Exploring Empathy in Physics: Insights from Faculty Perspectives and Identity Engagement

I present results from a qualitative study into the development and expression of empathy within physics faculty. We employed semi-structured interviews with 19 participants and used thematic coding to discern patterns in their interactions. We crafted personas to represent distinct approaches, seen in the data, of how faculty engage their identities in the classroom. The findings illuminate the interplay between identity, empathy, and the formation of meaningful connections, contributing to a nuanced comprehension of empathy's role in the culture of physics. This research addresses a gap in our understanding of how empathy manifests among faculty and advances DEISJ efforts that implicitly rely on empathy to motivate action.