Examining Preschool Teachers' Critical Consciousness, Gender Role Attitudes, and Empathy Levels

This study explores the interplay between preschool teachers' critical consciousness, gender role attitudes, and empathic tendencies. Employing a comparative correlational survey design, data were collected from 400 preschool teachers in Turkey using snowball sampling. The research utilized a demographic information form, the Critical Consciousness Scale, the Gender Roles Attitude Scale, and the Empathic Tendency Scale. The findings revealed a low but positive correlation between gender role attitudes, critical consciousness, and empathic tendencies. Male teachers demonstrated higher scores in the critical action subdimension, whereas female teachers exhibited higher scores in gender role attitudes and the sympathetic tendency subdimension. Furthermore, postgraduate participants scored higher in gender role attitudes and empathic tendencies compared to undergraduate participants. Additionally, they scored higher in critical reflection and the sympathetic tendency subdimension. These findings highlight the links between critical consciousness, gender role attitudes, and empathy in early childhood education, providing theoretical and practical implications for future research and educational policies.