• 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.

• The Journal of Learner-Centered Curriculum and Instruction (JLCCI)
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• v.18 no.15
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• pp.917-936
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to explore the structural relationship among high school students empathetic school community competency, sense of community, and subjective wellbeing. For this purpose, the data of 608 high school students in Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam, and Jeonnam were collected, and the relationship among the model s fitness and the variables was analyzed by structural equation model. The results showed that the relationship among empathetic school community competency, sense of community, and subjective wellbeing was identified as suitable. The results showed that the basic competency of community directly affected the empathy of community, the empathy of community and the sense of community directly affected the subjective wellbeing. On the other hand, the basic competency of community indirectly affected the sense of community and the subjective wellbeing, and the empathy of community indirectly affected subjective wellbeing. Based on the results, we suggested the necessity of empathetic school community competency and the sense of community to improve the level of high school students' subjective wellbeing.