The Importance of Teaching Intercultural Empathy in Moroccan High Schools

Abstract

With the rise of globalisation and global interconnectivity, intercultural communication in education has become a subject of extensive study and discussion. Clearly, when we discuss a mode of communication, we discuss a variety of competencies, skills, and abilities, such as empathy and specifically intercultural empathy. Thus, this article aims to examine intercultural empathy and its impact on high school students. Furthermore, we explain why a high school teacher-student relationship is necessary for such an impactful value. For this reason, an online survey questionnaire as well as interviews were employed as data collection instruments. A total of 233 teachers from different regions in Morocco took part in this research. This survey used Statistical Package of Social Sciences software to analyse the collected data and draw back the curtain on the impact of intercultural empathy on Moroccan high school students. Findings revealed that intercultural empathy is a vital component of effective language acquisition, and in order to comprehend a language, it is imperative to have a comprehensive understanding of its corresponding culture. The obtained findings can be of paramount importance for tutors and decision makers regarding the implementation of intercultural empathy in the teaching process.