Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Leadership & Policy Studies

Committee Chair

Nikki Wright

Committee Chair

Dustin Hornbeck

Committee Member

Alison Happel-Parkins

Abstract

This qualitative study examined how school-based professional development reflection programs influence teachers’ empathy across cultural differences within an independent school context. Grounded in Multicultural Theory and scholarship on empathy, the study explored how structured, sustained reflective practices shape educators’ understanding, relational engagement, and collective organizational culture. The problem of practice addressed in this study was the need for independent school leaders to cultivate culturally responsive environments within limited time and resource constraints, while serving increasingly diverse school communities. Using a qualitative design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with educators who participated in a structured, research-based reflective professional development program. Thematic analysis was employed to identify patterns across participant experiences. Three primary themes emerged, illustrating a developmental progression of empathy formation: (a) increased internal awareness through self-examination of cultural lenses and bias, (b) enacted relational shifts characterized by perspective taking and nonjudgmental engagement, and (c) collective organizational change reflected in shared language, norms, and accountability structures. Findings suggest that empathy development is not solely an individual disposition but a developmental and iterative capacity shaped by intentional leadership design. Structured reflection functioned as a mediating mechanism linking internal cognitive shifts to outward relational enactment and ultimately to collective school culture. When interpreted through the lens of Multicultural Theory, the findings extend existing literature by demonstrating how Banks’ (1995) dimensions of multicultural education operate within adult professional learning contexts. Additionally, the study reinforces scholarship on empathy by positioning it as a set of learnable skills cultivated through sustained, psychologically safe, reflective practices. Implications for independent school leadership include the importance of embedding reflection into existing structures, fostering psychological safety, prioritizing collective participation, and sustaining engagement over time. The study contributes to the field by offering a developmental model of empathy formation that reframes empathy as a leadership-shaped, organizational capacity rather than an optional or individualized trait.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.”

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest/Clarivate.

Notes

Open Access

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