EFFECTS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION STRATEGIES ON STUDENTS’ EMPATHY: EVIDENCE FROM ACCOUNTING STUDENTS AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN BANGKOK, THAILAND

Abstract

The purpose of this current study was to examine effects of conflict resolution strategies on empathy. A total of 105 students in the four-year program in accounting was distributed a self-administrated questionnaire for data collection. A modified version of Toronto Empathy Questionnaire and an adjusted version of Conflict Management Styles Questionnaire were employed to measure empathy and conflict handling styles of accounting students. Using stepwise regression analyses, results indicated accommodating style and collaborating style were factors that had a positive influence on empathy of accounting students, which these two conflict handling styles explained 22.1% of variance to empathy among accounting students. This could be concluded that only high degree of cooperativeness in conflict management styles had positively significant effects on empathy among accounting students. All in all, the more accounting students employed accommodating and collaborating styles, they became more empathetic on another person.