A Systematic Review of Studies on the Empathy Skills of Children in the Preschool Period

Year 2025, Volume: 23 Issue: 2, 1703 - 1722, 31.08.2025

Selda Ata Doğan

https://doi.org/10.37217/tebd.1591302

Abstract

The aim of this study is to systematically examine the studies conducted in the field of educational sciences in Türkiye regarding the empathy skills of preschool children. In this context, theses and articles published in the databases of Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center, TR Index, and DergiPark were reviewed. Total of 29 studies (six doctoral dissertations, thirteen master's theses, and ten research articles) that met the predetermined criteria were included in the analysis. Descriptive content analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that research on empathy skills had significantly increased, especially in recent years. It was determined that the most frequently preferred research method was the quantitative method. It was also observed that instruments such as “Empathy Scale for Children,” “Sullivan Brief Empathy Scale for Children,” and “Empathy Section Scale for Children” were commonly used to measure children’s empathy. Most of the reviewed studies focused on the relationships between empathy skills and various individual or environmental variables, while less attention was given to experimental research and the development of original measurement tools. Based on the results, it is recommended that more applied and experimental studies be conducted to support the development of empathy in preschool children.

Keywords

Empathy skills , Preschool period , Systematic review

Okul Öncesi Dönemde Çocukların Empati Becerilerine Yönelik Araştırmaların Sistematik İncelenmesi

Abstract

Bu araştırmada okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının empati becerilerine yönelik Türkiye’de eğitim bilimleri alanında gerçekleştirilen çalışmaların sistematik olarak incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu kapsamda, Yükseköğretim Kurulu Ulusal Tez Merkezi (YÖK Tez), TR Dizin ve DergiPark veri tabanlarında yayımlanan tezler ve araştırma makaleleri taranmış ve belirlenen ölçütleri karşılayan toplam 29 çalışma (altı doktora tezi, on üç yüksek lisans tezi ve on araştırma makalesi) analize dâhil edilmiştir. Verilerin analizinde betimsel içerik analizi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, empati becerilerine yönelik araştırmaların özellikle son yıllarda artış gösterdiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Araştırmalarda en sık tercih edilen yöntemin nicel araştırma yöntemi olduğu belirlenmiştir. Çocukların empati düzeylerinin ölçümünde genellikle “Çocuklar için Empati Ölçeği”, “Sullivan Çocuklar için Kısa Empati Ölçeği” ve “Çocuklar için Empati Bölümü Ölçeği” gibi araçların kullanıldığı görülmüştür. İncelenen çalışmaların büyük bir kısmı, empati becerileri ile çeşitli bireysel ve çevresel değişkenler arasındaki ilişkileri ele alırken deneysel çalışmalara ve özgün ölçme araçlarının geliştirilmesine daha az yer verildiği dikkat çekmektedir. Elde edilen bulgular doğrultusunda okul öncesi dönemdeki çocukların empati gelişimini desteklemeye yönelik uygulamalı ve deneysel çalışmaların artırılması önerilmektedir.

Keywords

Empati becerileri , Okul öncesi dönem , Sistematik inceleme

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