Abstract

The discourse on ideal teachers and teaching has recognised the importance of empathy. Despite the popularity of the concept in educational training and practice, research knowledge remains limited and fragmented. The present paper aims to analyse the empirical research on empathy in K-12 teaching. The search for empirical studies has yielded 28 articles, which were grouped according to four conceptualizations: empathy as a trait, empathy as a state, empathy as communication, and empathy as a relationship.