Classroom teachers spontaneously adopted empathy interviews outside the design thinking cycle, using them with students and families for relationship building¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? All four classroom teachers in the focus groups reported consistently using empathy interviews in ways the course had not anticipated, including with caseload students and families at the start and end of the year. → Rachel Lambert 2026

Evidence¶

Rachel Lambert 2026¶

Rachel Lambert, Kara Imm. (2026). Teachers rehumanizing mathematics for students with disabilities; the role of empathy. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-025-09753-4

q2 · i? · qualitative · r?

Two semi-structured Zoom focus groups held about nine months after the course: one with four classroom teachers (two elementary inclusive, two secondary special education) and one with a design team of mathematics teacher leaders. Teachers used interviews to gain insight into students' perspectives and found them "essential for relationship building."

"While the professional development taught participants how to use empathy interviews, we did not discuss their use outside of the design thinking cycle. Yet all four classroom teachers reported consistently using empathy interviews in ways we had not anticipated in our course."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Educators in a UDL Math and Design Thinking professional development attributed shifts in their beliefs and practices to empathy, both as a value and as a practice of empathy interviews — a broader claim this one bears on
• Empathy interviews became a widely adopted data-gathering technique for understanding stakeholder perspectives on problems — related
• Rather than the initial linear theory of action, a cycle of learning emerged generated by flexibility, relationships, and responsiveness — related
• Educators' understanding of UDL shifted from a static framework to a dynamic way of thinking emphasizing moment-to-moment responsiveness to students' access needs — related