Pre-service teachers’ empathy and attitudes toward inclusive education—The chain mediating role of teaching motivation and inclusive education efficacy

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0321066 April 29, 2025 14 / 18 inclusive education efficacy. These findings validated the research hypotheses 5, 6, and 7 and also aligned with the previ- ous findings [67–69]. The mechanism of action is that teachers with empathy are more confident in their ability to perform the tasks and work of teaching practice in inclusive education, which can directly affect teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education [70]. Chain-mediating effect of teaching motivation and inclusive education efficacy between teachers’ empathy and attitudes toward inclusive education The results of this study suggested that pre-service teachers’ teaching motivation has a positive effect on inclusive education efficacy, and teaching motivation and inclusive education efficacy together play a chain mediating role in the relationship between empathy and pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. These findings suggested that pre-service teachers’ empathy affects attitudes toward inclusive education through the chain mediation of “teach- ing motivation and inclusive education efficacy.” Empathy also indirectly enhances attitudes toward inclusive education through the chain mediating effect of teaching motivation and inclusive education efficacy. The results of this study val- idated research hypotheses 8 and 9 and also aligned with the previous findings [67,69]. Empathy, teaching motivation, and inclusive education efficacy are all significantly and positively predicted attitudes toward inclusive education that the

stronger the empathy, teaching motivation, and inclusive education efficacy, the higher the degree of pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. These insights suggesting that teachers’ benevolence, intention to engage in the teaching profession, and sense of efficacy not only directly affect teachers’ educational behaviors, but also indirectly affect educational behaviors by influencing the attitudes toward inclusive education. The mechanism of action lies in the fact that empathy can enhance teachers’ willingness and motivation to engage in education, augment their sense of efficacy in addressing the diverse learning needs of all students in inclusive classrooms, and subsequently foster a more perceptive and accepting attitude towards students with special needs. Significance and limitations of the study Educators are the critical deliverers of education, and the training of pre-service teachers is the prerequisite and founda- tion for future teacher-building and education quality improvement. Therefore, this study has few specific theoretical and practical significances. This study has important theoretical contributions. First of all, although there have been previous studies on the effect of empathy on attitudes toward inclusive education, the research on the effect of pre-service teachers’ empathy on atti- tudes toward inclusive education is still immature in China. This study explores the influence mechanism of empathy on attitudes toward inclusive education and broadens the understanding of the relationship between affection and attitudes.

Secondly, there are few studies on empathy and inclusive education efficacy in the previous literature. This study reveals the positive predictive effect of empathy on inclusive education efficacy and enriches the literature on the relationship between empathy and inclusive education efficacy. Moreover, it also discusses the mediating effect of inclusive educa- tion efficacy between empathy and attitudes toward inclusive education, which provides a new research perspective on the concept of inclusive education efficacy. Lastly and most importantly, this study constructs a chain mediation model of teaching motivation and inclusive education efficacy between empathy and attitudes toward inclusive education and pro- vides a more thorough understanding of how empathy affects attitudes toward inclusive education. This study has important practical significance. First, this study found that empathy has a positive and significant effect toward pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. Therefore, for higher education institutions and educational organizations, it is possible to enhance pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education by foster- ing pre-service teachers’ affective dimensions. Secondly, this study found that empathy promotes pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education through the chain mediation effect of teaching motivation and inclusive education efficacy. This finds a deep inner enhancement path for pre-service teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education. Based