An analysis of the characteristics of Indonesian pre-service science teachers’ compassion skills and gender roles

Abstract

This research aims to analyze pre-service science teachers’ generosity, friendliness, wisdom, sensitivity, and tolerance as indicators of compassion skills, and explore gender roles on the characteristics of these skills. As 21st-century skills, compassion skills need to be conveyed through teachers’ attention, affection, kindness, and gentleness toward their students. These skills are fundamental for pre-service science teachers’ personality competence in supporting their role as future professional teachers. These skills also play an important role when there is interaction between teachers and students or among students during the learning process which affects learning outcomes. However, references concerning the characteristics of pre-service teachers’ compassion skills and the role of gender in these skills are underexplored. To address this gap, this research employed an exploratory method involving 107 pre-service science teachers at several state universities in Indonesia. Data was collected using a questionnaire that met validity and reliability criteria. The research results show that the teachers generally demonstrate a high/very high extent of compassion skills. The results also point to the fact that gender differences pose no significant influence on compassion skills. The implication highlights the necessity to focus on training pre-service science teachers’ compassion skills, while undermining any anxiety due to gender differences.