Empathy In Students Research Articles

Changes in the Affective Empathy of Osteopathic Students: a Longitudinal Study

Changes in the Affective Empathy of Osteopathic Students: a Longitudinal Study

Assessment of the Impact of Virtual Reality on Empathy and Learning in University Students

This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of a virtual reality (VR) intervention on the empathy and learning of university students studying Law and Administration, using a random sample of 300 students, divided into an experimental group and a control group of 150 students each. The research was based on the potential of VR as an immersive educational tool. The students were randomly selected, and detailed demographic and academic information was collected from them. The experimental group participated in VR activities designed to promote empathy through experiential learning. Empathy was measured using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and academic performance was assessed through structured questionnaires before and after the intervention. The quantitative results revealed a significant increase in empathy levels and academic performance in the experimental group compared to the control group. Qualitative interviews and surveys confirmed these findings, highlighting a greater understanding and empathy towards others among participants in the VR activities. The VR intervention proved effective in enhancing empathy and learning, suggesting that integrating immersive technologies into the academic curriculum can offer significant benefits for the personal and academic development of students. Future research is recommended to explore the application of VR in other educational contexts and disciplines.

Impact of simulated patient-based communication training vs. real patient-based communication training on empathetic behaviour in undergraduate students – a prospective evaluation study

BackgroundEmpathy is a key competency and is essential for doctor-patient relationships. Studies have proven a continuous reduction of empathy in medical students during their study period. The use of SPs is positively evaluated for competency acquisition and real patient communication training has positive effects on empathy empowerment. Therefore, the present study focusses on the impact of simulated patient (SP) vs real patient (RP) communication training on empathetic behaviour in undergraduate medical students.MethodsThe prospective evaluation took place during a 210-minute skills lab unit on medical communication for 3rd year medical students. Study participants were allocated in advance to one of three groups: one group trained with an SP (SP-group) and was informed about the fact that it was an SP; another group trained with an SP but assumed to encounter an RP (incognito patient group (IP-group)); the last group trained with an RP and was correctly informed about it (real patient group (RP-group). Self-assessed empathy was measured by using Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), as these are the most commonly used instruments for assessing empathy. Study participants were evaluated on empathetic behaviour by their group-associated patient using the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) scale.Results146 students participated. There was no significant difference in self-assessed empathy between groups for JSPE and IRI. External assessment via CARE showed a statistically significant difference between SP-group and IP-group , as well as between SP-group and RP-group. There was no significant difference between IP-group and RP-group. This means that students training with real patients (or who believed them to be real) did receive significantly lower performance ratings on their empathy.ConclusionThe results demonstrate a significant lower external empathy rating for students who had trained with a real patient or if they were in the belief of having encountered a real patient; this may be due to inhibitions and a lack of routine. Therefore, we recommend implementing SPs in the early study period with the gradual integration of RPs in the student’s further course of study.

Emotional Ability and Its Connection with Academic Performance: An Exploratory Study on HBCU Students Post-COVID

This study examines empathy in Black/African American undergraduate students at a Historically Black College (HBCU) after the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research suggests empathy benefits communication, emotional well-being, and academic performance. However, less is known about student empathy, particularly among Black students at HBCUs. We surveyed 63 students to assess empathy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Results showed variations in empathy dimensions, with empathic concern and personal distress negatively correlating with academic performance. These findings require further investigation with a larger sample size. The study contributes to understanding empathy’s role in academic success for Black/African American students at HBCUs.

Strengthening student empathy in GeoCapabilities: Digital learning innovations and pedagogical strategies for disaster mitigation

Indonesia’s geographical positioning along the ‘Ring of Fire’ exposes it to frequent seismic activities, making effective disaster mitigation education crucial. Current educational strategies may not adequately foster the necessary empathy and understanding among students regarding the socio-environmental impacts of disasters. This study aims to develop and evaluate a digital learning platform designed to enhance GeoCapabilities in students, particularly focusing on the social-environmental empathy dimension. The objective is to improve students’ empathetic responses to disaster scenarios through integrated disaster mitigation pedagogy. Utilizing the design-based research method, this research involved a systematic blend of iterative development and evaluation phases to refine educational interventions. Data collection was achieved through a combination of qualitative feedback from students and quantitative pre-and post-test measures to assess empathy levels. Data analysis involved statistical testing to determine the effectiveness of the digital learning platform in enhancing empathetic capabilities among learners. The research reveals that the digital learning platform (D-Learning), significantly improves students’ empathy towards disaster impacts. Students demonstrated a deeper understanding and emotional engagement with the content, highlighting an increase in their ability to empathize with affected communities. The findings suggest that the scalability of D-Learning can be tailored to different regions, providing a valuable tool for enhancing disaster preparedness worldwide. The integration of technology and empathy-focused pedagogy in disaster education could serve as a model for developing similar educational programs globally, aiming to foster a more resilient and empathetic future generation.

Teacher Strategies to Improve Early Childhood Social and Scientific Intelligence in Madani Islamic Kindergartens

This research aims to find out what strategies and obstacles are found in developing children's social intelligence in Madani Islamic Kindergarten. The research method used is qualitative. The data collection techniques used are participatory observation, in-depth interviews and documentation. Next, the data is analyzed using the stages of data condensation, data display and verification. The results of the research show that the teacher's strategy in developing children's social intelligence in Madani Islamic Kindergarten is by example and habituation in instilling responsibility in carrying out activities, discipline in playing and learning, cooperation between students, mutual respect and spontaneous activities in every activity in learning. Developing social intelligence in children is also done by providing continuous motivation in fun activities. Providing motivation is not only in the realm of motivational words or phrases, but places more emphasis on real behavior that is carried out every day. The obstacles found in developing children's social intelligence are a lack of social and cooperative skills, as well as a decrease in aspects of generosity and empathy in students.

Comparison of Communication Skills and Empathy Levels of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Students According to Individual and Academic Characteristics: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the communication skills and empathy levels of physiotherapy and rehabilitation students according to their individual and academic characteristics. Material and Methods: A total of 481 physiotherapy and rehabilitation students (mean age: 20.43±1.85 years) were included in the study. Students' individual and academic characteristics, communication skills and empathy levels were recorded with a survey form structured with the “Google Forms” application. The structured survey form consisted of a short informational text about the study and its purpose, questions about the individual and academic characteristics of the students, and questions from the Communication Skills Scale and Toronto Empathy Scale. Comparison of two independent groups and more than two independent groups means were performed with the independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), respectively. When a significant difference was found as a result of comparing the means of more than two groups, Bonferroni correction was used to determine which group caused this difference. Results: It was observed that the communication skills of students who were female (p=0.024), had a democratic family structure (p=0.004), did not have difficulties in interpersonal relationships (p˂0.001), and had a high perceived socio-economic level (p=0.022) were higher. Also, it was concluded that the empathy levels of female students were higher (p˂0.001), while the empathy levels of the 4th grade students were lower (p=0.003). Conclusion: These results revealed that students' communication skills and empathy levels differ according to individual and academic characteristics.

Humanistic Curriculum by Accentuating Confluent and Consciousness Forms – An Overview

A curriculum that promotes the common good is also humanistic. "Father of Humanistic Psychology," Carl Rogers focused much of his career on implementing the findings of his psychological research into person-centred teaching, which identified genuineness on the part of the learning facilitator, empathy for students, and concern for their well-being as the essential characteristics of the most successful teacher. Confluent and Consciousness have been the two most popular humanistic curricular formats. Confluent education is defined differently by different people, although most people agree that it combines substance and effect. Curriculum decisions are impacted by the theological idea of transcendence, which is the sense of being beyond any condition or realization of being. It implies that students ought to be taught how one method of research in an area of study links to other specializations. Humanists hold that the fundamental qualities of a self-directed learner should include openness, creativity, a positive self-concept, ability, and clarity of values. A humanist educator facilitates knowledge acquisition rather than transmits it. It would be preferred to use participatory and discovery approaches as opposed to traditional didacticism, which teaches students to memorize what their teachers say. The humanistic teacher is concerned with the child's affective (or emotional) requirements in addition to their intellectual ones.

Cognitive empathy variations during internship: a study from Iran

ObjectiveDespite the critical role of empathy in medical students, various studies have provided conflicting evidence regarding changes in empathy during medical study. The present study was designed to investigate changes in cognitive empathy during the internship.MethodA study was conducted at the Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences. All medical students at the beginning of their internship were entered the study as a cohort and asked to complete a two-part questionnaire including demographic characteristics and the Persian version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version (JSE-S). The questionnaire was completed again at the end of the internship. Data were analyzed using SPSS software using paired t- test and one-way repeated measures.ResultsA total of 108 interns participated with a mean age of 23.85 ± 1.47 years, and a female majority (61.1%). The mean score of standing in the patient’s shoe increased significantly (P < 0.001) during the internship, whereas the mean score of compassionate care decreased (P < 0.001). The overall score of empathy decreased during the internship, but the difference was not statistically significant. (P = 0.105). No statistically significant difference was found in the mean score of empathy and its subscales based on demographic characteristics in the two phases of the study.Conclusionour results revealed that the level of cognitive empathy in the current study was higher than that in previous studies. The changes were consistent with some studies and contradictory to others. Considering that similar changes were observed in the subgroup analysis, it is necessary to focus more on the factors that cause this feeling to fade during the internship through appropriate assessment and timely intervention.

Interpretation Analysis of Educational Values in the Anime Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (Assasination Classroom)

Anime Ansatsu Kyoushitsu is an anime in the genre of action, comedy, drama and school, released in 2012 by Yusei Matsui. It tells the story of Kunugigaoka middle school, which is called the outcast class. This research aims to find out how character education can affect students in the school environment, and how to analyze the content of the story message using Ferdinand De Saussure's theory. This type of research is a type of qualitative research to obtain in-depth and meaningful data and uses data collection techniques in the form of literature studies that collect reading materials, library data, and others as references. This research is expected to provide an understanding of education, especially character education, and to dig deeper into the meaning and purpose of semiotics. Saussure's semiotics focuses on the relationship between signifier and signified based on an agreement called meaning. Based on the analysis of the anime Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, there are several character applications that can be applied in everyday life, namely responsibility, empathy, discipline, courage, cooperation, creativity and appreciation of students. In addition, it can be concluded that the anime tells the story of how a teacher should be a role model and inspirational for students. Teaches the importance of instilling character education in students.

Is there an association among spirituality, resilience and empathy in medical students?

BackgroundSpirituality has religious and nonreligious dimensions and is often linked to well-being, positive emotions, connection and meaning in life. Both empathy and resilience are important in medical training and future professional practice since they are considered core skills related to professionalism and patient care. Our study aimed to understand the relationships among spirituality, resilience, and empathy in medical students. We also aimed to determine whether there are differences by gender and between medical students in different years of a medical program.MethodsMedical students (n = 1370) of the first to fourth years of a six-year medical program, from six medical schools, completed questionnaires to assess empathy (Jefferson Empathy Scale and Davis Multidimensional Interpersonal Reactivity Scale) and resilience (Wagnild & Young Scale) and to rate their spirituality.ResultsMedical students with high spirituality showed higher scores for both resilience and empathy (p < 0.001). In addition, we observed higher levels of both spirituality and empathy, but not resilience, in female medical students than in male medical students. In contrast, we did not detect significant differences in spirituality, empathy, or resilience between students in different years of medical school.ConclusionMedical students with high levels of spirituality have also higher scores for both empathy and resilience. Spirituality, empathy and resilience have similar values for students in different years of a medical program.

Experiences of Nursing Students Regarding Challenges and Support for Resilience during Clinical Education: A Qualitative Study.

Nursing students require resilience to navigate the complexities of clinical practice. This characteristic is essential for managing demanding workloads, unpredictable patient situations, and emotional stressors while maintaining performance and well-being. Fostering resilience helps students develop the capacity to adapt to adversity, overcome setbacks, and remain committed to providing high-quality patient care. This qualitative study explores the challenges and supports influencing nursing students' resilience during clinical education. Interviews with 28 Thai nursing students revealed two key themes: the "experience of vulnerability" and the "experience of meaningfulness". The sub-themes of vulnerability included "navigating uncertainty", "transcending professional struggles", and "being exposed to diverse encounters". The sub-themes of meaningfulness focused on restoring strength through social interactions and engaging in positive transformation. This study highlights the need for comprehensive support systems that address personal and professional vulnerabilities. Integrating caring theory principles could further enhance resilience by emphasizing compassionate care and fostering student empathy. This suggests that instructors and stakeholders can significantly impact student well-being by creating supportive environments built on collaboration, empathy, and mentorship, all of which are aligned with caring theory.

Effectiveness of Implementing Inclusive Education: Challenges and Opportunities in Culturally Diverse Classrooms

Inclusive education has become a major focus in the global context to ensure equal access to education for all students, including those with special needs or from diverse cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing inclusive education in culturally diverse classrooms, identify the challenges faced and explore the opportunities that exist. The methods used in this study involved a literature review and case analysis to understand the implementation of inclusive education and its impact on students' learning quality and social development. The results show that inclusive education improves learning quality and develops students' social skills and empathy. However, some key challenges were identified including a lack of teacher understanding and training, limited resources and social and cultural barriers. The implications of this study emphasize the importance of supportive policies, investment in educational technology and collaboration between the government, educational institutions and communities. With these measures, inclusive education can be implemented effectively, providing widespread benefits for all students and helping to build a more just and inclusive society.

PENGEMBANGAN INSTRUMEN UNTUK MENGUKUR KOMPETENSI SOSIAL GURU BERBASIS GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION (GESI) DI SEKOLAH INKLUSI

The social competence of teachers based on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in this research is the teacher's ability to communicate with children with special needs based on managing social dynamics and the teacher's framework for promoting social inclusion. The aim of this research is to create an instrument to measure teachers' social competence based on gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). The research method used is quantitative descriptive research. The development of the questionnaire in this study incorporates a measurement framework that provides a systematic method based on a combination of theoretical and psychometric approaches. The sample was 91 teachers who taught in four Bandung City State Elementary Schools. Based on the research results, data was obtained that the GESI-based social competency questionnaire consists of three aspects, namely attitudes towards inclusive education, empathy for students with special needs, and problem solving. The number of items in the questionnaire, namely 36 items, has met the standards of reliability, content validity, construct validity, and provides initial evidence for the use of the instrument with the aim of measuring the social competence of GESI-based teachers in inclusive schools.

Development of the Islamic Religious Education Curriculum at PTU as Strengthening Multicultural Islam

One of the courses in educational institutions in higher education, which is very related with the development of morals and behavior is Religious Education. Islamic Religious Education (PAI) at Public Higher Education (PTU) is a continuation of the teaching received by students starting from the Elementary Level, Junior and Senior High Schools. In the structure of the national higher education curriculum, Islamic religious education courses are compulsory subjects for all Muslim students in all public tertiary institutions, both public and private universities. The progress of an educational institution, one of which is determined by the teaching materials or curriculum applied, whether it is in accordance with the needs of stakeholders. Indonesia is a multicultural country, so the design of teaching materials or curriculum must be developed according to the demands of the times, times and circumstances. Therefore, the authors state that there are 4 reasons why this paper is important to study: First, the lack of knowledge of Islam among PTU students and public schools; second, the rise of brawls between students (students); third, lack of appreciation among students and students in the field of religion; and fourth, the decreased empathy and religiosity of students and students.

Exploring levels of empathy and assertiveness in final year physiotherapy students during clinical placements

Empathy and assertiveness are two essential soft skills for any healthcare professional's competence and ethical development. It has been shown that empathy can be influenced throughout the training of a future healthcare professional, particularly during the clinical placement period. This research aims to assess fourth-year physiotherapy students' empathic and assertive development before and after clinical placement. A longitudinal observational study was conducted with fourth-year physiotherapy students during the academic year 2022/2023. A preliminary assessment of empathy and assertiveness levels was carried out before the start of the clinical placement and at the end of the placement using the Individual Reactivity Index to assess empathy and the Rathus Test to assess assertiveness. The results show a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in both the empathy subscales of perspective-taking and empathic-concern between the pre- and postassessment, as well as an inverse correlation between the empathy subscale of personal distress and assertiveness. It is concluded that students show adequate results in empathy and assertiveness. However, there is some influence of clinical practice on the development of empathy, and future intervention studies need to be considered. Furthermore, students with higher levels of assertiveness have lower levels of personal distress, suggesting that assertiveness is closely related to empathy.

The association between empathy and burnout in medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundBurnout levels in medical students are higher than in other student groups. Empathy is an increasingly desired outcome of medical schools. Empathy is negatively associated with burnout in physicians. Our objective was to quantitatively review the available literature on associations between empathy and burnout in medical students, and to explore associations between specific empathy aspects (cognitive and affective) and burnout sub-dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment).MethodsA comprehensive search of the literature published up until January 2024 was undertaken in the PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO databases. Two independent reviewers screened 498 records and quality-rated and extracted data from eligible studies. The effect size correlations (ESr) were pooled using a random-effects model and between-study variation explored with meta-regression. The review was preregistered with PROSPERO (#CRD42023467670) and reported following the PRISMA guidelines.ResultsTwenty-one studies including a total of 27,129 medical students published between 2010 and 2023 were included. Overall, empathy and burnout were negatively and statistically significantly associated (ESr: -0.15, 95%CI [-0.21; -0.10], p < .001). When analyzing sub-dimensions, cognitive empathy was negatively associated with emotional exhaustion (ESr: -0.10, 95%CI [-0.17; -0.03], p = .006) and depersonalization (ESr: -0.15, 95%CI [-0.24; 0.05], p = .003), and positively associated with personal accomplishment (ESr: 0.21, 95%CI [0.12; 0.30], p < .001). Affective empathy was not statistically significantly associated with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or personal accomplishment. Supplementary Bayesian analysis indicated the strongest evidence for the positive association between cognitive empathy and personal accomplishment. Response rate and gender moderated the relationship so that higher response rates and more male respondents strengthen the negative association between empathy and burnout.ConclusionGreater empathy, in particular cognitive empathy, is associated with lower burnout levels in medical students. This appears to be primarily driven by cognitive empathy's positive association with personal accomplishment.Protocol registration#CRD42023467670

The effect of different patient-based learning models on student perceptions of empathy, engagement, knowledge, and learning experience

Background Problem-based learning is used widely in pharmacy and medical programmes, incorporating realistic patient scenarios into regular teaching as a way of linking theory to practice. Routine case-based learning lessons ranges from real patient involvement, scripted patient scenarios, digital simulations (avatars) as well as through media such as Zoom. The existing literature has explored the extensive benefits of using patients in clinical education, but fewer studies have directly compared the efficacy of each model as learning tools. Aim To compare student perceptions of patient-based learning models to elicit student empathy, increase engagement, improve knowledge, and enrich learning experience. Methods A questionnaire was distributed to second-year pharmacy students in Swansea University to gather their perceptions on the nine different patient-based learning models in their routine teaching (SUMS RESC 2023-0011). Students were asked to rank their experience of the models explicitly against each other, based on the four pillars of (1) eliciting student empathy, (2) increasing engagement, (3) improving knowledge and (4) enriching the learning experience. Students were also asked to rate the significance of realism (i.e. knowing the patient demographics/having a visual representation of the patient) to their experience. Results Altogether, 31 student rankings of the nine learning models were weighted (9 = highest rank; 1 = lowest ranked). The data showed clear preferences for real-patient involvement over fictional cases, especially for eliciting empathy. Interestingly, scripted scenarios were rated highly for both engagement and learning experience only when avatars were involved, which suggests a role of animated visual representation of the patient in facilitating these outcomes. Conclusion Whilst it is useful to have multiple patient-based learning models, this study serves as a guide for educators in preparing case-based learning sessions for achieving the desired outcomes of any of the four pillars above.

Empathy in undergraduate medical students: a multi-center cross-sectional study in China

BackgroundFostering empathy has been continuously emphasized in the global medical education. Empathy is crucial to enhance patient-physician relationships, and is associated with medical students’ academic and clinical performance. However, empathy level of medical students in China and related influencing factors are not clear.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study among medical students in 11 universities. We used the Jefferson Scale of Empathy Student-version of Chinese version to measure empathy level of medical students. Factors associated with empathy were identified by the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Based on the variables identified above, the nomogram was established to predict high empathy probability of medical students. Receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration plot and decision curve analysis were used to evaluate the discrimination, calibration and educational utility of the model.ResultsWe received 10,901 samples, but a total of 10,576 samples could be used for further analysis (effective response rate of 97.02%). The mean empathy score of undergraduate medical students was 67.38 (standard deviation = 9.39). Six variables including gender, university category, only child or not, self-perception doctor-patient relationship in hospitals, interest of medicine, Kolb learning style showed statistical significance with empathy of medical students (P < 0.05). Then, the nomogram was established based on six variables. The validation suggested the nomogram model was well calibrated and had good utility in education, as well as area under the curve of model prediction was 0.65.ConclusionsWe identify factors influencing empathy of undergraduate medical students. Moreover, increasing manifest and hidden curriculums on cultivating empathy of medical students may be needed among medical universities or schools in China.

Implementation of Tasawwuf Values ​​in the Book of &lt;i&gt;Durratun Nashihin &lt;/i&gt;to Improve the Spirituality of Students at the Lubabul Fattah Islamic Boarding School Tulungagung

Efforts to increase the spirituality of students at the Lubabul Fattah Islamic Boarding School are actualized through daily activities based on the values ​​of Sufism in the book Durratun Nashihin. This implementation effort was carried out with the hope that there would be an improvement in the students' morals, self-awareness and empathy. This research uses descriptive qualitative methods. Thus, this research produces a conclusion that the Sufism values ​​contained in the book Durratun Nashihin which have been practiced by the students of the Lubabul Fattah Islamic Boarding School have had a positive impact in increasing spirituality, especially in terms of morals, morals, empathy and tolerant attitudes. These values ​​include patience, tawadhu', sadaqah fi sabilillah, congregational prayer, reading the Qur’an and dhikr. In the implementation process, the Lubabul Fattah Islamic Boarding School has done this through an educational curriculum, so that the students' understanding of Sufism is not only through spiritual practice, but also through educational pathways which have their own implications for the soul/spirituality of a student as evidenced by attitudes and behavior that show calm.