Comparison Of Empathy Quotient Of Prospective Teachers Based On Certain Selected Demographic Variables

Empathy as a social skill is of great importance for educators as they deal with multifarious problems of students in this challenging world. The present study was an attempt to assess the empathy quotient of student teachers undergoing training at secondary teacher education institutions in Kerala State. An Empathy Quotient Questionnaire prepared and standardized by Baron-Cohen and Wheelwright (2003) was administered to a sample of 150 student teachers from various training colleges. It was revealed that the prospective teachers possess moderate level of empathy quotient and domicile of residence has no influence on the possession of empathy. However, female prospective teachers possess high level of empathy quotient than that of their male counter parts. The findings of the study indicate the need of incorporating empathy building exercises in the curriculum for secondary teacher education.