Integrate Emotional Intelligence Into Education

Being skilled in a second language requires a great deal of perseverance, resolution, and effort. Students experience psychological distress throughout the process of making persistent efforts. However, the good news is that this issue can be addressed with emotional intelligence (EI) training. Research has demonstrated that emotional intelligence benefits educators, administrators and students. EI is the way of channeling emotions in a positive way. According to psychologists Salovey and Mayer, “Emotional Intelligence is the ability to monitor one’s emotions and also others’ through self-awareness that further helps in guiding the thinking process to take the right action”.

Emotional intelligence focuses on a wide array of competences and it constructs self-awareness, which means knowing one’s own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values, and recognizing their impact on others.  It can be a valuable skill in self-management, which involves controlling one’s disruptive emotions and adapting to changing circumstances, as well as in social skills, which help in maintaining healthy relationships with people.  It also fosters empathy, which is the ability to consider other people’s feelings and act accordingly. Psychological well-being and teaching and learning are interrelated, as it also requires knowing the psychology of students.

Emotional strength 

EI is also termed as a social intelligence, which involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ emotions to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions. It is positively correlated with better social relations. Highly emotionally intelligent individuals are well recognised and perceived positively, as they have the capabilities to make a positive impact on others. They are also socially skilled and empathetic, and it is correlated with better psychological well-being, which, in turn, is associated with higher levels of contentment, self-esteem, and lower levels of insecurity or depression. 

Research has also shown that highly emotionally intelligent people demonstrate their competency through managing leadership skills, empathising with others, and showing emotional strength that may evoke humanism in them. Similarly, they maintain a pleasant personality, exhibiting their social skills. Likewise, they are highly self-aware and self-motivated. And most importantly, they take the critique positively, thinking of it as a space for improvement. Such people demonstrate their competency by rationally solving problems. They highly value the culture of empathy, which is crucial in every aspect of life, including teaching and learning environment.  

Some of the suggested strategies from renowned psychologists like Daniel Goleman for developing emotional intelligence include being aware of emotions, naming and recognizing them and finally practicing the activities that keep one emotionally strong. Writing a personal journal regularly, whereby they may be aware of their own emotions. This practice can cultivate the habit of pausing before replying to someone, especially during emotional breakdown situations, eating healthy food, among other circumstances. Similarly, cultivating a reading habit may help in exploring empathetic skills. Most importantly, strong communication skills are crucial for developing EI.   

In order to overcome weak emotions, EI training can be helpful. Students should be taught about emotional intelligence right from school, as it helps them grow emotionally strong. Through the training, the students can learn to know and manage their own emotions. The lack of emotional balance may, at times, invite a panic situation in a teaching and learning environment, hindering the entire learning process.Emotional intelligence would act as the best motivational tool that enhances the emotional strength of the students. This skill is vital because it helps students not only in excelling in their academics but also in personal, professional and social life. 

Effective teaching and learning 

Many research studies have proven that EI is more important than IQ. It is IQ that provides one with degrees, but it is EI that helps one to implement theoretical knowledge into practice in a better way. It helps in gaining stability in every aspect of life and also in overcoming distractions. Realising the importance of emotional intelligence, many researchers who work in similar fields have called for developing emotional intelligence skills and training to be integrated into the educational curriculum. Emotional Intelligence training is essential in an educational curriculum for the effective teaching and learning process that prepares students for the real world and also in solving real-life problems effectively. 

Moreover, it has been revealed from different studies that through emotional intelligence training, students enhanced their cognitive skills and English language competencies. For instance, students developed four skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - after receiving such training.  The English-medium instruction in the Nepali education system offers significant challenges for students in proving their language aptitude. A large number of pupils suffer from apprehension, distress, and unease.  EI training can be useful in overcoming these fragile feelings by fostering emotional resilience. It's high time to incorporate emotional intelligence into the education system.  

(The author is a visiting  Assistant Professor at Kathmandu University School of Law and Engineering.)