Master of Teaching (MTeach) /
MA Education (Muslim Societies and Civilizations)
IOE ASSIGNMENT REGULATIONS FORM
Each copy of your coursework must have a title page sheet.
(See the STEP VLE for more details.)
Coursework must be submitted in person, or posted (postmarked no later than the submission
deadline), to Farjanna Manna, room 724, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H
0AL. __________________________________________________________________
To be completed by student: -
Name: Natasha Bandali
Module name: Practice Based Enquiry (PBE) Report
Term and year taken: Summer 2016 (Term 3, Year 2)
Word count: 10,984 Submission deadline: 15th September 2016
Date of submitting essay: 15th September 2016
Number of copies submitted: 2 hardcopies, 1 electronic I confirm that I have read and understood
the IOE Code on Citing Sources and Avoidance of Plagiarism. I confirm that this assignment is all my
own work and conforms to this Code. This assignment has not been submitted on another
occasion.
Signed: Natasha Bandali Date: 15th September 2016
Page |1
Master of Teaching (MTeach)
University College London, Institute of
Education
Practice Based Enquiry (PBE) Report
How Can Teacher Empathy Inform
The Classroom Experience?
Natasha Bandali
Month and Year of Submission:
September 2016
Word count: 10, 984
This report may be made available to the general public
for borrowing, photocopying or consultation without
the prior consent of the author.
Natasha Bandali
Page |2
ABSTRACT
This qualitative research seeks to understand how Teacher Empathy informs the UK
Religious Education classroom experience. The objective is to demonstrate the
significance of the teacher’s role in shaping the classroom environment and influencing
student behavior through the use of empathy. The need to develop understanding and
empathy in the world has become more apparent then ever before, particularly within
our classrooms, priming students to become caring and compassionate world citizens.
To gain a wider perspective a variety of data collection tools were used, such as
classroom observations, a student focus group and the use of a critical friend. The data
was thematically analysed and the findings implied that teacher empathy had a positive
impact on the classroom experience, facilitating better levels of student engagement, a
closer classroom community and over all less behavioural issues. The research also
highlighted some of the possible challenges when implementing teacher empathy in the
classroom, such as time constraints and teacher congruence. Nevertheless, these
challenges were addressed over the course of the research and added depth to the
findings.
Natasha Bandali
Page |3
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are many individuals who have helped pave my journey and without whom this
report would not be possible. Firstly, I would like to appreciate His Highness the Aga
Khan for awarding me with such a blessed opportunity to be part of the Secondary
Teachers Educators Programme. I can only hope that I am worthy of contributing to
such a wonderful vision.
Secondly, my supervisor Rosalind Janssen, Thank you for your support, wisdom and
continuous understanding. In addition, I would like to extend my gratitude to ITREB
UK, you have welcomed me so warmly and reminded me that there is strength in
numbers by being with me every step of the way. Especially, my Academic Director
and mentor, Rizwan Lalani, you always push me to be better and dig deeper.
To my friends, my biggest supporters, never allowing me to give up, reminding me that
nothing comes easy. Thank you for countless, phone calls, hugs, tears and particularly
to Selina Rawal for hours of proof reading.
To my husband, Shafik Ladak, thank you is not suffice, for your love, support, patience
and belief in me. Together, I know nothing is impossible.
Lastly, I would like to dedicate this report and my deepest gratitude to my parents, both
sets, Kamal & Shahin Bandali, Ramzanali & Nurry Ladak. Your love, support and
prayers have helped fulfil my dreams, you have fuelled my passion to teach and instilled
in me an ethos to share my privilege with others. Thank you.
Natasha Bandali
Page |4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Acronyms
5
Chapter 1
Introduction
6
Chapter 2
Literature Review
9
Chapter 3
Aims and Methods
22
Chapter 4
Findings, Analysis and Discussion
31
Chapter 5
Conclusion
47
Bibliography
52
Appendix A
Focus Group Interview Schedule
60
Appendix B
Parental Consent Form
62
Appendix C
Student Consent Form
63
Appendix D
Learning Agreements
64
Natasha Bandali
Page |5
LIST OF ACRONYMS
REC – Religious Education Centre
IIS – Institute of Ismaili Studies
STEP – Secondary Teacher Education Programme
ITREB- Ismaili Tariqah Religious Education Board
OFSTED - The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
BERA- British Educational Research Association
EI- Emotional Intelligence
Natasha Bandali
Page |6
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Having spent most of my childhood education being undiagnosed with dyspraxia I
found my schooling experience often compared differently to others. Throughout my
journey there was one major contributing factor that enhanced my classroom
experience; the teacher. I found when the teacher showed compassion, understanding
and empathy, I flourished in class. This impacted my classroom behaviour; my
willingness to participate, my efforts and desire to attend classes in comparison to
instances where I felt misunderstood and marginalised by the teacher. This experience
has implored me to explore how teacher empathy, if at all, can inform the classroom
experience within the Ismaili Religious Education Center (REC) framework.
Teaching the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) secondary curriculum can be challenging
at times, it requires engagement with adolescents who are often at complex junctures in
life. The need for sensitivity is recognised in the Teacher’s Guide of all modules that
have been formally issued by the IIS (2013). Each book is equipped with guidance, for
example, the Faith and Practice in Islamic Traditions module expresses the importance
of “creating an inviting atmosphere in the class where students feel wanted…(and) will
respond with motivation and commitment if they are valued… if their presence and
contribution in…classes are acknowledged with support and encouragement.” (IIS,
2016, p.11). This point speaks directly to teacher attitude and pedagogy, highlighting
their pivotal role in facilitating an environment that nurtures and supports students. This
must be absorbed by the educator as a significant component within their teaching
Natasha Bandali
Page |7
pedagogy. Albeit, no actual research has been conducted by previous Secondary
Teachers Educators Programme (STEP) students on the topic of teacher empathy.
Rationale:
Although, my interest and desire to explore teacher empathy stems from my personal
experience. This topic has sparked much debate in academia, the last two decades have
seen a growth in research conducted around empathy and EI. Schools have come under
pressure by stakeholders and politicians to embrace the ‘hidden curriculum’ in
classrooms and calling for more caring teachers (Hargreaves, 1972). Referring to the
subtler messages that pupils absorb through their daily engagement in school, through
teacher’s behaviour in the classroom and their relationships with other students (Hersch
et al., 1980).
Cooper (2011, p.121) highlights the importance of teacher empathy, stating;
“commitment and involvement by the teacher has a mirror effect on the children; they
will give the best to someone who models the same.” Although this echoes the
sentiment mentioned in the IIS Teachers Guides, no further guidance is offered to
teachers on how to build this rapport or environment within the classroom.
Context:
My research was situated in the UK, in a bi-monthly Encounters class 15, in London.
Encounters is a programme for Ismaili secondary youth aged 14-18 years across the
country. The Encounters classes consists of 132 students nationally, London houses 66,
of this Class 15 has 32 on it’s register, of which on average 10-14 attended regularly.
Natasha Bandali
Page |8
The class consisted of students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, with a
relatively even split of male and female attendance. My research was spaced over 7
classes from January to March 2016.
Having now conveyed my rationale to explore teacher empathy in the classroom. This
next chapter will review the wider literature available and its relevance.
Natasha Bandali
Page |9
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
The following chapter will review the existing literature available on empathy in
education and the role of the teacher, exploring the benefits of teacher empathy and how
it shapes the classroom experience. As the literature on empathy in education is
relatively limited and somewhat new, to add depth to my review I have included
literature spanning the last 60 years.
What is Empathy?
Carl Rogers (1959, p.210) defines the state of empathy as “understanding the internal
frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components and
means which pertain there to as if one were the person, but without ever losing the ‘as
if’ condition.” This definition of empathy distinguishes that empathy implies “feeling
with someone rather than for someone” (Cooper, 2011, p.7).
Rogers (1975), Heathcote (1984) and Newton (2000) maintain that humans are born
with the capacity to empathise. However, this trait needs to be nurtured, modelled and
developed by those around us and our surroundings. Woolfolk (2001) argues that
empathy is not simply understanding another’s feelings, but more the manner in which
one reacts to understanding how another feels. Haynes and Avery (1979, p.527) echo
this sentiment when they define empathy as the “The ability to recognise and
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 10
understand another person's perceptions and feelings, and to accurately convey that
understanding through an accepting response.”
The concept of empathy falls under the umbrella term of Emotional Intelligence (EI).
Salovey and Mayer (1990, p.5) define EI as "a form of social intelligence that involves
the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate
among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action". When EI
is spoken about in the educational context it is referred to as ‘emotional literacy’ and
used synonymously. Although the definitions overlap, there are two subtle distinctions,
1) Emotional literacy implies that one can be taught this skill as opposed to EI which
refers to a person’s existing levels of intelligence and 2) Emotional literacy involves a
humanistic integrative approach centered around the heart and compassion (Spendlove,
2008).
Research suggests that empathy is a key contributing factor in harnessing one’s EI.
Although, there is no evidence yet to suggest people who display high levels of EI are
more successful in life or achieve higher academic success, evidence suggests people
who have higher EI are better equipped to cope with the stresses of life (Pedersen,
2007). They are specifically good at forming positive social relationships with others
and avoiding conflicts (Eisenberg & Mussen, 1989). Pedersen (2007) also views
empathy to be an important ability when forming effective relationships and believes it
to be an integral life skill.
Developmental theorists such as Piaget (1932), Bowlby (1951) and Hoffman (2008),
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 11
suggest empathy can have a positive life impact when nurtured from birth. Equally,
children deprived of love, belonging, compassion and empathy can be vulnerable to a
greater potential of committing crimes later in life. Rosenstein (1995) concurs with
Wood (1988), believing there’s an essential link between empathy, or the lack of it and
morality. Both Roe (1980) and Leal (2002) believe that empathy is most powerful when
cultivated in childhood or infancy since moral values can then be better internalised.
This has sparked controversy amongst educationalists and politicians, highlighting more
action is required to aid prevention to gain long-term impact on civil society, resulting
in acts such as, Every Child Matters (2004). Essentially, teaching children, means we
will not have to teach adults. Cooper (2011, p.20) stipulates, “If violence is perceived
by society as a ‘key moral’ problem…then identifying and understanding such young
people and adults and providing them with appropriate primary emotional experience
should be high on the political agenda.” Children spend a large portion of their time in
the school environment, interacting with teachers and peers. This should not be a
missed opportunity to teach the whole child, addressing both their educational and
emotional needs.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 12
What is Empathy in Education?
A report published in 2012 by the Department of Education states “According to the
Teaching and Learning International Survey, up to 25% of teachers…report losing at
least 30% of lesson time to disruptions (OECD, 2010).” The same report highlights
“Studies have estimated that between 5-8% of younger children in Britain have serious
behavior problems”. According to Foster-Johnson and Dunlap (1993), behavioral
problems in the classroom can have a direct impact on both teachers and students.
Evidence suggests a disruptive classroom environment creates barriers to learning,
increasing the chances of hostility and bullying and affecting teacher stress levels,
motivation and performance in the classroom (Smith and Misra, 1992).
For this reason, both educationalists and the government have increasingly expressed
the importance of emotional literacy, in particular the role empathy as part of moral
development within the curricula and schooling system. Goleman (1995, p.286) states,
“schools have a central role in cultivating character by inculcating self-discipline and
empathy, which in turn enables true commitment to civil and moral values”. Best (1998)
contends the British mainstream educational system is lacking in emotional literacy and
affective education.
Cooper (2011, p.102) suggests that in a classroom “an empathetic approach has
immediate effects, but over time, as empathy becomes more profound, these effects
multiply.” The benefits of empathy can be categorised into three major outcomes:
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 13
1) Empathy enables positive classroom culture
Given the current global climate teachers, now more than ever before, face students
from multiple backgrounds, languages and religions in their classrooms. To embrace
this diversity and model it for their students, teachers need to construct a positive
classroom culture that is inclusive of all. Sornson (2014), places empathy at the heart of
a great classroom culture. With the use of empathy, students learn to understand and
appreciate each other, allowing them to build friendships based on principles of
acceptance, respect and trust. This correlates with the aims under the citizenship portion
of the National Curriculum in the UK, stating students should appreciate “the diversity
of national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need
for mutual respect and understanding.” (DFES, 2007b, p.81)
Building on Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (1983) many educationalists
believe empathy enables students to become aware of their feelings, as well as of those
around them, creating safe spaces where learning can be explored amongst friends, free
from judgments. Damasio (1999) deems this necessary for exploration and openness to
occur between students. Embedding empathy into the classroom culture provides for
better development of student-teacher relationships, enhancing chances of academic
success (Zins, 2004). By instilling empathy into the classroom, teachers’ role model and
“scaffold” (Wood et al., 1976) the desired behavior, enabling a balance of equality and
respect between student and teacher. This is in line with both Bruner (1960) and
Vygotsky’s ‘Zone of Proximal Development’, claiming that a child’s environment and
engagement with the teacher plays an active role in their learning, especially through
modelling (Berk & Winsler, 1995).
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 14
2) Empathy fosters community spirit.
The Department of Education (2015) for the United Kingdom report government funded
primary schools house 30.4% of pupils from minority ethnic origin and up to 26.6% in
secondary schools. This reflects the changing landscapes of our classrooms and
communities. Empathy allows students to deepen relationships not only with their
teachers and peers but enables them to extend this modelled behavior beyond the
classroom (Best, 2000). This skill is vital to precipitate change and allow for
progression towards a pluralistic society. Our classrooms and communities are
becoming ever more diverse in their cultures, beliefs and their socioeconomic
backgrounds. Empathy equips students with the ability to comprehend and accept other
perspectives, whilst maintaining their own, building a sense of tolerance and widening
community spirit (Lang et al., 1998).
3) Empathy provides students with life skills
Cultivating empathy and emotional literacy into our educational system as part of a
“hidden curricula” (Hersch et al., 1980) equips students with a holistic skillset. It
creates opportunity for teachers to teach the whole child, not just their head and allows
for formation as opposed to information alone (Gibbs, 2006). Pring (1997) suggests
links can be made between a persons’ level of empathy and morality. Bottery (1990)
comments if students are to internalise core values with long term application, then they
must be embedded into the fabric of the school culture, both in the classroom and out.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 15
What is the Teacher’s Role in creating Empathy in the classroom?
Literature suggests multiple strategies teachers can engage in, to foster emotional
understanding and empathy within students. Some pedagogies naturally lend themselves
to empathy, such as role play, stories and narratives (Vandenplas-Holper, 1998). Moore
(2009, p.209) states role-play allows students to “become another individual by
assuming the role, to gain a better understanding of the person, as well as actions and
motivations that prompt certain behaviours... (and) explore their feelings”. This is in
tandem with Huang and Tettegah’s (2010, p.140) definition of empathy as “cognitive
awareness of others internal states, emotions, thoughts, feelings and ways of perceiving
and behaving in the world”. Knight (1989) argues it’s not possible to fully identify and
empathise with other’s experiences, unless one literally experiences them. It’s for this
reason that students must experience empathy to fully understand and adopt it into their
behavior.
McAllister (2010) found that when teachers used empathy actively in an affective,
cognitive and behavioural way, it decreased bullying, creating a student-centric and
inclusive environment. This resonates with my study; in order to foster empathy in
students, teachers must model it through their own interactions and behaviour, thus
allowing students to experience it.
Cooper (2002) conducted a study to identify and observe the teachers use of empathy
within the classroom. This data was collected via observations and teacher interviews.
The study consisted of sixteen teachers, all based in the British educational system.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 16
Through this research, Cooper (2002) identifies four categories of empathy defined
below:

Feigned empathy - observed when teachers were unauthentic in their
interactions and pretended to be empathetic, Cooper’s findings indicated that
this form of empathy obstructed the students’ ability to form a mutual bond with
the teacher as “a real sense of acceptance and understanding” (p.108) was
lacking in the relationship. One could contest that, this interaction may have
looked unauthentic to the observer it could have been experienced differently by
the student as data was only collected through interviews and observations. No
attempt was made to collect student feedback.

Fundamental empathy- the ability to make authentic connections and bonds
between individuals. Cooper attests fundamental empathy as the foundational
building block required to nurture an empathetic student-teacher relationship.
This is further divided into two categories, 1) initial characteristics such as,
listening or showing enthusiasm and 2) modes of communication like facial
expressions and gestures.

Profound empathy- the teacher’s ability to demonstrate deeper levels of
understanding and care through building positive emotions. This was found to
feature in closer and longer lasting relationships. Fundamental empathy is seen
to be integrated into profound empathy and has a compounding effect.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 17

Functional empathy- is seen to be a collaboration of both profound empathy
and fundamental empathy but adapted to meet the needs of a larger group of
students as opposed to individuals.
Figure 1a. below illustrates the characteristics of empathy as defined by Cooper (2011).
For the purpose of this action research study, I adopted this frame work and the above
definitions of empathy and its features into my teaching classroom.
Figure 1a. Characteristics of Empathy
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 18
Role and use of Teacher Empathy in the Religious Education Classroom?
According to the report ‘religious education, realising the potential’ published by the
Office for Standards in Education Children’s services and skills (OFSTED) in 2003,
“Religious education should… (be) intellectually challenging and personally
enriching… develop beliefs and values, and promote the virtues of respect and empathy,
which are important in our diverse society… and help pupils to understand the place of
religion and belief in the modern world.”
The IIS curriculum, although developed for the purpose of nurturing the Ismaili youth,
can be seen to be in tandem with OFSTED’s objectives for religious education in the
secular domain. The Teachers Guide (IIS, 2013, p.7) explicitly mentions that it
endeavors to encourage students to “respect and understand the traditions and beliefs of
other people…assist students to reflect on their…role in their family, community and
society…to adopt positive relations with peer groups inside and out of school…(and)
share experiences with students of other religious traditions”. For this study I feel there
is no real conflict when speaking of the core objectives of religious education in the
Ismaili context and that of the secular environment, as they resonate well.
Having said this, there is a distinction regarding the environment they are both to be
administered in, this may impede how efficiently and effectively they can be achieved.
Smaller class sizes in the Religious Education Center (REC) context enables teachers to
know their students better and provide individual time to students. Time can be
perceived by students as demonstrating care, which according to Cooper (2011) is a
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 19
building block to creating ‘profound empathy’, leading to a positive classroom
environment. Fraser and Tobin (1998) illuminate the significant relationship between
classroom climate, learning and achievement. According to Zabel and Zabel (1996)
creating a positive classroom environment is a skill, that must be acquired and practiced
to achieve. To do so, teachers must feel supported and equipped with the appropriate
tools and knowledge that can contribute to successfully mastering this.
Vygotsky’s (1986) idea of combining both affective and cognitive development allows
for an enhanced learning experience that is in correlation with both the OFSTED and
IIS aims for religious education. There is much evidence to support the notion that a
caring and empathetic attitude towards students can aid in accomplishing both their
academic and emotional development. A challenge Noddings (1996) recognises is, time.
To form such bonds a significant amount of time is required, this challenge is faced in
both secular and pastoral teaching. Watson and Ashton (1995) offer a suggestion;
urging teachers to understand the importance of valuing people and highlighting this
level of care and empathy can be demonstrated through simple gestures such as a smile
or even a short ‘off topic’ conversation with students.
To instill the virtues and ideologies that are expressed in the objectives of religious
education mentioned by both the IIS and OFSTED, teachers’ must integrate these
notions into their pedagogy and behaviour, as students are then more likely to embrace
and replicate both these values inside the classroom and beyond (Kohn, 1991).
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 20
Challenges of Empathy in the Classroom
Aspy (1972) maintains there’s a distinction between empathy in a cognitive theoretical
manner and in practice. He clarifies that there is a distinct difference between 'knowing'
and 'behaving’. Teachers may know about the benefits of empathy but under the
pressures of large classrooms and difficult behaviour, eliciting an authentic empathetic
response can prove challenging.
Furthermore, Eisenberg and Strayer (1990), highlight empathy is intangible and
centered around one’s personality, hence it can be difficult to measure. Both
personalities of the students and teachers must be considered to form conclusive
evidence. Perhaps, the complex nature of empathy is a factor towards the lack of
research and literature produced in this area. Much of the literature identifies the need
for emotional modelling (Cooper, 2002), however, there’s little research that addresses
how to achieve this or how it can be nurtured in teachers first and then to pass on to
their students.
Hay (1997) emphasises teachers want to like their pupils and have a strong need for this
to be reciprocated. However, this can be problematic if the teacher is not conscious of
their boundaries, this can have a detrimental impact on students, especially those who
may be seen as vulnerable or easily influenced. This challenge is particularly apparent
in the REC context as a faith educator. Often students view the teacher as part of their
wider community which indirectly influences the nature of the relationship.
Additionally, raising questions of partiality, are teachers able to remain unbiased and
show equal amounts of empathy to all students? If teachers are modelling empathy in
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 21
the classroom, are they really being authentic and genuinely empathetic in their
response to students?
In light of this literature, I used the following as my main research question to apprise
my study:
 How can teacher empathy inform the classroom experience?
In order to explore my topic further, I examined the following subsidiary questions:
 What are the benefits of empathy in education?
 How can empathy create a positive classroom experience?
The succeeding chapter will survey how this study was conducted and what research
methods and tools were employed, this includes the research design, approach and data
collection tools used.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 22
CHAPTER 3
AIMS AND METHODS
This chapter will discuss the design framework of the data collection methods and data
analysis employed through this research investigation. It will highlight the challenges
faced when using these methods and conclude by reflecting on the ethical
considerations of the research study.
Methodology:
For the purpose of this research, a small scale action research study was conducted,
framed within a constructivist epistemology, using a qualitative method. This permits
the researcher to investigate occurrences in an authentic environment, understanding the
contextual meaning of the data gathered (Robson, 2011). Denizen and Lincoln (2005,
p.3) describe this studying things “in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of
or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them”. Furthermore,
an Interpretivist method was preferred as it includes the researcher and participant as
instruments for research, it places the human element at the heart of the investigation
(Myers, 2008). Somekh and Jones (2005, p.138) describe the researcher as “actively
engaged in making sense of impressions and interpreting the meaning of observed
behaviour and events”. The understanding of events is based upon the researchers own
subjective interpretation, it will essentially include personal bias and opinion. Although,
Robson (2011, p. 19) explains that qualitative research is “focused on meanings”,
Hammerly (1992) and Silverman (1993) argue that this approach does not produce valid
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 23
or reliable data as a quantitative approach would by including numerical analysis and
deeming the researcher to be independent from the study, leaving no room for human
interpretation but only factual evidence (Creswell, 2011).
However, action research is an interactive investigation, the researcher is involved as a
tool and informs their own practice through the cyclical nature of the research. Robson
(2011) outlines the main stages in this continuous cycle as, the researcher identifies a
phenomenon, reviews it, tests its nature through implementing change, and finally
reflects on the findings through self-evaluation. This allows the researcher to adjust
their pedagogy through tried and tested methods (Heilbronn, 2008). Denscombe (2010,
p.6) writes that “action research strategy's purpose is to solve a particular problem.”.
Since action research is constructed around solving a problem the teacher is facing in
the classroom, motivation and commitment tends to be higher as there is an emotional
investment ascribed. Action research provides a multi-dimensional perspective when
viewing the enquiry, through the lens of a teacher and researcher (Robson, 2011).
Similarly, this provided me an opportunity to deepen my understanding through
engagement not only as a reflective practitioner, but also a reflexive practitioner
(Haynes, 2012). Alvesson & Skoldberg (2000) describe being a reflexive practitioner as
the awareness of the exchange and impact between the researcher and participant
throughout the investigation, implying there maybe elements of subjectivity.
Practitioners embark on research journeys with their own baggage and biases, building
assumptions around the research topic, participants and outcomes, thus influencing and
skewing the data (Robson, 2002, 2011).
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 24
To minimize this risk and ensure reliable data, the method of ‘triangulation’ was applied
(Silverman 2005). Triangulation tests are “for improving the validity and reliability of
research or evaluation of findings” (Golafshani, 2003, p.603) by utilising multiple
methods of data collection. In this study, the triangulation methods included classroom
observations, a student focus group and a critical friend. A drawback of this method
was, its meticulous nature, it proved to be time consuming as there was more data to
analyse (Denscombe, 2014). Nonetheless, this added depth to my findings and
presented an opportunity to cross-reference the same incidents through a variety of
lenses.
Sample:
I conducted my research study over a 12-week period, during which I co-taught 7
Encounters classes that took place at the Institute of Ismaili Studies on Sunday
mornings. I considered my sample to be cluster sampling as Deanscombe (2016, p.37)
ascribes, a cluster sample to consist of ‘pre-existing, naturally occurring groups…and
reflects the heterogeneity of the total population. In this instance, all students that
attended the encounters classes were of a similar age (15-16) and from an Ismaili
background. Average class attendance fluctuated between 10-15 students per week. I
opted to conduct a student focus group consisting of eight students, four male and four
female. This sample was dependent upon the attendance in class that day, as it was
conducted on the last day of my practicum. I felt this sample was representative of the
collective as it comprised of students with a high attendance record throughout the term.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 25
Student Observation :
Erlandson et al. (1993) suggests that observations allow the researcher to describe the
surrounding situation and its occurrences through their own experience and senses,
offering a “written photograph”. Somekh & Jones (2005, p.138) express that “one of the
most important methods of data collection …is the self… By various means of recordkeeping, traces of those impressions are stored for careful scrutiny and analysis after the
event”. As empathy can be displayed in both verbal and non-verbal cues, I used the aid
of audiovisual recordings to seize the full experience. According to Denscombe (2014,
p.187), “Video recordings…capture nonverbal as well as verbal communications”. As a
teacher-researcher, I found it impossible to recall and account every incident that
happened in the classroom, video-recording allowed me to capture a “complete record
of events” (Denscombe, 2007, p.195). Additionally, it permitted me to be present, I
could focus all my attention on the students, instead of being consumed with taking
field notes. Moreover, it permitted me to detect body language, voice inflictions and
tones which are indicators of emotion and are imperative data for my study.
A limitation of this method is students may feel imposed upon, eliciting cautious
behaviour and responses (Denscombe, 2014). I can identify with this challenge, but by
using empathy and dialogue I was able to connect with students about my research and
convey that all they had to do was be themselves. Although, the benefits of video
recording are vast and provides the researcher with a “powerful microscope” (Derry et
al., p.6). I found it limiting as it could not capture the emotion or feeling that was
present in the moment, only how it was conveyed (Wilson, 2009). This could only be
understood by being part of the environment (Robson, 2011).
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 26
Focus Groups:
Focus Groups are a discussion based interviews in group settings, primarily to allow a
shared sense of comfort amongst participants (Denzin and Lincoln, 2003). Anderson
(1998, p.212) describes this as “a carefully planned and moderated informal discussion
where one person’s ideas bounce off another’s creating a chain reaction of informative
dialogue.” A focus group wasn’t part of my preliminary planning; I anticipated to
conduct student questionnaires. In the field I realised this was not best suited to
understand feelings and emotions of participants. Conducting a focus group, allowed the
student voice to be heard through open guided discussions (Hinds, 2000). Often a
challenge of focus groups can be student engagement (Daly, 2006), this did not appear
to be the case as students were supportive, open and authentic with their feedback.
Cohen (1994) highlights the potential risk that students may be intimidated by others in
the group and there is a possibility of only hearing a few dominant voices. In this
instance, the vocal members of the class expressed their opinions first, however, by the
end of the focus group every member of the class felt comfortable enough to contribute.
To aid this, I attach a template (appendix A) of open-ended questions allowing the
participants to respond in their own words and permitting me to acquire more details, in
turn leading to a better understanding of the data gathered (Johnson and Christensen
2008).
During the focus group, I was mindful my role was to facilitate and create opportunity
for students to participate. As a teacher-researcher I was cognizant to award my students
the freedom to express openly and lead the discussion when necessary (Kitzinger,
1995). By doing so I was able to elicit authentic responses, this was possible due to both
the emotional and physical open and safe environment that had been created (Anderson,
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 27
1998). The focus group participation was a testament to the strong sense of classroom
community that had been built over the term (Gibbs, 2006).
Critical Friend:
Costa and Kallick (1993, p 45-51) describe a critical friend as “a trustworthy peer who
asks provocative questions, examines data and experience ‘through another lens’, and
offers a friendship-based critique of a person’s practice.” A critical friend can enhance
the reliability and validity of data produced by providing a wider perspective and
reflexive approach (Crowe & Berry, 2007; Russell & Schuck, 2004). Often my critical
friend would take on the role of ‘the outsider’ and notice things that were considered by
me ‘the insider’ as obvious or routine (Kember et al., 1997). I found discussing these
incidents or pedagogical decisions with my critical friend, offered an alternative and
critical perspective (McNiff, 2016). West (2002) describes the process of observation
as internal and reflection as external. Participants in the critical friendship must, first
have a deep understanding of themselves as an educator before they embark on this
journey or this dynamic may evolve into simply sharing of best practice (Baron, 2007).
The role of a critical friend is to push professional boundaries, provide critique and
provoke deep reflection (Baskerville & Goldblatt, 2009). Achieving this level of
comfort with your critical friend Swaffield (2005, p.44) asserts there must be “trust,
shared values and purposes, personal qualities, communication and practical action
involved.”
A subtle balance of power dynamics is required to maintain a cohesive critical
friendship. My critical friend, was also my teaching partner and the existing teacher in
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 28
the classroom, I was a co-teacher and a teacher researcher. This proved to be a delicate
and complex situation (MacBeath,1998); described as ‘insider research’, known as
leading research within your own practice context (Gibbs & Costley 2006). Mercer
(2007) acknowledges a probability of bias associated to insider research that is affected
by the need to continue relationships after the research has concluded.
My critical friend however, understood the objective of the study and our reflections
were honest, focused and directed (Day, 2000). Despite the complexities, the research
enquiry was based around a shared sense of purpose; this increased our motivation to
build a strong critical friendship (Achinstein & Meyer, 1997). The aid of a critical
friend enhanced the validity of the investigation by providing a wider lens (Baskerville
& Goldblatt, 2009)
Data Analysis:
Data analysis refers to consolidating findings as Anderson (1998, p.140) explains, “take
the mass of raw data and make sense of it”. By doing so it becomes easier to establish
common themes and trends from the data collected. It was necessary to implement a
systematic framework, as there were vast amounts of qualitative data captured (Miles &
Huberman, 1994). After transcription, I began coding the data, looking for recurring
patterns and themes. Robson (2011, p.475) outlines the five stages of systematically
organising data: “familiarizing yourself with the data, generating initial codes,
identifying the themes, constructing thematic networks, integration and interpretation”.
The quantitative data was reviewed with a color coded scale that correlated to each subtheme, excerpts of data that were significant were recorded under correlating headings
in a spreadsheet, this method saved time as the significant findings were gathered in one
place, making it easier to find any overlapping sub-themes. The raw data was analysed
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 29
and read through numerous times to ensure all substantial elements were recorded, then
positioned under larger themes and finally examined further during the process of data
interpretation with the literature in mind (Denscombe, 2014).
Ethical Considerations:
To ensure my research was conducted in an ethical manner and “to safeguard the
interests of those who helped with the investigation.” (Denscombe, 2016 p.310). I was
conscientious in obtaining consent, I met with my students prior to initiating my
research, I introduced myself, the nature of my study and their role during the
investigation. Both parents and students were presented with an opt-out consent form
(Appendix B & C) in which they agreed they were comfortable to participate in the
investigation, including the use of audio and video recordings (BERA, 2011). Both
parents and students were informed this was a voluntary process and it was “the right of
any participant to withdraw from the research for any or no reason, and at any time”
(BERA, 2011, p.6) Initially, participants seemed uncomfortable with being recorded. In
order to overcome this, I dimmed the screen to avoid students being conscious or
distracted by seeing themselves on video. I assured them that they were able to opt out
at any point and the recording could be stopped if they felt uncomfortable.
BERA (2011, p. 5) highlights that “individuals should be treated fairly, sensitively with
dignity”. In line with this, to maintain anonymity and confidentiality of all contributors
throughout the investigation I have used pseudonyms in my report and assured
participants their identity will remain confidential. Furthermore, data files have been
guarded by using password protected folders on my laptop, where only I had access to
them and will be destroyed upon successfully completing STEP (Robson, 2002).
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 30
I was cognizant when interacting with students and tried to remain impartial and
subjective when observing and teaching, to not skew any data gathered (Nolen and
Putten, 2007). This proved to be important as I was conducting the investigation in my
own home town and within my own community, with some students who had
previously engaged with me (Naples, 2003).
All of the above precautions were taken in order to maintain the integrity of the research
and findings, to ensure the participants were treated in a fair and ethical manner, whilst
maintaining the validity and legitimacy of the data collected.
The following chapter will chapter will present my findings, analysis and discussion,
exploring key themes that emerged and highlighting links with the literature.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 31
CHAPTER 4
FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter will present my findings, analysis and discussion, it will highlight key
themes that emerged through my study and discuss correlations to literature where
relevant. The findings presented have been chosen from a wide array of data that has
been collected.
The following themes and sub-themes will be presented below:
Table 1
Themes
SubThemes:
Pre & post levels of classroom
empathy
Pre-existing levels of classroom
empathy
a)
Student Apathy
Benefits of teacher
empathy
The challenges of
teacher empathy.
a)
a) Congruence
Classroom Community
b) Modelling behavior
Post levels of classroom empathy
a) Authenticity
b) Respect
Any quotations used have been italicized, Table 2 beneath outlines essential participant
information with the pseudonyms that have been used to protect participant identity in
order to retain the ethical considerations mentioned in the previous chapter.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 32
Table 2
Student Sameer Kamran Rahim Akbar Tanya Aaria Sophie Zarah Sara
Gender
M
M
M
M
M
M
F
F
F
1) Pre & post levels of classroom empathy
Pre-existing levels of classroom empathy:
The majority of data collected that assessed pre-existing levels of classroom empathy
was drawn from classroom observations and dialogue with my critical friend. The early
data collected suggests that majority of students displayed low levels of empathy in the
classroom, as defined by Cooper’s model (2011) mentioned in chapter 2.
a) Student Apathy
From the offset, I observed what appeared to be a disconnect between learners and the
teacher. During my observation I noted, the teacher has begun teaching but students
seem to continue talking amongst themselves, just in lowered tones. The teacher seems
to not notice and carries on with the lesson, perhaps to not fall behind with the lesson
plan. Students gave very few signs of congruent active listening. It felt as though the
pupils were physically present but mentally and emotionally, absent. Some students’
behavior displayed as completely apathetic and showed no signs of concern for the
teacher’s feelings. This was evident when, the kids are completing a word search on the
back of their coffee cups or are texting on their phones, two girls have their feet on the
table and are resting on each others shoulders, eating crisps. These students outwardly
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 33
showed their lack of engagement or concern for the teacher, they made no attempt to
hide their actions as some of their classmates had.
Incidents such as these take a toll on the teacher’s levels of motivation and morale. As
my critical friend had communicated concerns about student’s behavior and lateness to
class in our discussions expressing, I don’t know what to do about it, how to address it
or make it stop. My critical friend went on to articulate there was something lacking in
the classroom. He was spending hours planning and knew the content well, yet students
were not responding, a vital component was missing. We concluded that this was not a
behavioural issue but an issue of connectivity. Students were not connecting to the
teacher and therefore unable to connect to the content.
One of the most profound effects of teacher empathy is associated with student/teacher
relationships. Purkey (1970) and Damasio (1999) recognise that empathy is an essential
trait required for the development of positive human interaction and is vital for
educational progression. This is evident in the data above, as both students and the
teacher feel disconnected from each other. Vygotsky (1978) emphasizes that cognitive
development is rooted in social relations, Anning and Edwards (1999) add that these
interactions and engagements are instrumental to student’s sense of self value and
meaning making. This is reflected in my findings and leads us to believe that if a
teacher wants to truly connect with the students and impact learning, it’s not enough to
be prepared with a lesson plan and command attention. On the contrary, a teacher must
find a fine balance between teaching the learner and teaching the plan. Like any other
humanistic relationship, the teacher/student dynamic requires emotion and rapport to
allow for cohesive relationships to flourish (Koseki and Berghammer, 1992). In the case
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 34
of this study, the budding of these relationships can be seen in the data collected for
post-existing levels of classroom empathy.
Post-existing levels of empathy:
In order to infuse a more human and relatable element, alterations were made to
student-teacher interactions. My co-teacher and I applied the use of personal stories into
our pedagogy, allowing students to get to know us as people. We created a collaborative
learning agreement (appendix D) based on the Tribes methods (Gibbs, 2006) involving
the students. Emphasising, this was a classroom agreement and included the teachers, if
the students felt we as teachers were not upholding the agreement they had a right to
inform us of this in a polite manner. For example, a ‘no phone zone’ was created, where
everyone including teachers placed phones face down on the table during class time.
Additionally, we made a conscious effort to be aware of how we used physical space.
Before class and during lunch we would sit with the students outside the classroom in a
common social space and interact with them about topics of their interest. When in the
classroom we strategically sat amongst the students to create a sense of intimacy and
build rapport, especially when sharing personal stories and anecdotes.
In order to assess levels of empathy in the classroom and the impact it had after seven
classes of strategic changes in teacher behaviour and pedagogy, data was collected from
a student focus group and reflections with my critical friend. Both methods of data,
showed two correlating components of empathy, these will be explored further below.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 35
a) Authenticity
In order to combat student apathy and increase levels of empathy amongst the class,
students were exposed to a narrative written by their existing teacher, titled ‘In my
shoes’. In this narrative, the teacher articulated an emotive account of their teaching
weekend, allowing students to gain a sense of what it feels like to be a day in their
shoes. Initially, students were told this was an anonymous narrative and after giving
time to reflect and process what they’d heard, it was revealed that this was actually how
their own teacher felt. After this exercise, students were asked to reflect on how they
felt now; some voiced regret. For example, Karim said I didn’t realise so much work
goes into these lessons, I just thought you made stuff up as you go. Sophie, transformed
this regret into empathy by acknowledging the teacher’s frustration and then validating
his work, I want you to know that I always learn something in your classes, so thank
you.
Almost all of the students engaged in this activity and showed enhanced signs of
improvement in behaviour and connectivity. This exercise served as a critical incident
and pivotal point in shifting the classroom dynamic (Tripp, 2012). Displaying
vulnerability and conveying authentic emotion had humanised the teacher in the eyes of
the students and gained their respect. This emerged in the focus group when Kamran
shared:
If we are not behaving properly at school then they are like oh “I put so much
effort into this, this that etc”, but you guys don’t complain, you tell us how you
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 36
feel and like deal with just that, and tell us we need to fix up, which makes a big
difference, when you are just honest we can understand you.
Being authentic and open about their feelings the teacher exposed students to real
emotion and feelings, neither the teacher nor the student could hide behind any smoke
screens. For students, the realisation was their teacher was a real person who had
feelings and their actions impacted them. A sense of self-awareness was developed
within the students as Karim said the way you are not scared to tell us what you are
feeling, about our actions, it makes us more self-aware. The data suggests when the
teachers were open, honest and authentic in their interactions it prompted the students to
respond in the same manner.
b) Respect
When analysing data from the focus group and critical discussions, respect emerged as a
common theme. Over this period, there was a dramatic shift in behaviour; students
began to respect the teachers, as a direct result of the teachers respecting the students.
This is evident when Sophie says there’s also like a form of respect between both
students and teachers, it’s like you give respect and get respect. This led me to question,
was there no respect between the students and teacher previously? I deem there was,
however this respect was formed at a surface level, perhaps built upon a power
dynamic. Previously, neither students nor teachers had been emotionally vested in the
process of teaching and learning. Students were physically present, the teacher delivered
the content and lesson plan but there was an air of formality. My critical friend seemed
to agree with this as he reflected that the:
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 37
Informal setting puts the students at ease, the conversations we had outside we
could have quite easily had inside the class as part of the official lesson but I
think taking outside of the box standard setting helps and we started by talking
about our experiences, our schools, our exams and I guess when you do that it
shows you care about them… immersing ourselves in that conversation set the
tone for the rest of class…for me as a teacher this was a learning.
Students also recognised the difference in dynamic when the teacher was emotionally
present and showed care (Clark, 1996). As Karim suggests by telling us things about
you we can imagine you as actual people instead of just the teacher. Sophie echoed his
thoughts and said:
we all come together like one whole class, not just us students but teachers also,
and we talk and discuss, like even at lunch time we discuss what’s going on
outside of class, I think it’s a good platform to come and talk, feels like you guys
care and want to help.
Students voiced that they felt respected by the teachers but when questioned how this
was manifested as it has never been formally verbalised by the teachers, Kamran said
it’s like we banter with you, we can have fun with you guys but there is actually a limit
as well and we all stay within it. Have fun but stay in the limit as well. Sameer added
you don’t need to say you respect us because its shown through your actions. At this
point I was intrigued and probed further as to what actions showed them this. Kamran
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 38
shared you don’t talk down to us and in school teachers say ‘no phones allowed’ but
Natasha says ‘no phone zone’ and then she puts her phone down herself, which shows
she has respect for us.
At this point Sara added:
you listen to what we have to say and you answer it to the best of your ability,
you make us feel like what we say has added and is not stupid. We feel that you
are comfortable and you can trust us, you see us as we see you. It’s like an
exchange.
Kamran nodded in agreement with Sara and interjected You guys are quite chilled, it’s
not like in normal schools where they just sit at their desks, you guys like sit with us,
you’re at the same level with us. Sara let him finish and continues, like in school,
teachers act like they are obliged but you guys don’t really have to, shows that you have
time for us, so we should respect that.
The above reactions show that both students and teachers recognised that when they
connected as people and found common ground, a mutual respect and bond was formed
(Levy, 2000). This enhanced the learning experience for all, as Kamran summarises it’s
a friendlier environment for everyone and that’s why it’s easier to communicate. The
data collected mirrored what I had found in my review of literature. For example,
Cooper (2011) suggested when students experience authentic levels of empathy that are
continuously reinforced, such as in the model adopted in this study (illustrated in
figure.1a, p.17), they begin to respond differently as a result of feeling nurtured, valued
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 39
and understood. Simple changes in teacher empathy as suggested by Watson and
Ashton (1995) such as a smile or taking interest in what students freely choose to share,
created lasting impacts on the relationship between the teachers and students, increasing
their levels of classroom engagement. I found this to be true, students mentioned that
previously they felt an open environment had not been created and as a result felt
hesitant to vocalize their thoughts and opinions (Gibbs and Simpson, 2004). They went
on to express this was no longer the case and now felt confident to speak up amongst
their peers and teachers.
This data suggests that previously, students were engaging with the teacher and content
on a superficial level, lacking an emotional investment in their own learning. However,
by introducing profound and fundamental empathy into the classroom (Cooper, 2011),
students responded positively within a short time frame becoming vested and engaged
in the classroom.
As highlighted by Clark (1996) pupils can often reduce others to objects within the
classroom environment, forgetting to view them as a whole person beyond the
classroom. In this study, students indicated this to be somewhat true, the learners
commented they found it difficult to imagine teachers outside of the classroom
conducting their own lives. Thus, emphasizing the importance and need of infusing a
human and person-centered approach into the classroom, by doing so allows for further
opportunities for both the students and teachers to connect (Gibbs, 2006). This seems
especially relevant in the context of the REC setting. Students commented on how they
appreciated the teachers not presenting like ‘normal teachers’ and just sitting behind
their desks, they acknowledged that genuine efforts were made to bridge the divide
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 40
between students and teachers, creating a mutual respect and active understanding
demonstrated through actions (Feilding, 2004; 2007).
2) Benefits of Teacher Empathy
The second theme that emerged from my data was the benefits of teacher empathy in
the classroom. A teacher’s conscious change to a more empathetic approach changed
the dynamic of the classroom experience in a positive manner. Below are two leading
benefits that emerged from the data gathered.
a) Classroom community
Although students belonged to the encounters class, no real bond had formed between
them, over the seven classes this had shifted. Sara demonstrates this when she stated
that when I joined class I didn’t speak at all, I only talked to my friends, I didn’t really
talk to anyone else, but in this class now, I’ve made more friends, so I’m not really
afraid to ask questions. Sara touches on an important notion, she highlights that by
forming stronger bonds of friendships, she feels she’s in a safe place and this enables
her to fully engage in learning, free from fear. Karim echoes this sentiment I think as we
build stronger relationships with each other it’s a safer place to talk. When students
were questioned what prompted them to speak openly and not feel judged, they
attributed it to the feeling of belonging. Sophie had previously mentioned we all come
together like one whole class. Aaria added, teachers are like teachers but you guys are
like with us…it’s hard to explain. Also, it’s not like normal school, you guys sit with us,
you’re at the same level with us. Interestingly, Aaria mentioned ‘you are with us’ this
statement emphasizes that in order to build a classroom community that is authentic in
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 41
nature, students need to feel that the teachers are participants on the journey with them,
not spectators on the sidelines. Karim summarises, since you don’t make that barrier
between the students and the teachers, its more equal, so we can be more open with you
guys. Sara elaborates on this further, you always join in with our discussions and you
don’t act like as if you are higher than us. You don’t act as if you’re going to tell us
what to do. You engage with us; you make us feel comfortable. It is clear that students
appreciate this stronger bond that had been built on mutual respect and as Kamran put it
common friendliness between students and teachers.
It’s evident that connecting with students on a more personal level, allowing them the
space to be themselves, feel heard, showing them both profound and functional empathy
has contributed towards building a congruent and effective classroom community that
makes students feel safe and cared for (Noddings, 1996).
My findings are in direct correlation with the literature mentioned in my review.
Fostering a classroom community is important for both emotional and academic
development. Students working towards a common objective through sharing their
ideas and opinions enables the collective to contribute to the learning taking place, both
of self and others (Watkins et al., 2002). A majority of students commented on the
bond they felt within the classroom community and the freedom it afforded them to
express themselves openly without reprimand or judgment. They commented on the
importance of this in their learning. Furthermore, during this process they realised the
importance of being open towards others and refraining from judging those around
them. Thus, it is fair to say that empathy acts as a catalyst for cohesion and aids in
building a classroom community.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 42
b) Modelling of behaviour
During this study I found most students watched and modelled the behaviour that the
teachers displayed amongst each other. Although a conscious effort was made to engage
in empathetic behavior with the students, it had never been verbalised that this would
extend to the co-teachers. This emerged as an unintended finding during the focus
group, when the conversation started with Sara saying you both work really well
together, Kamran nods in agreement and Karim adds, you’re both great teachers but
just better together. My critical friend and I looked at each other, flattered and surprised
but curious as to why the students had chosen to include this in our focus group.
Perhaps, Sara noticed and went on to clarify:
So, you two are similar but you both have different views on different things,
sometimes they are similar, sometimes contrast each other which brings out
ideas in us. But also you recognise each others views and that helps you work
better together.
Sara had identified that it was simply not enough to show empathy towards students but
it was important to practice it in all our interactions. Only as it embedded itself in all our
interactions did students accept it to be genuine. By extending it to ourselves as coteachers, we automatically enabled the students to follow our example. Karim
summaries this:
So you are two different people and you have two different ideas but the
combination of your teaching brings out the best of our capabilities because this
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 43
shows we can discuss our own opinions. Like, before this term, I didn’t even
know you but it feels like an open space that I can put anything out there and we
can discuss as equals.
This suggests students benefit from witnessing teacher empathy being extended within
the co-teaching dynamic. Sara consolidates this when saying if we have two teachers
with different opinions, who aren’t thinking the same, then surely we are allowed to
have different views and perspectives too. Whilst discussing how we modelled empathy,
Karim went on to comment on our behavior, he said like even if one of you say like let’s
wrap it up or change the subject, the other doesn’t really mind or feel bad. Sara added, I
always see you two communicating to each other. Sameer interjects, and you guys are
so supportive to each other. Sara continues, if one teacher asks a question and no one
answers, the other teacher will chip in and help out or give ideas and examples, so the
other won’t feel bad!
Karim hits the heart of the matter saying:
when you see someone put the action into practice and take it into
consideration, it stays with us. Like now, if I’m about to get a drink or something
I will offer my friends too and I’ve seen it with you two also, and when I had a
headache and I asked if you had paracetamol you went and got me water too.
Although modelling empathy was touched upon in my review of literature, I had not
foreseen the extent to which it contributed in shaping the classroom and student’s
behaviours. When reading the scholarship, majority of it discussed the benefits of
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 44
teacher to student empathy and modelling the preferred behaviour for the student when
interacting with them (Hammond 2006). Cooper (2011) found witnessing an empathetic
dynamic, not only amongst class members and teachers, but specifically among coteachers themselves allowed students to experience functional empathy. Although this
was an unintentional finding, it is highly significant when discussing the impact of
teacher empathy. This data indicates that when teachers fully embrace an empathetic
approach and embed it into their psyche and model this behaviour, students are more
likely to adopt it, than when experiencing it as a personal one-off engagement. To help
create the classroom experience empathy must be experienced and modeled for students
in natural, subtle and authentic forms (Page and Page 2000).
More so, the data implies this can be used as an opportunity to mentor our students to
extend empathy beyond the classroom, into their personal and professional lives. As
evident by Karim’s actions, he now consciously offers his friends a drink as a result of
witnessing the interactions with the teachers in the classroom. This finding speaks to the
‘hidden curriculum’ (Hersch et al., 1980) mentioned in the literature review and places
additional responsibility on the teacher to be a role model at all times, teaching our
children beyond content and information but developing their moral formation.
3) Challenges of Teacher Empathy
a) Congruence
Although, the benefits of teacher empathy were widely apparent when conducting this
research, another theme that emerged from the data was the challenges of teacher
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 45
empathy. In my second class, there was a critical incident with Tanya that shook me,
I’ve never felt so annoyed in the classroom. When correlating my field notes with my
observation footage it is apparent I am angry. I had engaged with Tanya in a polite
manner despite her having broken the rules. She was rude to me in front of the other
students in her group. I felt embarrassed and demoralised, I should assert my authority. I
decided, at the end of class I would confront her and demand an apology. However,
after reflection I realised that this was an excellent opportunity to model teacher
empathy. Instead I said:
I’m sorry if you felt I was rude and dismissive of your feelings, that was not my
intention. I was trying to find out why you were on the phone and showing
pictures of your Grandma. I wasn’t aware that she passed away…I’m sorry.
I was surprised, Tanya responded, I’m sorry too, sometimes I just get angry. This
situation highlighted two things 1) teacher empathy can influence student response and
2) teacher empathy is not always the initial natural response but must be a conscious
choice. My first reaction was anger but I chose to embrace empathy and allowed myself
time before responding to ensure I was being sincere. This highlights the challenges of
teacher empathy and raises some questions. Is it possible to be authentic and genuine if
you are actively choosing to behave in a certain manner? Can teacher empathy be nonbiased? Can all teachers be empathetic and congruent, all of the time?
Through conducting this research, I found the concept of empathy to be a relatively new
topic in educational literature and complex in nature. I felt there is a gap in literature as
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 46
the majority of academia focuses on how to foster empathy in the classroom, the moral
development and implications of empathy both in the classroom and beyond. However,
further research needs to be done to explore the conceptual understanding of empathy
for teachers and the way in which this manifests through, taking into account their
emotional capacity and bias in the classroom.
In summary, I was able to ascertain some clear themes during my data collection and
the findings with analysis have been presented above. Teacher empathy evidently
enhanced student engagement and the classroom experience. The forming of a
classroom community provided a safe space for students to share their growing
appreciation and awareness of empathy. It aided in developing a greater connection to
the teacher and the content being taught.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 47
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION
In this concluding chapter I will reflect on my research experience, the findings and
learnings that occurred as a result of this study. I will discuss some limitations I
encountered and lastly, suggest possible avenues for future research by STEP teachers
in order to further develop the use and knowledge of empathy in the STEP classroom.
My main research question and subsidiary questions were as follows:
How can teacher empathy inform the classroom experience?
Subsidiary Questions:

What are the benefits empathy in education?

How can empathy create a positive classroom experience?
I have found by undertaking this research, that teacher empathy can shape and influence
the classroom experience on several levels. Teacher empathy contributes to creating a
stable and open environment that is conducive to learning, allowing students to engage
in a safe space where they feel understood and valued. When teacher empathy is
experienced by the student and modeled by the teacher in wider classroom engagement,
it becomes embedded in their behaviour both in classroom and beyond. Equally, I found
that teacher empathy is a process of subtle and intricate behaviors that create an impact,
not one simple act in isolation.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 48
To sum up, the use of teacher empathy changed the classroom experience in a positive
manner. Teacher empathy produced benefits that directly impacted the student learning
experience, creating an engaging and open learning environment, where students
wanted to participate, ‘hang out’ and explore. An additional benefit of introducing a
human element in the classroom was allowing pupils to become more aware of
themselves as well as those they interact and engage with, living the ethos of their
curriculum.
Limitations:
Limitations are unavoidable and occur in a study of this nature and size. Some of the
limitations I faced are addressed below:
Validity – This refers to the accuracy of one’s findings during the research process
(Denscombe, 2016). Accuracy can often be problematic in such a study, especially if
only one method of data collection is used by the researcher. In order to uphold the
integrity of my data, I triangulated my methods to enhance the validity of my research
(Robson, 2016). This allowed me to cross-reference my findings throughout my study
by making sure that there were consistent responses across the range of data collection
tools I used and analysing any anomalies that may occur. However, had I conducted a
focus group at the beginning of my research study to gauge students’ thoughts on levels
of teacher empathy and their classroom experience, perhaps the evidence would have
presented differently. I recognise this as a draw back and in retrospect would plan to
conduct a focus group pre-practicum and post-practicum in order to be able to gauge the
variation in data, I feel this would have added more depth and validity to my findings.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 49
Reliability – This discusses how replicable a research project is if it were to be
replicated or reconstructed for dependability (Golafshani, 2003). This study was action
research, therefore as a researcher I was involved as an instrument of the research.
Consequently, this will be difficult to replicate as my findings and analysis were filtered
through my own subjective understanding (Denscombe, 2016). Although, a similar
approach could be taken, it is more than likely that some slight variations in findings
may appear.
Generalisability – This applies to generalising the findings of the research study and its
aptitude to correlate these findings to a “similar phenomena at a general or universal
level” (Denscombe, 2007, p. 296). This particular study was orientated to the STEP
context and a community faith based classroom. Nevertheless, the findings may produce
what Bassey (1990) calls a ‘fuzzy generalisation’, meaning that under the given the
circumstances, if these findings were to be applied in a different context with similar
conditions, they may produce similar outcomes.
Time – I found this to be one of the most challenging limitations, the time-frame that
the research was conducted in was very brief (7 teaching weeks). I feel any deductions
made from this research can only be seen as scratching the surface on teacher empathy
in the STEP classroom. Consequently, my outcomes and conclusions can only be
accepted conditionally. Time permitting, I would have liked to have gone into greater
depth and explored further.
Word limit – An additional challenge I found was the word limit imposed when
documenting this journey. There was much rich data to choose from and I feel the short
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 50
word limit did not provide justice to the findings. Given a larger capacity I would have
engaged in more depth by extracting several themes that would have contributed to the
depth and breadth of the study.
Recommendations:
Teacher empathy has not previously been researched within the STEP arena, for this I
was only able to touch on a small fragment of the topic. I chose to look at how teacher
empathy informs the classroom experience; as next steps I would recommend looking at
how teacher empathy specifically impacts student behaviour.
Dissemination:
I believe that as a teacher-researcher it is my responsibility to share my results and
findings with my students, parents, fellow teachers and ITREB for educational
advancement (BERA, 2011). Therefore, to disseminate my results, I will make this
research available to my local ITREB in written form. Additionally, a session has
tentatively been organized in December 2016, with my peers and seniors to present my
findings on “teacher empathy informing the classroom experience”. This research will
also be shared with the Primary Co-coordinators at my ITREB as the findings can be
transferable and beneficial to both primary and secondary corridors.
Conclusion:
The purpose of my research was to explore the role of teacher empathy in the
classroom, I wanted to better understand how the teacher informs the classroom
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 51
environment. This process has highlighted that the role of the teacher, is instrumental in
setting the tone and mood of the class and can be influential to a student’s behaviour
and engagement levels. A teacher can be a catalyst for change in the classroom and is
the glue that connects the learners to the content.
The biggest finding, I have learnt on this journey as a teacher and researcher is
encapsulated by Theodore Roosevelt, who said “No one cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.”. This journey has allowed me to experience and
realise the truth of these words, as Sara said “you see us as we see you. It’s like an
exchange.” I have learnt and better understood the role, responsibility and power of
being a teacher.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 52
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Achinstein, B., & Meyer, T. (1997). The uneasy marriage between friendship and
critique: Dilemmas for fostering critical friendship in a novice teacher learning
community. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational
Research Association, Chicago, IL, March 24–28.
Alvesson, M. & Sköldberg, K. (2000). Reflexive methodology. London: SAGE.
Anderson, G. (1998). Fundamentals of Educational Research. London: Falmer Press.
Anning, A. &Edwards, A. (1999). Promoting Children's Learning from Birth to Five:
Developing the New Early Years Professional. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Apsy, D. (1972). Towards a Technology for Humanising Education. Champaign,
Illinois: Illinois Research Press.
Baron, D. (2007). Critical friendship: Leading from the inside out. Principal
Leadership, 7(9), 56–58
Baskerville D. & Goldblatt, H. (2009). Learning to be a critical friend: from
professional indifference through challenge to unguarded conversations. Cambridge
Journal of Education 39(2), 205–221.
Bassey, M. (1990), On the Nature of Research in Education, Faculty of Education,
Nottingham Polytechnic.
BERA. (2011, September). Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research 2011.
Retrieved May 22, 2016, from BERA (British Educational Research Association):
http://www.bera.ac.uk/
Berk, L & Winsler, A. (1995). "Vygotsky: His life and works" and "Vygotsky's
approach to development". In Scaffolding children's learning: Vygotsky and early
childhood learning. (p.24). Natl. Association for Education of Young Children
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 53
Best, R. (1998). The development of affective education in England in Lang, P., Katz,
Y., Menezes, I. (eds) Affective Education: A Comparative view. London: Cassell, 72
Best, R. (2000). Empathy, experience and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural
Education, Pastoral Care, December.
Bottery, M. (1990). The morality of the school. London: Cassell
Bowlby, J. (1951). Child Care and the Growth of Love. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Bruner, J. S. (1960). The Process of education. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2003). Every Child Matters. Norwich: the Stationery
Office (Cm 5860).
Cohen, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. (1994). Research Methods in Education. 4th
Edition. London: Routledge.
Cooper, B. (1997a) ‘Teaching Empathy’, Plymouth University, SPES,
Cooper, B. (1997b) ‘Empathy and Reflective Practice’, Leeds, LMU
Cooper, B. (2000) ‘Rediscovering the Personal in Education’, in R. Best (ed.),
Education for Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development. London: Continuum.
Cooper, B. (2002) ‘Teachers as Moral Models? The Role of Empathy in Teacher/Pupil
Relationships’, unpublished PhD thesis, Leeds Metropolitan University.
Cooper, B. (2011). Empathy in education. New York: Continuum.
Costa, A. & Kallick, B.(1993) "Through the Lens of a Critical Friend". Educational
Leadership 51(2) 49-51
Creswell, J. (2011). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches (4th ed.).
London: Sage.
Crowe, A., & Berry, A. (2007). Teaching Prospective Teachers about Learning to Think
like a Teacher: Articulating our Principles of Practice. In Russell, T. & Loughran, J.J.
(Eds.) Enacting a pedagogy of teacher education. London: Routledge.
Daly, C. (2006). English Teachers as researchers. Secondary English, 10 (1), 29-32.
Damasio, A. (1999). The feeling of What happens: Body, Emotion and the Making of
Consciousness. London: Vintage.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 54
Darling-Hammond, L. (2006) Constructing 21st Century Teacher Education. Journal of
Teacher Education, 57 (3), 300 (was this only a 1 page journal article).
Kember, D., Ha, T., Lam, B., Lee, A., NG, S., Yan, L. & Yum, J. (1997) The diverse
role of the critical friend in supporting educational action research projects, Educational
Action Research, 5(3), 463-481
Day, C. (2000). Effective leadership and reflective practice. Reflective Practice, 1(1),
113-127.
Denscombe, M. (2007). The Good Research Guide for Small-Scale Research Projects
(3rd ed.). Berkshire: Open University Press.
Denscombe, M. (2014). The Good Research Guide for Small Scale Social Research
Projects. (5th ed.). Buckingham: Open University press.
Denscombe, M. (2016). The Good Research Guide for Small Scale Social Research
Projects. (6th ed.). Buckingham: Open University press.
Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (2003). Strategies of qualitative inquiry. London: Sage
Publications.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research
(3rd ed.). California: SAGE Publications.
Department for Education and Skills (DFES). (2007b), Curriculum Review – Diversity
and Citizenship. Nottingham. DfES Publications.
Derry, S. J., Pea, R. D., Barron, B., Engle, R. A., Erickson, F., Goldman, R., & Sherin,
B. L. (2010). Conducting video research in the learning sciences: Guidance on
selection, analysis, technology, and ethics. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 19 (1),
3.
Eisenberg, N. & J. Strayer (1990). Empathy and its Development. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Eisenberg, N., & Mussen, P. (1989). The roots of prosocial behavior in children.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Erlandson, D. A., Harris, E. L., Skipper, B. L. & Allen, S. D. (1993). Doing Naturalistic
Inquiry: a Guide to Methods. Newbury Park, Calif., Sage.
Fielding, M. & Rudduck, J. (2002) The transformative potential of student voice:
confronting the power issues. Paper presented in a symposium on ‘Student
Consultation, Community and Democratic Tradition’ at the Annual Conference of the
British Educational Research Association, University of Exeter, 12-14 September 2002.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 55
Foster-Johnson, L., & Dunlap, G. (1993). Using functional assessment to develop
effective, individualized interventions. Teaching Exceptional Children, 25, 44-50
Fraser, B., Tobin, K. (1989). Student perceptions of psychosocial environments in
classrooms of exemplary science teachers. International Journal of Science Education,
11, 14–34
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind. New York: Basic Books.
Gibbs, C. (2006). To be a Teacher: Journeys towards Authenticity. New Zealand:
Pearson Education.
Gibbs, J. (2006). Reaching all by creating tribes learning communities. Windsor, Calif.:
CenterSource Systems, LLC.
Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. (2004) Conditions under which assessment supports student
learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1, 3-31.
Gibbs, P. & Costley, C. (2006) An ethics of community and care for practitioner
researchers, International Journal of Research & Method in Education. Routledge,
239-249.
Golafshani, N. (2003). Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research.
The Qualitative Report, 8(4), 597-606.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam
Hammersley, M. (1992). What's wrong with ethnography?: methodological
explorations. London & New York: Routledge.
Hargreaves, D. H. (1972). Interpersonal relations and Education. London: Routledge
and Kegan Paul.
Hay, D. (1997). ‘Spiritual education and values’. Education, Spirituality and the Whole
Child Conference. Roehampton Institute, May.
Haynes, K. (2012). Reflexivity in qualitative research. In G. Symon & C. Cassell,
Qualitative organizational research: Core methods and current challenges (1st ed.).
London: SAGE.
Haynes, L & Avery, A. (1979). Training in Self-Disclosure and Empathy Skills. Journal
of Community Psychology. 26(6): 526-530.
Heathcote, D. (1984). Collected Writings on Education and Drama. London:
Hutchinson.
Heilbronn, R., (2008) Teacher Education and the Development of Practical Judgement,
London: Continuum Studies in Education.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 56
Hersch, R. H., Miller, J. P. & Fielding, G. D. (1980). Models of Moral Education. New
York: Longman.
Hinds, D. (2000). Research instruments. In D. Wilkinson (Ed.), The researcher's
toolkit: The complete guide to practitioner research (pp. 41-54). London, England:
Routledge Falmer.
Hoffman, M. L. (2008). Empathy and prosocial behavior. In: Lewis M, Haviland-Jones
JM, Barrett LF, (eds.). Handbook of Emotions, Third Edition. Guilford Publications.
440–455.
Huang, W. D., & Tettegah, S. (2010). Cognitive Load and Empathy in Serious Games:
A Conceptual Framework. In R. Van Eck, Gaming and Cognition: Theories and
Practice from the Learning Sciences (137-151). Pennsylvania: Information Science
Reference.
IIS. (2016). Faith and practice: Teachers Guide. London: Islamic Publications Limited.
IIS. (2013). Muslim Societies and Civilisations: Teachers Guide. London: Islamic
Publications Limited.
Johnson, B. & Christensen, L. (2008). Educational research. Los Angeles: Sage
Publications.
Jones, K. (2003). Simulations. A Handbook for Teachers and Trainers. Gilford: Kogan
Page.
Kitzinger, J. (1995). Qualitative research. Introducing focus groups. BMJ: British
Medical Journal, 311(7000), 299–302.
Knight, P. (1989). Empathy: Concept, Confusion, and Consequences in a National
Curriculum. Oxford Review of Education, 15, 41-54.
Kohn, A. (1991). Caring Kids: The Role of the Schools. Phi Delta Kappan 72/7, 496506.
Kozeki, B. & Berghammer, R. (1992). ‘The Role of Empathy in the Motivational
Structure of School Children’, Personality and Individual Difference, 13 (2), 191–203
Leal, M. R. M. (2002). ‘The caring relationship’. Ninth Annual International
Conference Education Spirituality and the Whole Child. University of Surrey,
Roehampton, June.
MacBeath, J. (1998). Effective school leadership. London: Paul Chapman Pub.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 57
Mcallister, G., Irvine, & Jordan, J. (2002). The role of empathy in teaching culturally
diverse students: A qualitative study of teachers’ beliefs. Journal of Teacher Education,
53 (5), 433-443.
McNiff, J. (2016). You and your action research project. London: Routledge.
Mercer, J. (2007). The Challenges of insider research in educational institutions:
wielding a double-edged sword and resolving delicate dilemmas, Oxford Review of
Education, 33 (1), 1- 17.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis (2nd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Moore, K. D. (2009). Effective Instructional Strategies. From Theory to Practice.
California: SAGE Publications.
Myers, M. (2009). Qualitative research in business and management. Los Angeles:
SAGE.
Naples, N. A. (2003). Feminism and method: Ethnography, discourse analysis, and
activist research. New York, NY: Routledge.
Newton, B.W., Savidge, M .A., Barber, L., Cleveland, E., Clardy, J., & Beeman, G.
(2000). Differences in medical student’s empathy. Academic Medicine, 75, 1215. no. 7,
November.
Noddings, N. (1996). The Cared-for. In S. Gordon, P. Benner, & N. Noddings (Eds.),
Caregiving: Readings in knowledge, practice, ethics, and politics (21-39). Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press
Noddings, N. (2010). Moral education and caring. Theory and Research in Education, 8
(2), 145-151.
Nolan, A., & Putten, V. (2007). Action research in education: addressing gaps in Ethical
principles and practices. Educational Researcher, 36 (7), 400-407.
Pedersen, R. (2007). Empathy: A wolf in sheep’s clothing?, Med Health Care and
Philos, 11, 325–335.
Piaget, J. (1932). The Moral Judgement of the Child. London: Routledge and Kegan
Paul.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 58
Pring, R. (1997). ‘Institutional values and personal development’. Values in the
Curriculum Conference. London: Institute of Education.
Purkey, W. W. (1970). Self-Concept and School Achievement. New York: PrenticeHall.
Robson, C. (2002). Real world research: a resource for social scientists and
practitioner researchers (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell
Robson, C. (2011). Real world research (3rd ed.) West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Roe, K. V. (1980). Early empathy development in children and the subsequent
internalization of moral values. The Journal of Social Psychology, 110.
Rogers, C. (1959). A Theory of Therapy, Personality and Interpersonal Relationships as
Developed in the Client-centered Framework. In (ed.) S. Koch, Psychology: A Study of
a Science. Vol. 3: Formulations of the Person and the Social Context. New York:
McGraw Hill.
Rogers, C. (1975). ‘Empathetic: an unappreciated way of being’. The counselling
Psychologist, 5, (2), 2.
Rosenstein, P. (1995). Parental Empathy as related to risk assessment in child
protective services. Child abuse and Neglect. 19, (11).
Russell,T., & Schuck, S.(2004). How critical are critical friends and how critical
should they be? In D. L. Tidwell, L. M. Fitzgerald, & M. L. Heston (Eds.), Journeys of
hope: Risking the journey of self-study in a diverse world. Proceedings of the Fifth
International Conference on Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices, Herstmonceux
Castle, East Sussex, England (213–216). Cedar Falls, IA: University of Northern Iowa
Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. (1990). Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence.
Basic Books: New York.
Silverman, D. (1993). Interpreting qualitative data: methods for analysing talk, text,
and interaction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Silverman, David (2005). Doing qualitative research: a practical handbook (2nd ed.).
London: Sage.
Smith, M.A., & Misra, A. (1992). A comprehensive management system for students in
regular classrooms. The Elementary School Journal, 92, 352- 371.
Somekh, B. & Lewin, C. (2005). Research methods in the social sciences. London:
SAGE Publications.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 59
Sornson, R. & Johannes, S. (2013). Stand in my shoes. Golden, CO: Love and Logic.
Spendlove, D. (2008). Emotional literacy. London: Continuum.
Swaffield, S. & MacBeath, J. (2005) School self-evaluation and the role of a critical
friend. Cambridge Journal of Education 35 (2) 239-252.
Tripp, D. (2012) ‘Critical Incidents in Teaching: Developing professional judgement’
London: Routledge
Vygotsky, L. S, (1986). Thought and Language. Translation newly revised by Alex
Kozuiln. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Watkins, C. Carnell, E. & Lodge, C. (2007). Effective Learning in Classrooms. London:
Paul Chapman Publishing.
Watson, B. & Ashton, E. (1995), Education, Assumptions and Values. London: David
Fulton.
West, M. A. (2002). Sparkling fountains or stagnant ponds: An integrative model of
creativity and innovation implementation in work groups. Applied Psychology,51
Wilson, E. (2009). School-based research. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Wood, D. (1988). How Children Think and Learn. London: Blackwell.
Wood, D. J., Bruner, J. S., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem
solving. Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology, 17(2), 89-100.
Woolfolk, A. (2011). Educational psychology. Active learning edition (3rd ed.). Boston,
MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Zabel, R.H., & Zabel, M.K. (1996). Classroom management in context: orchestrating
positive learning environments. USA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Zins, J., Weissberg, R., Wang, M., & Walberg, H. (2004). Building academic success
on social and emotional learning: What does the research say?. Teachers College Pr.
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 60
APPENDIX A
MTeach – Focus Group Question Schedule
Recap the term before the focus group

How was your overall learning experience this term?

What are some of the activities you have enjoyed this term?
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

What are some of the ideas you have enjoyed learning about this term?
o
o
o
o
o

Idea – Relevance to their lives (faith & wider society)
Idea – New perspectives
Idea – Intellectually inspired
Activity – interactive, varied and interesting.
If you could pick one lesson which you enjoyed the most this term, which one
would it be and why?
o
o
o

Animal testing, Relationship between animals and man (LP6)
Social inequality, Literature as a space for social commentary, Expression of
identity, having a voice against challenges of the time (personal & social
responsibility) (LP7)
Happiness – Physical, emotional, spiritual (LP8)
Guidance from our faith – Imams & Pirs (LP8)
Travel Journey & Search – Multiple Journeys- Physical, emotional, intellectual
& spiritual (LP9)
What in particular did you enjoy about these ideas and activities?
o
o
o
o

Discussion Football- Animals vs Man (LP6)
Rewrote the story of the case of the animals
Rappers & Kings (LP7)
Qadi and the fly (LP7)
Open letter to Donald Trump (LP7)
Class room Adab – Learning agreements & In my shoes (LP7)
Engaging with the writings of MSMS (LP8)
Treasure Hunt – Pandiyat (LP8)
Multiple choice ginan quiz (LP8)
Swap Class Journey (LP9)
Moments of awakening (LP9)
Why – Variety of activities, which were fun.
Why – Heard multiple perspectives.
Why – Random learning, able to express our views, openness of teachers.
Do you think that anything else contributed to your (positive/negative)
classroom experience of this term?
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 61

Do you think the way in which the teachers engaged with you in the classroom
and beyond contributed to your overall experience? If so, In what ways?
(Include prompt or invite students to comment further)
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Natasha Bandali
Tone
Language
Behaviour
Use of space
Use of personal stories
Openness to student perspectives
Interest in students’ lives
P a g e | 62
APPENDIX B
STEP Field Research and Teaching Practice
PARENTAL CONSENT FORM: Master of Teaching (MTeach)
I have read the parent information email concerning the research exploration that will be
conducted in my child’s Encounters classroom. I am aware that the research to be conducted in
my child’s class will be on the following topic: How can Teacher Empathy inform the classroom
experience? This research will be conducted by Natasha Bandali and by the Department of
Graduate Studies at the Institute of Ismaili Studies and of the University College of London.
I acknowledge and understand that all information gathered for this project including
photographs, video materials, and/or interview recordings will be used solely for the purposes of
this research. I understand that the information will be confidential and pseudonyms will be used
in the written report of the study in order to anonymise and thus protect my child’s identity. I
understand that participation is voluntary and that I may withdraw permission for my child to
participate in the research at any time and without giving any reason, by advising the STEP trainee
teacher.
I understand that this project has been reviewed by, and has received ethical clearance through,
the Department of Graduate Studies (STEP Programme) at the Institute of Ismaili Studies and the
University College of London.
Information about my child:
Name: _____________________________________
Permission Decision:
Yes - I would like my child to participate in the STEP MTeach
research project
Yes – I will allow for Photos or video and audio recordings of my child to be used as part
of the Data Collection and Analysis process
Name of Parent or Guardian:
___________________________________
Signature of Parent or Guardian:
___________________________________
Date:
___________________________________
Contact Telephone Number:
___________________________________
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 63
APPENDIX C
STUDENT PARTICIPATION CONSENT FORM
I consent to take part in the research.
I consent to take part in focus groups, questionnaires and writing reflections for this
study.
I consent to the focus groups and classes being audio and video recorded.
I consent to my photos being taken during classes and focus groups and understand that
my identity will be protected by concealing the facial images.
I consent to notes being taken during the focus groups and classes.
I consent to the contents of the focus groups and classes being transcribed.
I understand that the contents of the focus group and classes will be confidential to the
researcher.
I consent to my words being quoted anonymously in any presentation, reports or
publication arising from the research unless I specifically agree otherwise.
I understand that I have the right to withdraw from the research at anytime and that all
information collected about and from me will be destroyed at that point.
I understand that data will not be kept longer then it is necessary to complete a full
analysis. It will then be reviewed and securely archived.
I understand that I will receive a brief summary of the data analysis when it has been
completed.
NAME: __________________________________________________
DATE: __________________________________________________
Natasha Bandali
SIGNATURE:__________________________________________________
P a g e | 64
APPENDIX D
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 65
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 66
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 67
Natasha Bandali
P a g e | 68
Natasha Bandali