An Empathy Intervention Reduces the Gender Gap in School Discipline and Facilitates Belonging

Abstract

School disciplinary sanctions increase sharply during adolescence, with students from certain backgrounds disproportionately affected. Strong teacher–student relationships that cultivate trust, respect and empathy may be essential to buffer against these changes. This quasi-experimental longitudinal field study trialled a brief empathic mindset intervention with teachers in English secondary schools and examined its effect on their students’ (N = 1347) behaviour records and perceptions of schooling. The intervention was associated with a greater sense of school belonging and a reduction in sanctions (particularly for boys), thereby signalling the importance of making students feel heard and respected.