Empathy as a catalyst in motivation and creation in effective learning
The relationship between teachers and learners is essential and is considered key to successful vocational education and training. The aim of this research is to explore the role that vocational teacher empathy plays in learning. The aim is, among other things, to teach teachers about the positive effect of empathy and to show them strategies on how to avoid burnout.
Teacher empathy refers to a person's ability to deeply understand the personal and social situations of learners, to feel concern and caring in response to both negative and positive emotions that they experience, and to respond with compassion while not losing sight of learning objectives. Empathy can play an important role in this relationship and influence the well-being of both teachers and learners.
Three research objectives will be pursued in this study:
- First, we need to establish various profiles of empathic teachers, taking into account their cultural and educational backgrounds as well as their individual traits (e.g. teaching style, emotional intelligence, etc.).
- Second, we will seek to describe potential situations where teachers may find it difficult to manage their empathy, e.g. due to hypersensitive responses to emotionally charged situations in the classroom. In other words, we want to determine the conditions and circumstances that challenge teachers' ability to manage empathy. We also seek to ascertain the impact that this failure to cope can have on professional burnout.
- Third, researchers will identify behavioural strategies and produce a booklet containing practical tips that should help teachers to retain the beneficial aspects of empathy while at the same time avoiding the detrimental aspects that can lead to burnout.