Students who are better able
to understand and manage their emotions effectively, a skill known as emotional
intelligence, do better at school than their less skilled peers, as measured by
grades and standardized test scores, according to research published by the
American Psychological Association.
“Although
we know that high intelligence and a conscientious personality are the most
important psychological traits necessary for academic success, our research
highlights a third factor, emotional intelligence, that may also help students
succeed,” said Carolyn MacCann, PhD, of the University of Sydney and lead
author of the study. “It’s not enough to be smart and hardworking. Students
must also be able to understand and manage their emotions to succeed at school.”
The research was published in
the journal Psychological Bulletin.
The
concept of emotional intelligence as an area of academic research is relatively
new, dating to the 1990s, according to MacCann. Although there is evidence that
social and emotional learning programs in schools are effective at improving
academic performance, she believes this may be the first comprehensive
meta-analysis on whether higher emotional intelligence relates to academic
success.
MacCann
and her colleagues analyzed data from more than 160 studies, representing more
than 42,000 students from 27 countries, published between 1998 and 2019. More
than 76% were from English-speaking countries. The students ranged in age from
elementary school to college. The researchers found that students with higher
emotional intelligence tended to get higher grades and better achievement test
scores than those with lower emotional intelligence scores. This finding held
true even when controlling for intelligence and personality factors.
What
was most surprising to the researchers was the association held regardless of
age.
As
for why emotional intelligence can affect academic performance, MacCann
believes a number of factors may come into play.
“Students
with higher emotional intelligence may be better able to manage negative
emotions, such as anxiety, boredom and disappointment, that can negatively
affect academic performance,” she said. “Also, these students may be better
able to manage the social world around them, forming better relationships with
teachers, peers and family, all of which are important to academic success.”
Finally,
the skills required for emotional intelligence, such as understanding human
motivation and emotion, may overlap with the skills required to master certain
subjects, such as history and language, giving students an advantage in those
subject areas, according MacCann.
As
an example, MacCann described the school day of a hypothetical student named
Kelly, who is good at math and science but low in emotional intelligence.
“She
has difficulty seeing when others are irritated, worried or sad. She does not
know how people’s emotions may cause future behavior. She does not know what to
do to regulate her own feelings,” said MacCann.
As
a result, Kelly does not recognize when her best friend, Lucia, is having a bad
day, making Lucia mad at her for her insensitivity. Lucia then does not help
Kelly (as she usually does) later in English literature class, a class she
often struggles in because it requires her to analyze and understand the
motivations and emotions of characters in books and plays.
“Kelly
feels ashamed that she can’t do the work in English literature that other
students seem to find easy. She is also upset that Lucia is mad at her. She
can’t seem to shake these feelings, and she is not able to concentrate on her
math problems in the next class,” said MacCann. “Because of her low emotion
management ability, Kelly cannot bounce back from her negative emotions and
finds herself struggling even in subjects she is good at.”
MacCann
cautions against widespread testing of students to identify and target those
with low emotional intelligence as it may stigmatize those students. Instead,
she recommends interventions that involve the whole school, including
additional teacher training and a focus on teacher well-being and emotional
skills.
“Programs
that integrate emotional skill development into the existing curriculum would
be beneficial, as research suggests that training works better when run by
teachers rather than external specialists,” she said. “Increasing skills for
everyone – not just those with low emotional intelligence – would benefit
everyone.”
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