The influence of effortful control and empathy on perception of school climate

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive power of effortful control (EC) and empathy for perception of school climate. Self-report measures of EC, dispositional empathy, and perception of school climate were obtained for 398 students (204 females) aged 12 to 13. Sociometric status was peer-evaluated, and academic achievement was based on students final grades at the end of the school year. The structural equation model that was developed confirms the influence of EC and empathy on perception of school climate. The model manages to explain 39 % of the variance in perception of school climate and confirms that for males and females alike, the predictive power of EC and empathy is greater than for other variables studied such as academic achievement and sociometric status. Further, EC and empathy are found to have a positive influence on academic achievement. The importance of developing activities to foster EC and empathy in order to facilitate interpersonal relationships and enhance perception of the school climate is discussed.Knowledge of the factors that foster a good social climate in schools is a subject of great interest in most western countries (Díaz-Aguado Jalón et al. 2010;Thapa et al. 2012). The perception of a positive school climate is related to lower levels of aggression and violence in schools Eur J Psychol Educ (2015) 30:457-472

Predictive Influence of Executive Functions, Effortful Control, Empathy, and Social Behavior on the Academic Performance in Early Adolescents

“…This confirms that, apart from the mediation of empathic socioemotional processes, control and self-regulation skills in themselves enhance social skills and acceptance by peers. Previous studies have also revealed this relationship (Zorza et al, 2013;Zorza et al, 2015). This seems to suggest that self-regulation processes promote respect for group norms and decrease impulsive behaviors (Eisenberg, Valiente, & Eggum, 2010;Eisenberg, Spinrad, & Eggum, 2010;Rueda et al, 2010).…”

“…EFs and EC may positively influence the social behavior of students by providing empathy. In fact, students who show concern about the emotions of others and perform prosocial behaviors are more favored and accepted by their peers and have a more positive perception of the social climate than those who do not (LaFontana & Cillessen, 2002; Zorza, Marino, & Acosta Mesas, 2015).…”

“…However, no studies to date have simultaneously explored the predictive power of measures of EFs and EC over empathy in adolescence. Some executive processes such as flexibility and working memory that are particularly important for emotional regulation in adolescence (Thompson, 2011; Zimmermann & Iwanski, 2014), should positively predict empathy, as should EC (Zorza et al, 2015). In early adolescence, parent-child conflicts are frequent (Laursen, Coy, & Collins, 1998) and negative emotions are more common than in later adolescence (Larson, Moneta, Richards, & Wilson, 2002).…”

Executive Functions as Predictors of School Performance and Social Relationships: Primary and Secondary School Students

“…Study habits, class participation or teacher-student relationship are also highly relevant for the students’ academic performance (Eisenberg, Valiente, & Eggum, 2010; Valiente, Swanson, & Lemery-Chalfant, 2012). Empathy has a direct influence on the students’ interpersonal relationships (Immordino-Yang, 2011; Valiente, Lemery-Chalfant, & Swanson, 2010; Zorza, Marino, & Mesas, 2015), which improves their immersion in the classroom. It is possible that the predictive power of the EFs on academic performance and on social behavior increases when these variables are added in a multicausal way.…”

Relations Among Students - School Climate Factors

“…The study showed that empathy has infl uence on better study results of the students. But the infl uence of empathy on the climate was considered arguable (Zorza & Marino, 2015). It can be stated, with respect to the research of school climate, that it may constitute a source of information on many educator phenomena and areas.…”