Examining the Relationship between Early Childhood Teacher Candidates' Empathic Tendencies and Social Problem-Solving Skills

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between early childhood teacher candidates' empathic tendencies and social problem-solving skills. A total of 187 teacher candidates studying in the department of Early Childhood Education at Duzce University participated in this study. The relational research model, a quantitative research method, was used. The data of this study were collected through a personal information form, the Empathic Tendency Scale, and the Social Problem-Solving Inventory (SPÇE-SF). The researchers analyzed the data using Pearson Correlation and one-way ANOVA with the SPSS program. According to the findings of the study, the empathic tendency levels and social problem-solving skills of the early childhood teacher candidates participating in the research are at moderate levels. In addition, there was a moderate positive relationship between participants' empathic tendencies and social problem-solving skills. Finally, it is seen that the empathic tendencies of the participants do not differ according to personal data such as gender, educational level, mother's and father's educational level, family type, family attitude, number of siblings, and birth order. The participants' social problems-solving skills differed only by gender and number of siblings.