When They See us: A Phenomenological Study of Black Adolescent Perspectives on the Role of Teacher Empathy in Academic Engagement and Academic Success While Attending Bronx Middle Schools

Author

• Pearl N. Moore, CUNY College of Staten IslandFollow

Date of Award

Fall 10-15-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

First Advisor

Audra Watson, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

David Allen, Ph.D

Third Advisor

Marquitta Speller-Richardson, Ph.D

Abstract

Black adolescents face stark inequalities that create barriers to academic achievement and success within the American educational system. In New York City schools—particularly in the Bronx—Black adolescents have historically been subjected to harsher and more frequent disciplinary actions, including disproportionately higher suspensions, and have dropped out at higher rates than their peers. This data reflects the lived experience of Black adolescents navigating an inequitable educational system that too often fails to honor their full humanity.

Educational research indicates that empathetic teachers help reduce drop-out rates while keeping students academically engaged and successful. When students feel seen, understood, valued, and safe, their engagement not only increases, but persists in ways that measurably improve their academic outcomes. However, previous studies have focused primarily on the perspectives of teachers and administrators. Black adolescent perspectives are not well documented in the research, leaving a critical gap in understanding the impact of teacher empathy on their educational experiences.

Using a Critical Race Theory framework, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore Black adolescent perspectives on the role of teacher empathy in academic engagement and academic success while attending Bronx middle schools and add their voices to the literature on teacher empathy. This study revealed that Black adolescents perceive teacher empathy to be a critical factor in achieving and sustaining academic engagement and success. However, they also described empathy as a racialized phenomenon—that is inconsistently displayed, inequitably enacted, and often withheld—indicating that empathy should not be understood merely as a micro-level individual and classroom practice, but reconceptualized to encompass broader, macro-level institutional and structural reform.

Recommended Citation

Moore, Pearl N., "When They See us: A Phenomenological Study of Black Adolescent Perspectives on the Role of Teacher Empathy in Academic Engagement and Academic Success While Attending Bronx Middle Schools" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/si_etds/25