Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education, Educational Psychology

Date of Defense

11-13-2023

Graduate Advisor

Marvin Berkowitz, PhD

Committee

Natalie Bolton, PhD

Phyllis Balcerzak, PhD

Nancy Singer, PhD

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the impact of Design Thinking on students' empathy development in middle school English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms. The study involved two middle school instructors with eight classes, implementing Design Thinking, Reader's Workshop, and traditional ELA curriculum in different combinations (n =102) and two control classes (n =27).

The Adolescent Empathy Measure (AMES) and rubrics for analyzing student writing samples were used to assess changes in empathy. The AMES was given before and after the interventions, and the writing samples were analyzed before and after the interventions as well. The findings indicate partial support for the hypotheses related to cognitive empathy but no statistically significant results for affective empathy. The study contributes to the understanding of Design Thinking's potential in enhancing empathy and suggests the need for further research in this area. Limitations and implications for future studies are discussed, emphasizing the role of Design Thinking in education and its potential to address the social and emotional needs of students in a post-pandemic educational landscape.

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