The relationship between socio-cognitive skills and ethnic prejudice in preservice special education teachers

ABSTRACT

The current cross-sectional study aimed to increase the knowledge about socio-cognitive skills of preservice special education teachers that may affect their ethnic prejudices. In particular, the purpose of the study was to analyze the mediating role of empathy dimensions in the relationship between affective theory of mind and blatant and subtle prejudices. Participants included 531 Italian preservice special education teachers (76.4% females and 22.4% males), with an average age of 34.79 (SD = 6.10). Data were collected during the 2020–2021 academic year and all participants were administered, via the Google Form, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes test, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and Subtle and Blatant Prejudice Scale. Path analysis showed that perspective taking and empathic concern play mediating roles in the relationship between the ability to infer people’s feelings and blatant and subtle prejudices. In addition, direct relations from affective theory of mind to ethnic prejudice and from empathic abilities to ethnic prejudice were found. These findings suggest that affective theory of mind and empathy are two cognitive-social skills involved in the expression of prejudice. The limitations and implications of the study were discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Socio-cognitive skills
• ethnic prejudice
• special education teachers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ugo Pace

Ugo Pace is a Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology. His field of interests are adolescents' development and Intercultural interactions. Among recent publications, Ethnic prejudice and the perception of inclusion of immigrant children: the mediating role of teachers' resilience (2023) and Ethnic Prejudice, Resilience, and Perception of Inclusion of Immigrant Pupils among Italian and Catalan Teachers (2022).

Caterina Buzzai

Caterina Buzzai is a Researcher of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Her research interests mainly concern individual and contextual factors that influence the development of children and adolescents, with particular reference to school context. Among recent articles, Attitudes toward disability among preservice special education teachers: the role of attachment style and empathy (2021).

Marinella Muscarà

Marinella Muscarà is a Professor of General didactics and special education at the Kore University of Enna. She is currently Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Foreign Languages and Education. Her areas of interests are the anthropological reading of violent educational practices and the relation between education and religious pluralism.

Alessandro Romano

Alessandro Romano is Researcher of in didactics and special education. His areas of interests are Teaching technologies, Didactics and special education and Special education: the metacognitive and cooperative approach.

Alessia Passanisi

Alessia Passanisi is a Professor of General Psychology. She teaches risk factors and projection in development, and she coordinates the second level master's degree in psycho-oncology. She is also researcher at City University of London. Her research interests include mainly the interface between linguistics and cognitive psychology. Among recent articles, Ducks Lay Eggs and Lions Have Manes: The Acceptability of Gender-Specific Minority Generic Sentences (2021).