The Effect of Empathy in the Engagement of Adult Learners Under the Lens of the Proximal Development Zone Theory Chapter in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • According to the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory, setting the right level of challenge can enhance engagement and performance while balancing challenge and skill is essential for enjoyment. Empathy is crucial in the learning journey as it helps instructors understand the learner¿s perspective and promote relevant interactions. This study tests whether empathy can boost adult learners¿ enthusiasm and performance, creating a supportive and enriching learning environment. This work hypothesizes that instructors who empathize with their adult students can obtain higher evaluation results. Therefore, cultivating and exhibiting empathy is necessary for a positive and productive learning environment. At Tecnologico de Monterrey, participants evaluate the instructors from continuing education courses. We analyzed these evaluations through a text-mining quantitative analysis methodological approach. The most frequent terms used by participants to describe instructors¿ performance were obtained through inductive analysis of written comments. Commentaries were compared to quantitative evaluations to investigate correlations using KH coder software for text analysis. Based on course evaluations, ¿empathy¿ was expected to rank highly. About 33,000 comments were evaluated. Although the concept of empathy had a low frequency, we identified the most valued aspects of continuing education programs. The findings of this study contribute to the academic discourse and offer practical insights to educators and policymakers, enabling them to design and implement more effective programs that cater to the needs of adult learners, thereby enhancing their learning experience. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

publication date

  • January 1, 2025