Research article | Open Access
International Journal of Progressive Education 2026, Vol. 22(2) 1-8
Adaptation of the Dispositional Empathy with Nature Scale to Turkish: The Wolf Example
pp. 1 - 8 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19533817
Publish Date: April 12, 2026 | Single/Total View: 0/0 | Single/Total Download: 0/0
Abstract
Empathy towards nature and wild animals is becoming increasingly important in terms of environmental protection and sustainability. Measuring empathy towards nature is very important in this context. This article presents findings regarding the validity and reliability of Dispositional Empathy with Nature (DEN) Scale, adapted into Turkish to measure empathy towards wolves, in a sample of Turkish adolescents. The research was conducted with a total of 1140 secondary school students (M=15.71; SD=0.87), 618 female, 507 male and 15 gender-unspecified, studying in public schools in Ankara. As a result of exploratory factor analyses, it was seen that the internal consistency of the scale was high, and the single-factor structure was supported as in the original DEN scale. Females were found to have higher empathy for wolves than males.
Keywords: Wild animals, wolves, empathy, high school students
APA 7th edition
Bektasli, F., & Dervisoglu, S. (2026).
Adaptation of the Dispositional Empathy with Nature Scale to Turkish: The Wolf Example
. International Journal of Progressive Education, 22(2), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19533817 Harvard
Bektasli, F. and Dervisoglu, S. (2026).
Adaptation of the Dispositional Empathy with Nature Scale to Turkish: The Wolf Example
. International Journal of Progressive Education, 22(2), pp. 1-8. Chicago 16th edition
Bektasli, Filiz and Sevilay Dervisoglu (2026). "
Adaptation of the Dispositional Empathy with Nature Scale to Turkish: The Wolf Example
". International Journal of Progressive Education 22 (2):1-8. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19533817References
Ambarlı, H. (2019). Analysis of wolf–human conflicts: Implications for damage mitigation measures. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 65(6), 81.
Ambarlı, H., Ertürk, A., & Soyumert, A. (2016). Current status, distribution, and conservation of brown bear (Ursidae) andwild canids (gray wolf, golden jackal, and red fox; Canidae) in Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 40(6), 944-956.
Ballarotto, G., Ghezzi, V., & Velotti, P. (2025). Feeling the nature to foster sustainability: The mediating role of (self) compassion. Sustainability, 17(1), 351.
Baron-Cohen, S., & Wheelwright, S. (2004). The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 34, 163-175.
Berenguer, J. (2007). The effect of empathy in proenvironmental attitudes and behaviors. Environment and Behavior, 39(2), 269-283.
Brown, K., Adger, W. N., Devine-Wright, P., Anderies, J. M., Barr, S., Bousquet, F., ... & Quinn, T. (2019). Empathy, place and identity interactions for sustainability. Global Environmental Change, 56, 11-17.
Büscher, M., Stein, L., Durán, M. E., Cazar, M. E., Hillebrand, P., Schlünder, S., & Fiebelkorn, F. (2023). Ecuadorian children’s willingness to protect endangered species–identifying behavioral predictors in a biodiversity, hotspot. Society and Animals, 1, 1-24.
Cuff, B. M., Brown, S. J., Taylor, L., & Howat, D. J. (2016). Empathy: A review of the concept. Emotion Review, 8(2), 144-153.
Davis, M. H. (1983). Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44(1), 113.
Dirzo, R., Young, H. S., Galetti, M., Ceballos, G., Isaac, N. J., & Collen, B. (2014). Defaunation in the Anthropocene. Science, 345(6195), 401-406.
Franklin Jr, R. G., Nelson, A. J., Baker, M., Beeney, J. E., Vescio, T. K., Lenz-Watson, A., & Adams Jr, R. B. (2013). Neural responses to perceiving suffering in humans and animals. Social Neuroscience, 8(3), 217-227.
Geiger, N., Bowman, C. R., Clouthier, T. L., Nelson, A. J., & Adams Jr, R. B. (2017). Observing environmental destruction stimulates neural activation in networks associated with empathic responses. Social Justice Research, 30(4), 300-322.
Ghasemi, B., and G.T. Kyle, (2021). Toward moral pathways to motivate wildlife conservation. Biological Conservation, 259, 109170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109170
Goleman, D. (1998). Duygusal Zekâ: Neden IQ’dan daha önemlidir? (9. Baskı, s. 100-120) İstanbul Varlık Yayınları
Govaerts, F., & Altintzoglou, T. (2024). Consumer intention to buy products containing fish with better welfare: the role of empathy in an extended value–belief–norm model. British Food Journal, 126(10), 3684-3698.
Gómez-Leal, R., Costa, A., Megías-Robles, A., Fernández-Berrocal, P., & Faria, L. (2021). Relationship between emotional intelligence and empathy towards humans and animals. PeerJ, 9, e11274, 14.
Greving, H., & Kimmerle, J. (2021). You poor little thing! The role of compassion for wildlife conservation. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 26(2), 115-131.
Hall, J. A., & Schwartz, R. (2019). Empathy present and future. The Journal of Social Psychology, 159(3), 225-243.
Herzog, H.A., Betchart, N.S., & Pittman, R.B. (1991). Gender, sex role orientation and attitudes toward animals. Anthrozoös, 4(3),184-191 https://doi.org/10.2752/089279391787057170
Ives, C. D., Abson, D. J., Von Wehrden, H., Dorninger, C., Klaniecki, K., & Fischer, J. (2018). Reconnecting with nature for sustainability. Sustainability Science, 13, 1389-1397.
Jami, P. Y., Walker, D. I., & Mansouri, B. (2024). Interaction of empathy and culture: a review. Current Psychology, 43(4), 2965-2980.
Kansky, R., & Kidd, M. (2024). Putting yourself in an animal's shoes-empathy and intangible benefits drive tolerance towards wildlife in Namibian communal conservancies. Biological Conservation, 293, 110588.
Kellert, S. R., & Berry, J. K. (1987). Attitudes, knowledge and behaviors toward wildlife as affected by gender. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 15(3), 363–371.
Kim, S. C., & Cooke, S. L. (2021). Using the health belief model to explore the impact of environmental empathy on behavioral intentions to protect ocean health. Environment and Behavior, 53(8), 811-836.
Lovati, C., Manzi, F., Di Dio, C., Massaro, D., Gilli, G., & Marchetti, A. (2025). Bonding with nature: a validation of the dispositional empathy with nature scale in Italy. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1388798.
Maguire, P., Kannis-Dymand, L., Mulgrew, K. E., Schaffer, V., & Peake, S. (2020). Empathy and experience: understanding tourists’ swim with whale encounters. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 25(2), 105-120.
Paul, E. S. (2000). Empathy with animals and with humans: Are they linked? Anthrozoös, 13(4), 194-202.
Prato-Previde, E., Basso Ricci, E., & Colombo, E. S. (2022). The complexity of the human–animal bond: Empathy, attachment and anthropomorphism in human–animal relationships and animal hoarding. Animals, 12(20), 2835.
Rifkin, J. (2009). The empathic civilization: The race to global consciousness in a world i crisis. Penguin.
Sevillano, V., Aragonés, J. I., & Schultz, P. W. (2007). Perspective taking, environmental concern, and the moderating role of dispositional empathy. Environment and Behavior, 39(5), 685-705.
Sevillano, V., Corraliza, J. A., & Lorenzo, E. (2017). Spanish version of the dispositional empathy with nature scale/versión española de la escala de empatía disposicional hacia la naturaleza. International Journal of Social Psychology, 32(3), 624-658.
Schultz, P. W. (2000). New environmental theories: Empathizing with nature: The effects of Perspective taking on concern for environmental issues. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 391-406.
Smith, P., Mann, J., & Marsh, A. (2024). Empathy for wildlife: The importance of the individual. Ambio, 53(9), 1269-1280.
Swim, J. K., & Bloodhart, B. (2015). Portraying the perils to polar bears: The role of empathic and objective perspective-taking toward animals in climate change communication. Environmental Communication, 9(4), 446-468.
Tam, K. P. (2013). Dispositional empathy with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 35, 92-104.
Taylor, N., & Signal, T. D. (2005). Empathy and attitudes to animals. Anthrozoös, 18(1), 18-27.
Thirgood, S., Woodroffe, R., & Rabinowitz, A. (2005). The impact of human–wildlife conflict on human lives and livelihoods. In R. Woodroffe, S. Thirgood, & A. Rabinowitz (Eds.), People and wildlife: Conflict or coexistence? (pp. 13–26). Cambridge University Press.
Walker, G. J., & Chapman, R. (2003). Thinking like a park: The effects of sense of place, perspective-taking, and empathy on pro-environmental intentions. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 21(4), 71–86.
Wang, L., Sheng, G., She, S., & Xu, J. (2023). Impact of empathy with nature on pro‐environmental behaviour. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(2), 652-668.
Yin, C., Ma, H., Gong, Y., Chen, Q., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Environmental CSR and environmental citizenship behavior: The role of employees’ environmental passion and empathy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 320, 128751.
Young, A., Khalil, K. A., & Wharton, J. (2018). Empathy for animals: A review of the existing literature. Curator. The Museum Journal, 61(2), 327-343.