Compassion in Urban Teaching: Process, Arenas, and Factors

Izhar Oplatka, Orit Gamerman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

The current explorative study aimed at understanding the subjective meanings of “compassion” in teaching and its process and determinants. Based on 14 semi-structured interviews with teachers who are considered by their colleague to be compassionate, it was found that compassion consists of two phases—identification and compassionate behavior, and triggered by varied sources of suffering (e.g., distress at the student’s home, academic failure, chronic illness, exam anxiety, school violence, and special education needs). Likewise, four major factors of compassionate behavior in teaching have been identified: personal background, career experience, close teacher–students relations, and educational leadership. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)318-343
Number of pages26
JournalUrban Education
Volume56
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • poverty
  • teacher development
  • teacher education
  • teacher emotion
  • urban education

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Urban Studies

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Compassion in Urban Teaching: Process, Arenas, and Factors'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this