Empathy Progress Tracker
Results from the classroom
Teachers in the DigiEmpathy partner schools observe their students' empathy before they start and again after each phase of empathy activities. These are the combined, anonymous results: 3,707 observations of 393 students in 18 classes and 11 schools, updated 5 November 2026.
Key findings
- Following the same 333 students from their first to their latest observation, 78% improved, 17% stayed about the same and 5% declined; their average score went from 3.4 to 4.5.
- Ratings of “often” or “always” rose from 40% of all ratings in the Initial phase to 84% in Phase 6.
- By age group, 75% of students aged 8–12 improved and 88% of students aged 13 and over improved, compared with their own first observation.
- Across 18 classes in 11 schools, the average observed empathy score rose from 3.1 in the Initial phase to 4.3 in Phase 6, a change of +1.20 on a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always).
- All 13 observed behaviours improved. The largest change was in “The student considers others’ perspectives before judging”: rated “often” or “always” in 37% of observations in the Initial phase and 85% in Phase 6.
- The practice linked to the largest gains so far is create a safe and inclusive environment (+2.20 on average, in 2 classes).
78%
of students improved, compared with their own first observation
40% → 84%
of ratings “often” or “always”, Initial phase → Phase 6
3.1 → 4.3
Average score on the 1–5 scale (+1.20)
393
Students observed
3,707 observations by teachers in 18 classes and 11 schools.
The same students, before and after
333 students observed in at least two phases, in 16 classes: each student's latest observation compared with their own first one
A change of at least 0.25 on the 1–5 scale, averaged over the thirteen behaviours, counts as improved or declined. Average score of these students: 3.35 at first, 4.48 at their latest observation.
By age group
From each class's stated age; classes outside ages 8–18 or without an age are left out of this comparison
Ages 8–12
10 classes · 222 students
- Students improved
- 75%
- “Often” or “always”
- 38% → 90%
- Average score
- 3.2 → 4.4
Ages 13 and over
6 classes · 122 students
- Students improved
- 88%
- “Often” or “always”
- 39% → 76%
- Average score
- 3.3 → 4.2
Average score by phase
All thirteen behaviours · 1 = never, 5 = always · n = students observed
Which practices helped most
Average change in a student's score compared with the phase before, for phases that used each practice
| Practice and strategy | Change | Classes | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create a safe and inclusive environment Creating inclusive and diverse learning environment |
+2.20 | 2 | 21 |
| "Walk in their shoes" projects Creating inclusive and diverse learning environment |
+0.76 | 2 | 45 |
| Role-playing for empathy development Encouraging peer mentorship and buddy systems |
+0.62 | 6 | 137 |
| Fostering everyday acts of kindness Promoting community engagement and service learning |
+0.32 | 2 | 56 |
| Teach active listening skills Implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programs |
+0.30 | 6 | 94 |
| Language as an empathetic tool Training teachers and school staff in empathy-based approaches |
+0.23 | 3 | 43 |
| Acronym hands: building empathy values Training teachers and school staff in empathy-based approaches |
+0.18 | 3 | 45 |
| Model empathy in daily interactions Implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programs |
+0.16 | 9 | 190 |
| Integrate emotional vocabulary lessons Implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programs |
+0.15 | 2 | 43 |
| Expressing gratitude program Implementing social and emotional learning (SEL) programs |
+0.06 | 2 | 30 |
| Encouraging kindness in daily interactions Encouraging peer mentorship and buddy systems |
+0.05 | 2 | 26 |
| Empathy circles Creating inclusive and diverse learning environment |
+0.05 | 4 | 85 |
| Role-playing for empathy development Implementing experiential learning opportunities |
−0.02 | 4 | 60 |
| Creating a code of conduct: netiquette: digital empathy commitment Creating inclusive and diverse learning environment |
−0.12 | 5 | 96 |
| Collaborative problem-solving Fostering collaboration and cooperative learning |
−0.26 | 3 | 65 |
| Walking in someone else’s shoes -role-playing empathy Implementing experiential learning opportunities |
−0.34 | 7 | 147 |
| Community service projects Promoting community engagement and service learning |
−0.36 | 2 | 41 |
| Classroom community building activities Cultivating student voice and leadership |
−0.60 | 5 | 112 |
| Perspective-taking activities Fostering collaboration and cooperative learning |
−0.81 | 3 | 74 |
| Famly involvement Encouraging family involvement in social-emotional learning |
−0.86 | 2 | 55 |
| Storytelling & literature for empathy Utilizing literature and storytelling to teach empathy |
−1.07 | 5 | 105 |
Each practice was used by only a few classes, so read these as early indications rather than proof.
Behaviour by behaviour
Share of observations rated “often” or “always” in the Initial phase and in Phase 6, largest change first
The student considers others’ perspectives before judging
The student shows concern when someone gets hurt or is feeling upset
The student respects others’ opinions, even in disagreement
The student notices when someone is feeling left out
The student understands what empathy is
The student shares things with others to help them feel better
The student expresses happiness when something good happens to others
The student asks what’s wrong when someone seems sad, angry or upset
The student listens attentively when someone shares their feelings
The student can describe a situation in which he/she showed empathy towards someone
The student acknowledges and comment on kind actions by others
The student apologizes when they hurt someone’s feelings
The student can describe a situation in which someone showed empathy toward him/her
Scale from 0% on the left to 100% on the right.
Show all averages as a table
| Behaviour | Initial | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4 | Phase 5 | Phase 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The student shows concern when someone gets hurt or is feeling upset | 3.06 | 3.44 | 3.90 | 4.02 | 4.01 | 4.16 | 4.23 |
| The student listens attentively when someone shares their feelings | 3.07 | 3.55 | 4.02 | 4.02 | 4.02 | 4.14 | 4.24 |
| The student notices when someone is feeling left out | 3.03 | 3.55 | 3.98 | 4.05 | 3.97 | 4.14 | 4.24 |
| The student apologizes when they hurt someone’s feelings | 3.16 | 3.56 | 4.03 | 4.10 | 3.96 | 4.12 | 4.27 |
| The student asks what’s wrong when someone seems sad, angry or upset | 3.05 | 3.56 | 3.96 | 4.01 | 3.93 | 4.13 | 4.26 |
| The student shares things with others to help them feel better | 3.02 | 3.53 | 3.95 | 4.00 | 3.96 | 4.15 | 4.25 |
| The student expresses happiness when something good happens to others | 3.06 | 3.58 | 3.99 | 4.03 | 3.96 | 4.17 | 4.27 |
| The student acknowledges and comment on kind actions by others | 3.10 | 3.57 | 3.99 | 4.03 | 3.96 | 4.12 | 4.24 |
| The student respects others’ opinions, even in disagreement. | 3.07 | 3.51 | 3.92 | 4.03 | 3.95 | 4.11 | 4.31 |
| The student considers others’ perspectives before judging. | 3.02 | 3.44 | 3.94 | 4.00 | 3.96 | 4.13 | 4.28 |
| The student understands what empathy is. | 3.08 | 3.63 | 4.08 | 4.08 | 4.08 | 4.21 | 4.36 |
| The student can describe a situation in which he/she showed empathy towards someone. | 3.08 | 3.65 | 4.04 | 4.06 | 4.08 | 4.15 | 4.29 |
| The student can describe a situation in which someone showed empathy toward him/her? | 3.12 | 3.62 | 4.07 | 4.14 | 4.10 | 4.18 | 4.30 |
| All behaviours | 3.07 | 3.55 | 3.99 | 4.04 | 4.00 | 4.15 | 4.27 |
| Students observed | 366 | 335 | 297 | 289 | 312 | 331 | 301 |
Ratings of “often” or “always”, phase by phase
Share of all ratings, across the thirteen behaviours, that were 4 (often) or 5 (always)
For teachers
How the tracker works
Observe, apply a strategy, observe again, and compare.
The Progress Tracker is a companion tool for teachers who use the DigiEmpathy activities. For every student in a class, the teacher records short classroom observations: thirteen behaviours rated from 1 (never) to 5 (always), such as showing concern when someone is upset, listening when someone shares their feelings or respecting others' opinions, plus two open questions.
Observations are made at the start, in an initial phase, and again after each phase in which the class works with chosen strategies and practices. The tracker turns them into charts for every class, so teachers can see which behaviours are changing and decide which strategies and practices work best for their students.
-
1
Observe
Rate each student on thirteen everyday empathy behaviours, from 1 (never) to 5 (always), and answer two open questions.
-
2
Apply a strategy
Work with the class through a phase, choosing a strategy and a practice from the DigiEmpathy activities.
-
3
Observe again
Repeat the observation after each phase.
-
4
Compare
Charts show how answers move from the initial phase to the latest one, behaviour by behaviour.
How to read these results
- What is measured. Teachers rate each student on thirteen everyday empathy behaviours, from 1 (never) to 5 (always). “Often or always” is the share of ratings of 4 or 5.
- Who observes. Each teacher observes their own students. That makes the results close to everyday classroom life, but they are teachers' judgements, not independent tests.
- Same students, before and after. Not every student is observed in every phase, so phase averages cover slightly different groups. The before-and-after comparison follows the same students: each one's latest observation against their own first, counting a change of at least 0.25 on the 1–5 scale.
- No comparison group. There is no group of classes without the activities, so the results show how students changed while taking part, not how much of the change the activities caused.
- Practices. Each practice was used by only a few classes; treat the practice results as early indications.
- Age groups. Taken from the age each teacher entered for the class, grouped by the middle of the stated range. Classes outside ages 8–18 or without an age are left out of that comparison only.
- Privacy. Only anonymous averages and counts leave the tracker: no names of students, classes or schools, and no answers to the open questions. Groups are shown only when they include at least two classes.