‘We’re all in it together’: Student perspectives on compassionate pedagogy in higher education
Amy Tomlinson & Clare Killingback
What the paper says
The value of compassion in promoting student wellbeing is being increasingly recognised by higher education institutions. Integrating compassion within pedagogic practice to develop a compassionate learning environment is important for wider student benefit. This qualitative study explores healthcare student perspectives and experiences regarding compassionate pedagogy. Four activity-oriented focus groups were conducted with undergraduate students. Thematic analysis identified five themes: connection, recognising the student as a whole person, cultivating compassion together, physical environment, and processes and systems. Findings suggest that students view compassion as extending far beyond classroom activities. They see it as a reciprocal process involving all individuals within an institution, requiring a change in institutional culture that prioritises students and staff as whole people. The insights provided by the students in this study are important in shaping a more compassionate higher education environment that minimises distress and maximises flourishing. Recommendations to enhance compassionate pedagogy are provided.
Evidence weight
Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40
| F · citation impact | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
| M · momentum | 0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07 |
| V · venue signal | 0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03 |
| R · text relevance † | 0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20 |
† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.