Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the factors that affect the empathy levels of pre-service teachers studying in the Department of Social Studies Teaching. The research questions developed in this context aimed to determine the roles of gender, age and being a member of a school club in the empathy levels of pre-service teachers. The study group consisted of pre-service social studies teachers (n=149), including 87 females and 62 males, studying in a faculty of education in the Black Sea region. The independent sample t-test was used to determine whether the empathy levels of pre-service teachers varied by age, gender and being a member of a school club. The analyses found that the pre-service teachers’ scores on the emotional reactivity sub-dimension of empathy levels varied by age and gender variables.

Keywords: Empathy level, social studies, education.