The “Emorality” of Caring: Validation of an Empirical Model of the Moral Feelings of Affective Care in Teaching Communities

This article presents a study that addresses the challenge of establishing a relationship between the axiological and the affective, by validating a structural model through an assessment instrument (SEMORCUNA) that isolates the moral feelings associated with 'affective care'. The research sample consisted of 222 teachers, all of whom were either in training or were active professionals in the teaching field. To achieve the research objectives, a group of experts selected a total of 11 moral sentiments, based on which Principal Component Analysis was conducted. Subsequently, Cronbach's alpha was calculated to determine the internal consistency of the factors obtained. Confirmatory factor analysis was also performed. The results indicate that the selected feelings are part of a single factor. We conclude that all the emotional-moral experiences included in the test are empirically associated with the value of affective care. This work provides a tool to study the degree of teacher identification with the moral feelings that characterize the school as a 'learning caring institution', which is a fundamental condition for ensuring 'resilient educational communities'.