Examining the Relationship Between Physical Education Teachers’ Empathic Tendency Levels and Their Attitudes Towards Refugee Students

Abstract

The focus of this study is to investigate the association between physical education teachers' empathetic tendencies and their attitudes toward Syrian students. The research population, which was constructed using the relational scanning methodology, consists of physical education teachers who work in public schools in Adana. The research sample consists of 386 physical education teachers, 200 male and 186 female, who were chosen using the criteria sampling approach. The "Empathetic Tendency Scale" and the "Refugee Student Attitude Scale" were used to collect data. In statistical analyses, Pearson correlation analysis and basic linear regression analysis were utilized. According to the findings, there are positive and moderately significant connections between physical education teachers' levels of empathetic inclination and refugee student attitudes and sub-dimensions. Furthermore, it was discovered that empathetic propensity levels in physical education teachers substantially influenced their views toward refugee pupils and their sub-dimensions. The empathic inclination was shown to explain 50% of the total variance in the attitude scale score towards refugee students. In this context, it was determined that physical education teachers' empathetic dispositions may influence their attitudes toward Syrian pupils. These findings highlight the need of educators to enrich their educational experiences by being sensitive to their students' emotional needs, rather than focusing exclusively on academic performance. The study may shed light on the adoption of a more aware and sensitive approach in the field of education by exposing the impact of physical education teachers' empathic tendencies on their views toward Syrian students.