A world beyond self: empathy and pedagogy during times of global crisis

Abstract

A significant body of research points to the benefits of empathy for young people’s personal, social, and educational development. However, some research indicates that youth empathy levels are declining. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to research empathy in education during times of global crisis and local educational disruption. This study explored Australian English teachers’ beliefs, pedagogical approaches, and experiences in relation to teaching with, for, and about empathy, including during the pandemic. Drawing from a state-wide survey and representative teacher case studies, this study revealed a couple key findings. First, the majority of participants recognised the value of empathy for student learning and engagement; however, teachers disagreed on whether empathy impacts academic performance. Second, teachers tended to avoid teaching explicitly about empathy because they felt it was not prescribed in the English Syllabus. Each of these findings was underpinned by a tension between teacher beliefs about the value of empathy in learning and the limitations of including empathy in English education due to curriculum mandates and assessment requirements.