The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Higher Education
Dr Melanie Mitchell, School of Psychology and Sports Sciences
Project Aims
Original aims and outline of the project: to investigate the predictive validity of
measures of emotional intelligence with academic success; to develop and pilot
a ‘reflection and enhancement’ learning opportunity for students, to develop
and pilot a staff development exercise applying the concept of emotional
intelligence to enhance learning and teaching and to extend the curriculum
coverage of this construct, enabling students to develop reflexive selfawareness. In summary, this project was conceived of as a way to combine the
teaching of emotional intelligence as a salient topic with the study of individual
differences and the development of emotionally intelligent skills within a group
of undergraduate psychology students.
This project was designed around the HEFCE objectives of maintaining the
salience of the curriculum and affording staff an opportunity to engage in
research in an area relating to teaching delivery and research interest. The
application of emotional intelligence has gained popularity in graduate
employment as well as forming a strong trend in the field of the psychology of
individual differences, and this project was intended to equip students with an
enhanced ability to reflect on their personal emotional intelligence, and
strengths and weaknesses in order to compete effectively in the graduate
market place as well as develop academic and personal reflection skills.
Project outputs and dissemination
This research offers surprising results for the field of emotional intelligence: foremost, the notion that abilitybased models of emotional intelligence may offer greater validity in educational and occupational contexts is
questioned by the current findings. Importantly, the study offers students of individual differences,
postgraduate counselling, and the optional modules of Counselling and the Psychology of Intimacy, an
opportunity to reflect on the relationship between self-reported preferences, traits and behaviour, and reallife outcomes. This process and lesson has made a large contribution to the development of critical reflexivity
among students on these modules.
Regression analysis revealed that two models of emotional intelligence show some convergent validity but
that neither model of EI significantly predicts academic outcomes including A Level points, and highest
university grade. Perceived performance (an index of academic ‘confidence’) correlated significantly with the
personality-based model of EI (assessed via the EQ-i) and with a scale of approaches to learning items labelled
‘planning’ which reflects a conscientious approach to studying. This relationship is well supported by earlier
research documenting the predictive validity of trait conscientiousness for job performance.
The results of the analysis are currently in draft form for two research articles: ‘The association of emotional
intelligence with academic performance: Does ‘C’ strike again?’ an article aimed at ‘Personality and Individual
Differences’, and ‘Reflecting on learning: applying understanding of emotional intelligence in decisions about
studying’, an article aimed at either the Psychology of Learning and Teaching journal or the Northumbria
‘EMERGE’ publication.
Data collection included a measure of critical thinking ability, two established measures of emotional
intelligence, a learning competences inventory, and a questionnaire assessing approaches to studying. These
measures and there scoring keys are available for wider use if desired.
Project impact and evaluation
The development of reflexive self-awareness in students (and the confidence to articulate preferences and
then the opportunities for expressing preferences) has shaped the delivery and assessment of three key
modules in undergraduate teaching psychology.
The project outcomes have led to the inclusion of reflective self-development activities in the modules
outlined and further development of modules in the Counselling module at Masters degree programme level.
In particular, evolving classroom based activities to incorporate self-reflection and consideration of personal
strengths and weaknesses was somewhat new to undergraduate psychology students. Initial reluctance to
share impressions of how psychometric models may relate to self and engage in self-awareness raising
activities have led to developments in teaching delivery towards a personal workbook / journal keeping
exercise in the counselling modules (L6 option and core M.Sc. module) as befitting the subject matter; and
have become part of an ‘as-if’ exercise in the Psychology of Intimacy (L5 option) module. The continued use of
EI as a psychometric indicator of personal qualities represents a cornerstone of the assessment for the large
core undergraduate psychology module ‘Individual differences and their measurement’.
Student and external examiner feedback on the inclusion of such activities in the assessment and teaching and
learning within these modules suggests that they offer a welcome addition to the previous approaches.
Lessons learnt
Good practice: encouraging students to reflect on personal strengths and weakness as part of formative
feedback and of the teaching and learning activities menu across modules has enhanced student
participation in classroom and discussion board activities
Challenges: coordination the data collection, data entry and scoring alongside teaching and other work
commitments was challenging due to the scoring systems in place with the test publishers offering the
standardized measures of EI. This was managed through the appointment of the research assistant
Encouraging students to reflect openly on their thoughts of the model and their approaches to studying
was also, especially initially, rather difficult. The culture of ‘not talking’ about how one prepares for
assignments and exams is worthy of study in it’s own right, particularly in an undergraduate workshop
scenario, where unspoken rules about condonable levels of effort and commitment to study constrain
disclosure of preferences and approaches to study
Contribution to culture change
The tradition of experimental psychology is (understandably) strong within the teaching of undergraduate
psychology at Northumbria University. This project represents a gentle change towards a more action-research
direction and future collaborations with colleagues at Newcastle Business School are envisaged in order to
further develop the contributions to be made from integrating action research with the benefits of a
traditional psychometric approach to predicting behaviour.
This exercise represents a move towards a collaborative model of action-research wherein the researcher /
lecturer and participant / student worked together to critique and articulate models of emotional intelligence an approach fitting neatly with Boyer’s (1990) conceptualization of synergy and the ‘research-tutoring’ model
offered by Healey (2005). In particular, student critique of the EI models offered an opportunity to observe an
inclusive, knowledge-building’ dynamic (Brew, 2003, 2006) within the workshops where this project was first
conceptualized and instigated.