Partial Least Squares Modelling of Factors Influencing Empathy Among Malaysian Secondary School Students

Rosnani  Hashim; Abdulmajid Mohammed Aldaba; Mohamed Aslam  M.Haneef; Mohamad Fauzan   Noordin

doi:10.32890/mjli2023.20.1.4

Authors

Rosnani Hashim Kulliyyah of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia
Abdulmajid Mohammed Aldaba Kulliyyah of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohamed Aslam M.Haneef Kulliyyah of Economics & Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia
Mohamad Fauzan Noordin Kulliyyah of Information & Communication Technology, International Islamic University Malaysia, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32890/mjli2023.20.1.4

Keywords:

Competencies, empathy, emotion regulation, problem solving, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, states of consciousness

Abstract

Purpose - The importance of the affective domain in holistic human development, in particular empathy, is an increasing concern today especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was threefold: (i) to investigate the attitudes of school students toward competencies associated with human consciousness; (ii) to validate the psychometric properties of the model of Malaysian school students’ empathy, and (iii) to examine the influence of school students’ selfefficacy, emotion regulation, sense of belonging and problem-solving on their empathy.

Methodology - Using a quantitative survey approach, data were collected from 911 students drawn from 10 schools throughout Malaysia using a four-point Likert scale instrument. The study employed variance-based SEM by using Smart-PLS to achieve the objectives. First, the measurement model was employed to test the psychometric properties (such as convergent validity, divergent validity, and reliability) for all constructs. Second, the structural model was conducted to test the direct and indirect hypothesized
relationship.

Results - The measurement model provided evidence for the convergent and discriminant validity of the study constructs. The hypothesized structural model exhibited that three out of the four constructs, i.e., emotion regulation, sense of belonging and problem-solving have a direct influence on Malaysian school students’ empathy. Furthermore, emotion regulation showed a mediating role in the relationship between the exogenous variables (sense of belonging and problemsolving) and students’ empathy. The model explained 58.6 percent of the variance in the Malaysian school students’ empathy.

Significance - This study is a pioneering work in Malaysia. With the identification of the factors that influence Malaysian school students’ empathy, i.e., students’ emotion regulation, sense of belonging and problem-solving, more effective support and interventions can be provided by teachers and the Ministry of Education to help in enhancing school students’ empathy.

References

AEMS-IIIT (2020). Advancing Education in Muslim Societies (AEMS) Mapping the Terrain Report 2019-2020. International Institute of Islamic Thought.

Al Faruqi, I. R. (2000). Al Tawhid: Its implications for thought and life. International Institute of Islamic Thought.

Ahmetoglu, E., & Acar, I. H. (2016). The correlates of Turkish preschool preservice teachers’ social competence, empathy, and communication skills. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 16(2), 188–197.

Baehr, J. (2011). The structure of open-mindedness. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 41(2), 191–213. https://doi.org/10.1353/ cjp.2011.0010

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American Psychologist, 44, 1175–1184.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman/Times Books/Henry Holt &Co.

Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1–26.

Beck, D., & Cowan, C. (2006). Spiral dynamics: Mastering values, leadership, and change: Exploring the new science of memetics. Blackwell.

Castillo, R., Salguero, J. M., Fernandez-Berrocal, P., & Balluerka, N. (2013). Effects of an emotional intelligence intervention on aggression and empathy among adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 36(5), 883–892.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.

Crain, W. (1992). Theories of development: Concepts and applications (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.

Darwish, A.-F. E., & Huber, G. L. (2003). Individualism vs collectivism in different cultures: A cross-cultural study. Intercultural Education, 14(1), 47–55.

Delors, J. (1996). Learning: The treasure within. UNESCO.

Department of Education IIUM (1996). The Effectiveness of the Inculcation of Values in the KBSM (Integrated Curriculum for Secondary Schools). Department of Education IIUM.

DeWitz, J. S., Woolsey, L. M., & Walsh, B. W. (2009). College student retention: An exploration of the relationship between self-efficacy, beliefs and purpose in life among college students. Journal of College Student Development, 50, 19–34.

Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34–43.

Edwards, L. M., & Lopez, S. J. (2006). Perceived family support, acculturation, and life satisfaction in Mexican American youth: A mixed-methods exploration. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(3), 279–287.

Eisenberg, N., & Miller, P. A. (1987). The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 91–119.

Elias, M. J., & Clabby, J. F. (1988, March). Teaching social decision making. Educational Leadership, http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/ pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198803_elias.pdf

Erikson, E. H. (1993). Childhood and society. W. W. Norton & Company.

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104

Goodenow, C. (1993). The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents: Scale development and educational correlates. Psychology in Schools, 30(1), 79–90.

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Sage Publications Inc.

Hashim, R., Hussien, S., & Imran, A. M. (2014). Ḥikmah (wisdom) pedagogy and students’ thinking and reasoning abilities. Intellectual Discourse, 22(2), 119–138.

Hashim, R., Haneef, M. A., Nordin, M. F., & Noon, M. H. (2019). Kemenjadian insan dalam aspek afektif bagi pendidikan menengah dan tinggi: Satu kajian di Selangor [The affective aspect of human development in secondary and tertiary education: A study in Selangor]. AEMS-IIIT, CIE and CTT, International Islamic University Malaysia.

Hui, T., Xue. (2017). The effect of source credibility on consumers’ purchase intention in Malaysia online community. Journal of Arts & Social Sciences, 1(1), 12–20.

Hussien, S., Hashim, R., & Mohd Mokhtar, N. A. (2017). Hikmah pedagogy: Promoting open-mindedness, tolerance and respect for others’ religious views in classroom. In D. Wielzen & I. Ter Avest (Eds.), Interfaith education for all: Theoretical perspectives and best practices for transformative action. Sense Publishers.

Hussien, S., Mohd Mokhtar, N. A., & Hashim, R. (2020). Promoting a community of inquiry in a civics and citizenship education class through the pedagogy of philosophical inquiry. IIUM Journal of Educational Studies, 8(2), 71–87.

Kohlberg, L. (1984). The psychology of moral development: The nature and validity of moral stages. Harper Collins.

Krafft, A., Martin-Krumm, C., & Fenouillet, F. (2017). Development and validation of the perceived hope scale: Discriminant value and predictive utility vis-à-vis dispositional hope. Assessment, 26(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191117700724

Lewis, H. R. (2006). Excellence without a soul: How a great university forgot education. Public Affairs.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396.

Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. Harper.

Mantrak, M. (1993). Moral values in Malaysian Integrated Secondary School Curriculum. (Unpublished Ed. D dissertation), University of South Dakota.

Marigoudar, S., & Kamble, S. V. (2014). A study of forgiveness and empathy: A gender difference. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(2), 173–177.

McDonald, N. M., & Messinger, D. S. (2011). The development of empathy: How, when, and why. Free Will, Emotions, and Moral Actions: Philosophy and Neuroscience in Dialogue, 23, 333–359.

Mellor, D., Stokes, M., Firth, L., Hayashi, Y., & Cummins, R. (2008). Need for belonging, relationship satisfaction, loneliness, and life satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 213–218.

Nasr, S. H. (1968). Science and civilization in Islam. Harvard University Press.

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). The assessment of reliability. Psychometric Theory, (3), 248–292.

Nasser, I., & Abu-Nimer, M (2012). Perceptions of forgiveness among Palestinian teachers in Israel. Journal of Peace Education, 9(1), 1–15.

Nasser, I., Cheema, J., & Saroughi, M. (2019). Advancing education in Muslim societies: Mapping the terrain report 2018–2019. International Institute of Islamic Thought. http://doi.org/10.47816/mtt.2018.2019

O’ Sullivan, G. (2011). The relationship between hope, stress, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction among undergraduates. Social Indicators Research, 101(1), 155–172.

Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1969). The psychology of the child. Basic Books.

Pichardo, C., Justicia, F., dela Fuente, J., Martinez-Vicente, J. M., & Berben, A. B. G. (2014). Factor structure of the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ) at Spanish universities. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 17, Article e62. https://doi.org/10.1017/ sjp.2014.63

Proyer, R. T., Gander, F., Wyss, T., & Ruch, W. (2011). The relation of character strengths to past, present, and future life satisfaction among German-speaking women. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 3(3), 370–384. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-0854.2011.01060.x

Ramayah, T., Lee, J., & In, J. (2011). Network collaboration and performance in the tourism sector. Service Business, 5(4), 411–428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-011-0120-z

Ramlee, M., Norzaini, A., Faridah, K., Abdul Razak, A., & Maimun Aqsha, L. (2006). Social integration among multi-ethnic students at selected Malaysian universities in Peninsular Malaysia: A survey of campus social climate. ASEAN Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, 1(1), 35–44.

Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., & Becker, J.-M. (2015). SmartPLS 3. Bönningstedt: SmartPLS.

Rosnani H., Wan Mazwati, W. Y., Suhailah, H., Madihah, K., & Rosemaliza, K. (2018). Aplikasi pedagogi hikmah bagi pengajaran bahasa Malaysia dan bahasa Inggeris abad ke-21 [The application of the Hikmah (wisdom) pedagogy in the teaching of Malay and English language in the 21st Century]. Jurnal Pendidikan Malaysia, 43(2) 37–47.

Rosnani, H., Haneef, M. A., Nordin, M. F., & Osman, J. (2021). Education for human development in Malaysia: Identification of competencies and values. Kuala Lumpur: IIIT East and SE Asia, CIE and CTT, International Islamic University Malaysia.

Sallquist, J. N., Eisenberg, T. L., Spinrad, N. D. Eggum., & B. M. Gaertner. (2009). Assessment of preschoolers’ positive empathy: Concurrent and longitudinal relations with positive emotion, social competence, and sympathy. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 223–233.

Saroughi, M., & Kitsantas, A. (2020) Examining relationships among contextual, motivational and well-being variables of immigrant language-minority college students. Innov High Educ. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-020-09520-y

Schleicher, A. (2019). Helping our youngest to learn and grow: Policies for early learning. International Summit on the Teaching Profession. OECD Publishing.

Tamir, M. (2009). What do people want to feel and why? Pleasure and utility in emotion regulation. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, 101–105.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

Wan Yusoff, W. M., Hashim, R., H., Hussien, S., Khalid, M., & Kamalludin, R. (2018). The impact of Hikmah (Wisdom) pedagogy on 21st century skills of selected primary and secondary school students in Gombak, Selangor. Malaysia. Journal of Education and Learning, 7(6), 100–110.

Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 890–905.

Zhou, Q. N., Eisenberg, S. H., Losoya, R. A., Fabes, M., Reiser, I. K., Guthrie, B. C., Murphy, A. J., Cumberland, & Shepard, S. A. (2002). The relations of parental warmth and positive expressiveness to children’s empathy-related responding and social functioning: A longitudinal study. Child Development, 73, 893–915.

Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (2008). Motivation: An essential dimension of self-regulated learning. In D. H. Schunk & B. J. Zimmerman (Eds.), Motivation and self-regulated learning: Theory, research, and applications (pp. 1–30). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.