general education
  • instructional assignment-related stress
  • Interpersonal Reactivity Index
  • inventory of job-related stress factors
  • perspective taking
  • special education
  • teachers

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