• Educational Technology International
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-33
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• 2018

The present study aimed to develop a self-reported measurement instrument - the Empathetic School Community Competency Inventory (ESCCI)-to better understand members' empathetic sense to schools as their community in the context of secondary schools in South Korea. Based on a synthesis of the literature on the school community, empathy, and competencies, and a series of preliminary analyses with a panel of expert judges and pilot tests, initial ESCCI items were developed. In total, 435 students and 134 teachers from secondary schools in South Korea provided usable data as measured by the ESCCI. The results of EFA and CFA suggested a five-factor model: culture of respect ( α = .94), empathetic community identity ( α = .93), communication structure (α = .91), emotion immersion (α = .91), and caring process (α =.89) with χ² (980, n = 285) = 3080.169; p-value < .0001, RMSEA = 0.068; 90% CI [.059, .064], p-value < .0001; CFI = .88; SRMR = 0.04; and TLI = .88, leaving 46 items out of initially developed 76 items. The ESCCI model developed based on the findings of the study can be used to assess schools' competency as an empathetic community and design programs to promote empathetic school cultures in secondary schools in South Korea. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.