Consultant empathy, teacher efficacy, and perceptions of school-based consultation
Abstract
Research has repeatedly espoused the efficacy of school-based consultation and the centrality of empathy to the consultative relationship. This study aimed to explore the role empathic expression plays in school-based consultative relationships and how empathic expression affects teachers’ perceptions of effectiveness, their willingness to consult again, and their willingness to implement suggested interventions. One hundred eleven elementary school teachers were randomly assigned to a high or low empathy condition, read along to scripted narrations of four hypothetical consultation sessions, and answered three follow-up questions for each script. MANOVA analyses revealed significant multivariate effects for empathic condition, with a significant difference between teachers assigned to the high and low empathy conditions on their perceptions of effectiveness, their willingness to consult again, and their willingness to implement suggested interventions. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that self-efficacy and teaching experience are not significant moderating variables in the relationship between empathy and perceptions of effectiveness, desire to consult, or willingness to implement. No significant interactions were found between self-efficacy, teaching experience, and condition for any of the dependent variables. This study highlights the importance of empathic expression to the consultative relationship and potentially to session outcomes. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Subject Area
Educational psychology|Counseling Psychology
Recommended Citation
Hoskins, Christine Elizabeth, "Consultant empathy, teacher efficacy, and perceptions of school-based consultation" (2013). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3560093.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3560093
