Empathy Profile in Incoming Students of Early Childhood and Primary Education Teacher Training Programs in Andalusia

Introduction. Empathy has become a key competency in initial teacher training, as it is essential for fostering positive educational relationships and understanding students' needs. The literature highlights its relevance both in professional development and in motivating individuals to pursue teaching careers. This study is framed within a theoretical context that recognizes empathy as a multidimensional skill—cognitive and affective—influenced by variables such as gender, age, sociocultural background, and type of training. The main objective is to describe the empathic profile of students enrolled in Early Childhood and Primary Education degrees at Andalusian universities and to explore its relationship with sociodemographic and academic variables. Method. A descriptive and correlational study was conducted with a sample of 1,588 first-year university students, mostly women, from eight Andalusian universities. A questionnaire was used that included sociodemographic data and the Spanish version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), which assesses four dimensions of empathy: perspective taking, fantasy, empathic concern, and personal distress. Statistical analysis was performed using non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlations) due to the non-normality of the data. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the [Anonymized for peer review]. Results. The results showed generally high levels of empathy, with significantly higher scores among women in all dimensions. Early Childhood Education students exhibited greater emotional empathy than Primary Education students. No significant differences were found based on the type of pre-university institution or rural versus urban background. A weak positive correlation was observed between university entrance grades and empathic concern, and a negative relationship between age and personal distress. No relevant differences were found based on academic year or type of high school studies. Discussion and Conclusion. The findings confirm the influence of gender and degree type on empathy levels, especially in emotional dimensions. Higher empathy in women and Early Childhood Education students may be related to evolutionary, social, and vocational factors. The absence of differences based on school type or background suggests these variables do not significantly affect empathy development at this stage. The study highlights the need for longitudinal and mixed-method research to further explore the interaction of personal, academic, and contextual variables, aiming to design training programs that enhance empathy as a professional teaching competency.