EMOTIONAL SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SCHOOLS AND STATE STANDARDS. A Thesis. Presented to the. Faculty of. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Transcription

1 EMOTIONAL SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SCHOOLS AND STATE STANDARDS A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts In Education By Tony Pang 2017

2 SIGNATURE PAGE THESIS: EMOTIONAL SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SCHOOLS AND STATE STANDARDS AUTHOR: Tony Pang DATE SUBMITTED: Fall 2017 Education Department Dr. Jann Pataray-Ching Thesis Committee Chair Education Department Martin Navaroli Master of Arts in Administration Maricel Edwards Master of Arts in Education Sharon Hui Master of Arts in Education ii

3 ABSTRACT Studies have shown that Emotional Social Intelligence (ESI) is a strong indicator of academic performance, social skills, making positive decisions, and a general sense of well-being in students. ESI skills are vital to the health and academic success of school children and adults. ESI can be taught through Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs. These programs focus on helping students develop self-awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Some states like Illinois, Kansas, and Main has already developed teaching standards on ESI. This thesis will examine ESI from a historical perspective, identify the benefits of ESI, and explore current SEL programs that are available to schools and other stakeholders. This thesis will propose that SEL programs be offered in schools. To ensure the fidelity and sustainability of these programs, state standards should be implemented for ESI. iii

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page...ii Abstract...iii List of Figures...v Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter Chapter References...71 iv

5 List of Figures Figure 1. Diagram Illustrating Multiple Intelligences By Thorndike...11 Figure 2. Diagram Illustrating the Components of Emotional Intelligence...14 Figure 3. Standards with SEL Skills From States and Organizations Figure 4. Illustration of the Scoring method Used By Willet 35 Figure 5. Illustration of the Core Features of PBIS Figure 6. Diagram Illustrating The RULER Approach to Positive Change..57 Figure 7. Diagram Illustrating 1 Year RULER Implementation...58 Figure 8. Diagram Illustrating the Mood Meter...60 Figure 9. Illustration on How to Promote SEL Programs.68 v

6 Chapter 1 Introduction Emotional intelligence can be defined as having a sense of awareness regarding one s own emotions, thoughts, and behavior patterns. Emotional intelligence is also the ability to read and understand the emotions of others. In a paper regarding the importance of emotional intelligence in legal studies, Douglas writes, Emotional intelligence (EI) is about understanding the emotions we experience as individuals, and those of the people we relate to in such a way as to positively guide thinking and behavior (Douglas, 2015, p. 57). Emotional intelligence and its importance in education are currently under examination. Fernandez and Ruiz explains in a 2008 paper that there is a huge emphasis on intelligence and problem solving since Alfred Binet first introduced the concept of Intelligence Quotient (IQ). The introduction of IQ by Alfred Binet has placed a huge emphasis on academic performance. Schools have now become academically competitive with each other, while students are being judged by their ability to understand class materials. The emphasis on performance has taken attention away from the emotional and social aspects of students. Fernandez and Ruiz (2008) writes, The necessary emotional and social competencies for coping adequately with negative, destructive emotions generated in such a competitive context as school have not been explicitly taught in our school culture (p. 425). The aspect of emotional maturity has been neglected due to an overemphasis on academic performance. However, studies, such as those conducted by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence has demonstrated that students with high ESI generally perform better in school and in social settings. 1

7 Emotional intelligence is a contributing factor to a student s social skills, emotional health, and academic performance. Pablo and Ruiz (2008) explains that emotional intelligence education can lead to better social skills, academic performance, and behavior in class. Downey et al. (2008) conducted a study in Australia that linked emotional intelligence with high levels of academic performance. The study consisted of 86 males and 123 females with grades ranging from 7 th grade through 11 th grade. Students with higher levels of emotional intelligence had better interpersonal skills and were better at managing their own emotions. Pablo and Ruiz (2008) concluded that emotional intelligence should be taught in schools. Programs such as RULER, ELSA, and Happy 8-12 are already being studied for their ability to teaching emotional intelligence. These programs will be discussed later in chapter 4; however, here is a brief overview of the programs mentioned above. Hill (2016) discusses the program called Emotional Literacy Support Assistance (ELSA). ELSA encourages schools to use their own resources to conduct the program. The program utilizes a trained psychologist, known as the ELSA teacher. The focus of ELSA is to help students identify their own emotion, regulate them, and develop a strong relationship with their ELSA teacher. Another program being explored is a video game called Happy Filella et al. (2016) examined the effectiveness of this video game to teach emotional intelligence to children. Their findings demonstrate that students who play Happy 8-12 develop a better since of empathy towards others. In addition, students make better choices when confronted with difficult situations. Educating students in emotional intelligence at the primary and secondary level are clearly beneficial. 2

8 Rationale Schools pose a challenging place for students of all ages. In addition to the rigors of academic studies, students are also faced with a variety of emotional issues. These issues may range from personal identity, relationships, and thought patterns. Some students face drugs and gang violence in their neighborhoods and even in their schools. These issues undoubtedly influence the students academic performance, behavior, and emotional well-being. Providing students with support regarding these issues may lead to a positive outcome in these matters, encourage school success, and promote a constructive school culture. Therefore, schools are critical in supporting our students in academic and emotional success. Schools play a huge role in the emotional health of our children. A paper published by Health Affairs in 1995 by Burns et al. took a look at mental health care services in children. Burns et al. (1995) examined 4,500 children in the age category of nine, eleven, and thirteen. Using questionnaires, they narrowed down the children to 1,015. The families of these children were contacted every three months and interviewed using the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA). CAPA is a psychiatric review process used to collect data on children and adolescent psychiatric patients. The findings show 20% of the children were diagnosed with emotional problems. In addition, schools provide 80% of the mental health services, 20% went to specialists, 15% went to health, and less than 15% went to child welfare and juvenile justice. The percentages do not add up to 100% because children can be seen in more than one sector. Burns et al. (1995) point out that schools are providing a lot of the mental health services to children 3

9 and adolescents. Early prevention programs and training in emotional intelligence at the school sites can be extremely beneficial to the students. Ross et al. (2002) conducted a study on the importance of emotional intelligence and the role psychologists play in the health of school children. They found that most social issues students face today start at a very young age and are preventable. Some of these problems may include substance abuse, negative school performance, and sexual behavior. Ross et al. (2002) explains, Research indicates that psychologically competent young people are more likely to avoid high-risk activities that can have dangerous consequences for their health and well-being (p.45). Schools have the ability teach students emotional and social competence. Intelligence education teaches students how to identify their own emotions and to interpret their experiences logically. The skills learned through emotional intelligence education are life skills and they are just as important as academic achievements. Thesis Statement Emotional intelligence education at the primary and secondary school levels should be a national mandate. According to Collaborative for Academic, Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) social emotional learning (SEL) programs are not effective or enduring if they are implemented experimentally in select schools. The success of an emotional intelligence education program depends on how it is implemented. Schools are inundated with politics that such programs will never last if done experimentally or is met with resistance by the staff. SEL programs should start at the primary school level and continue through high school. State standards should be clearly identified. For example, the Illinois State Board of Education has very clear standards for ESI that run 4

10 from preschool through high school. Illinois SEL program consists of ten stages of learning. Each of the ten stages of learning has three goals that are further broken down. Some of these goals include analyzing the cause of conflict, analyzing strategies to deal with conflict, and analyzing how conflict escalates. Training should be provided for all stakeholders. Teachers are the primary source of emotional intelligence education in SEL programs. However, there should be workshops or electives where the students can focus on learning about emotional intelligence specifically. The goal of emotional intelligence education is to encourage academic success, social interactions, and decisionmaking. The end goal is an effective program that is self-perpetuating. Proposed Overview of Culminating Experience This is a theoretical thesis paper on the subject of emotional intelligence education at the primary and the secondary school level. I examine the benefits of emotional intelligence education and some of the programs that are already being tested. The introduction of emotional intelligence education at the primary and secondary school level will be beneficial to students and promote a positive learning environment. At present, there are many programs being researched. The subtopics that will support this thesis are the history, the benefits, and an exploration of current emotional intelligence programs. The CASEL approach to implementing SEL programs into schools will be explored. Concluding Thoughts The purpose of this paper is to advocate emotional intelligence education at the state level. A state mandate will ultimately stimulate district and administrative action. There are currently 7 states with SEL programs from preschool through elementary: 5

11 Washington, Idaho, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Four states currently offer SEL programs from preschool through high school: Kansas, Illinois, West Virginia, and Maine. Studies have shown a link between emotional intelligence, academic achievement, and students overall health. Research into SEL also demonstrates academic and social improvements in freshmen college students. SEL programs teach students life skills that promote critical thinking, decision-making, and employability. The goal of this research is to inform policy makers of the importance of emotional intelligence in education and our country s future. The next chapter will explore the history of emotional intelligence. 6

12 Chapter Two The Difference Between Social and Emotional Intelligence Social intelligence has to do with an individual s ability to perceive the emotional states of other people and to make decisions based on that information. Emotional intelligence has to do with an individual s ability to identify their own emotions, manage those emotions, and make good decisions. The two intelligences are clearly distinct concepts, but interconnected. Emotional and social intelligence is often referred to as ESI. Both concepts are taught in SEL programs. Students learn how to see the world and their situations objectively. They learn how to take honest inventory of themselves and interact with other students. When social intelligence is mentioned in this paper, it is not discussed as an opposing concept to emotional intelligence. The two concepts are related and taught together in an SEL program. Therefore, the discussion of emotional and social intelligence or ESI will not be examined as two completely separate ideas in this paper. Both concepts are important components in an SEL program and are not taught independent of each other. The Importance of a Historical Perspective The study of ESI has evolved over time with different emotional intelligence models being created. The study of ESI and how students learn will change instructional strategies. Instructional strategies will change over time as more empirical research updates our understanding of ESI. Current understanding of ESI has been influenced by historical research. A historical perspective on ESI is important to understand the value of SEL programs. The following subsections will cover the contributions of some historical figures and the findings that have pave the way for today s SEL programs. 7

13 History of Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is one s ability to take an honest inventory of his/her own emotions, regulate those emotions, and make positive decisions. An Internet search on emotional intelligence will often yield names of the most well known researchers in the area of ESI. These individuals are the pioneers that drew attention to the importance of ESI. John Mayer and Peter Salovey are the ones who introduced emotional intelligence in Further research will show that Daniel Goleman published a book in 1995 that really popularized emotional intelligence. In 1920, Edward Thorndike introduced the idea of social intelligence. Thorndike described social intelligence as the ability to interact with others and navigate through those social experiences. Later, Edgar Doll published the first instrument designed to measure socially intelligent behavior in young children in 1935 (Bar-On, 2006, p. 1). The traditional definition of intelligence focuses on memory and problem solving. This type of learning is known as the Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Since Alfred Binet first introduced the concept of IQ in the early 1900 s, research like the ones conducted by Yale University has taken place in order to understand the impact of ESI on learning. For example, Yale University has a SEL program known as Recognizing Understanding Labeling Expression and Regulating (RULER) that is being used in 33 schools and districts as such Bellevue School District in Washington, Bridgeport Public School District in Connecticut, Cold Spring Harbor School District in New York, and Miami Dade Public School District in Florida. The implementation of RULER is documented and published. Some of these studies will be discussed later. The study of psychology and education recognizes that there is more to learning, than just memory and problem 8

14 solving. The idea of emotional intelligence is now being recognized in learning and education. This chapter will examine some of the pioneers of emotional intelligence. Below is a timeline on the history of emotional intelligence. 1930s Edward Thorndike describes the concept of "social intelligence" as the ability to get along with other people. 1940s David Wechsler suggests that affective components of intelligence may be essential to success in life. 1950s Humanistic psychologists such as Abraham Maslow describe how people can build emotional strength Howard Gardner publishes The Shattered Mind, which introduces the concept of multiple intelligences Wayne Payne introduces the term emotional intelligence in his doctoral dissertation entitled "A study of emotion: developing emotional intelligence; selfintegration; relating to fear, pain and desire (theory, structure of reality, problemsolving, contraction/expansion, tuning in/coming out/letting go)." 1987 In an article published in Mensa Magazine, Keith Beasley uses the term "emotional quotient." Some suggest that this is the first published use of the phrase, although Reuven Bar-On claims to have used the term in an unpublished version of his graduate thesis Psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer publish their landmark article, "Emotional Intelligence," in the journal Imagination, Cognition, and Personality. 9

15 The concept of emotional intelligence is popularized after a publication of psychologist and New York Times science writer Daniel Goleman s book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. (Cherry, 2016, para. 10). Major contributions have been made in the study of ESI throughout history. The list of historical figures and events demonstrations the understanding of ESI over time since its first the inception. In 1930 Edward Thorndike introduces the concept of social intelligence, which explains how individual interact in social settings. In 1975 Howard Gardner introduces the concept of multiple intelligences, which explains that no intelligence is dominated by a single general ability. In 1985 Wayne Payne introduces the concept of emotional intelligence, which focuses on how individuals deal with their own emotions and experiences. By 1995 Daniel Goleman s book popularizes the concept of emotional intelligence and why it can matter more than IQ. Goleman s concepts have been sought after by businesses seeking to find the best employees and leaders. At this point, ESI focuses on an individual s ability to manage their own emotions as well as those of others in a social setting. Many programs are now emerging, such as Yale University s RULER and other programs that will be discussed later in chapter 5. A shift in education is starting to take place that recognizes the importance of ESI. The following subsections will cover some of the important individuals who have made contributions to the research of ESI and our current understanding of this subject. Edward Thorndike. Edward Thorndike is an American psychologist and a pioneer in his field. Thorndike believes that human beings have multiple intelligences. No one ability dominates and individual s intelligence. For example, an individual may 10

16 be great at learning math and horrible in English. Thorndike explains, The facts of every-day life, when inspected critically, indicate that a man has not some one [sic] amount of one kind of intelligence, but varying amounts of different intelligences. His ability to think with numbers may be great; his ability to think with words small. He may be a successful student of history and a failure at learning physics (Thorndike, 1920, p. 223). If asked to define intelligence, different individuals may give different answers based on their perception and experiences. When human beings are ranked by intelligence, it is an average of all their abilities. Thorndike illustrates his point with a diagram. Figure 1. Diagram Illustrating Multiple Intelligences By Thorndike. This chart explains how individuals are strong in different areas of learning. No one individual has all the intelligences. Thorndike, Edwards. (January 1920). Intelligence and Its Uses. Harper's Monthly Magazine. p Graph p

17 Every student learns differently. Thorndike s concept on multiple intelligences is recognized in modern education. Teachers today are encouraged to deliver instruction using different methods to reach all students and different learning modalities. Workshops are often provided to teachers that introduce different ways to deliver content. In addition to multiple intelligences, Thorndike also introduced the concept of social intelligence in Thorndike describes social intelligence as, the ability to understand and manage men and women, boys and girls to act wisely in human relations (Thorndike, 1920, p. 228). Mayer and Savoley (1990) describes Thorndike s definition further, In essence, Thorndike defined social intelligence as the ability to perceive one s own and other s internal states, motives, and behaviors, and to act toward them optimally on the bases of that information (Mayer Savoley, 1990, p. 187). This is essentially ESI that Mayer and Savoley described. The primary goal of ESI is being able to examine one s own emotions and the emotions of others. John Mayer and Peter Salovey s ability model on emotional intelligence will be discussed in the next subsection. John Mayer and Peter Salovey. In 1990, John Mayer and Peter Salovey published a paper on emotional intelligence. John Mayer is a psychology professor at Yale University and Peter Salovey is a psychology professor at the University of New Hampshire. They postulate that emotional intelligence is a set of skills that, contribute to the accurate appraisal and expression of emotion in one self and in others, the effective regulation of emotions in self and others, and the use of feelings to motivate, plan, and achieve one s life (Salovey and Mayer, 1990, p. 185). This model of emotional intelligence came to be known as the Ability Model because it focuses on 12

18 one s ability to understand emotions. They explain that emotional intelligence crosses the boundaries between motivation, cognitive, and experiential. Emotions are the results of internal or external stimuli. These emotions result in having to making decisions that alter our behavior with positive or negative consequences. According to Salovey and Mayer (1990), emotions are adaptive and as something that can potentially lead to a transformation of personal and social interaction into enriching experience (p. 186). Emotions can be a great source of personal growth and development. Salovey and Mayer explain that there are three different kinds of intelligence. There is the intelligence that we normally think of when we have to memorize something or solve a problem. This type of intelligence is associated to IQ. The other two intelligences are social and emotional. Social intelligence is associated with being able to manage one s emotions and others. It involves being able to understand the emotions, behavior, and intentions of others. Based on that information, the individual makes decisions regarding the situation they are in with others. In a way, social intelligence can also be defined as one s ability to manipulate others. Social intelligence is important for the understanding of social behavior and the study of personalities. Those who are successful in life have learned to be flexible in their thinking process. This type of interpersonal skill involves, the ability to monitor other s moods and temperaments and to enlist such knowledge into the service of predicting their future behavior (Salovey and Mayer, 1990, p. 189). Below is a diagram breaking down the concept of emotional intelligence by Salovey and Mayer. 13

19 Figure 2. Diagram Illustrating the Components of Emotional Intelligence. Salovey and Mayer s model is broken down to create clarity. Salovey, Peter and Mayer, John. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality. Vol. 9, p Graph p Figure 2 provides a visual understanding of Salovey and Mayer s concept of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is broken down into appraisal, regulation, and utilization of emotions. Appraisal involves the ability to honestly examine one s own and other s feelings, whether it is a verbal or nonverbal cue. The regulation of one s emotions can be complex. Regulate means to guide or control. Many factors influence one s ability to regulate their own emotions. Salovey and Mayer (1990) explain that there are two different kinds of moods people experience. There are short-term moods that result from something happening at the moment. There are also long-term moods that result from the lost of a loved one or repeated negative experiences. One can also 14

20 alter his/her own mood by the company they keep. Learning to regulate one s emotions is a skill learned over time. Emotions can influence our ability to think, plan, and behave. Once the emotions are identified and under control, an individual needs to make a decision utilizing that information. For example, a student may decide to change their behavior in a social setting once they identify their own feelings and the feelings of others. In science, it is important to quantify information. Tests have been made to measure emotional intelligence to quantify data, which will serve researchers during evaluation and analysis. The Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) was first introduced to measure emotional intelligence. Further development led to the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). According to Fernandez and Extremera (2006) This instrument provides an indicator of people s emotional performance level in different items that evaluate: the ability to perceive emotions in faces, pictures, abstracts design; the ability to assimilate emotions in several thinking and decision making processes; the ability to understand simple and complex emotions, their combinations and shift of emotions; and finally the ability to manage one s and other s emotions (p. 8). The next subheading will cover the mixed model of emotional intelligence introduced by Daniel Goleman. The mixed model explains emotional intelligence as a combination of different social competencies and skills that lead to successful leadership. Daniel Goleman. In 1995, Daniel Goleman published his book, which was titled, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. At the time of Goleman s publication, IQ was, the standard of excellence in life [and] was unquestionable (Goleman, para. 2). He was excited when Salovey and Mayer published their paper on 15

21 emotional intelligence. Salovey and Mayer offered a new way to think about learning and intelligence. Goleman s book and the concept of emotional intelligence are now known worldwide. Emotional intelligence is now recognized in, languages as diverse as German and Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Malay (Goleman, para. 5). Countless professors in academia have contacted Goleman regarding his research in emotional intelligence. Religious leaders from Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam have even contacted Goleman. Educators worldwide have now embraced the concept and importance of emotional intelligence in education as a result of countless research, such as those conducted by Goleman, Thorndike, and institutions like Collaborative for Academic Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Many social emotional learning programs (SEL) exist today as a result of the many contributions made to this subject over the years. According to Goleman, tens of thousands of schools world wide offer children SEL. In the United States many districts and even entire states currently make SEL curriculum requirement, mandating that just as students must attain a certain level of competence in math and language, so too should they master these skills for living (Goleman, para. 6). An example is the Illinois State Board of Education, which has an entire SEL program that contains three major goals. Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success. Use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships. Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school, and community context (Social Emotional Learning Standards, para. 2). 16

22 In 1995, Goleman outlined the initial evidence on how emotional intelligence can benefit a child s life by preventing negative behavior and improving school performance. Goleman s concepts are now supported by scientific data. The study was carried out by Roger Weissberg, the director of CASEL at the University of Illinois in Chicago. The data show that SEL programs yielded a strong benefit in academic accomplishment, as demonstrated in achievement test results and grade-point averages. In participating schools, up to 50 percent of children showed improved achievement scores and up to 38 percent improved their grade-point averages. SEL programs also made schools safer: incidents of misbehavior dropped by an average of 28 percent; suspensions by 44 percent; and other disciplinary actions by 27 percent. At the same time, attendance rates rose, while 63 percent of students demonstrated significantly more positive behavior. In the world of social science research, these remarkable results for any program promoting behavioral change, SEL had delivered on its promise (Goleman, para. 12). In addition, CASEL has put together the CASEL Guide. This guide contains a review of all the SEL programs available for primary and secondary schools. The purpose is to provide comprehensive information on the different SEL programs that are available to educators. The information may assist schools in choosing the right plan for their district or school site. Daniel Goleman s model is now known as the mixed model. This model is focused on emotional intelligence as it relates to traits like leadership and management. As a result, Goleman s model is used often in the business world. Daniel Goleman s model of emotional intelligence contains 5 components. According to Fernandez- 17

23 Berrocal and Extremera (2006), the 5 components of Goleman s emotional intelligence model are 1) knowing one s emotions; 2) managing emotions; 3) motivating oneself; 4) recognizing emotions in others, and 5) handling relationships (p. 9). Knowing one s emotions involves understanding the mood of oneself and others. Being self-aware involves being able to monitor one s own emotions. This involves an honest self examination in regards to how one feels under different circumstances and to be able to name the emotion. Managing emotions involves the ability to suspend, control, and redirect negative thoughts. Motivating oneself involves the ability to aim for a particular goal that goes beyond money or fame. It is the ability to enjoy a task without external reward and to remain steadfast against hardship. Recognizing emotions in others involves being able to read the mood and intent of other people. It is also the ability to empathize with others and to treat them accordingly. Handling relationships involves the ability to build a social network and finding rapport with others. This may include acting as the leader sometimes, being able to follow another human being, or learning to persuade others. Goleman s model for emotional intelligence has changed since its first inception in In 1998, Goleman published his second book on emotional intelligence. This book demonstrates 4 components of emotional intelligence. The revised model of emotional intelligence is based on Goleman s research in business practices. After Goleman s second book, businesses started using Goleman s model on ESI in their hiring process. Basically, businesses looked at their best employees. They identify a few characteristics that make them the model employee. Then, these characteristics are used during the hiring process of new employees. The 4 components of emotional intelligence 18

24 are as follows: 1) Self-Awareness, comprising Emotional self-awareness, Accurate selfassessment, and Self- confidence; 2) Social Awareness comprising Empathy, Service orientation, and Organizational awareness; 3) Self-Management comprising Self-control, Trustworthiness, Conscientiousness, Adaptability, Achievement drive, and Initiative; and finally, 4) Relationship Management which comprises Developing others, Influence, Communication, Conflict management, Leadership, Change catalyst, Building bonds and Teamwork and collaboration (Fernandez-Berrocal and Extremera, 2006, p. 9). Goleman s model of emotional intelligence is measured using the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI). The ECI is based on Goleman s work on emotional intelligence by Richard Boyatzis. Boyatzis is a professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University and has published over 150 articles relating to leadership and emotional intelligence. Wolff (2005) explains, The Emotional Competence Inventory 2.0 (ECI) measures 18 competencies organized into four clusters: Self-Awareness, Self- Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management (p. 2). These 4 emotional competencies are based on Golem s model as previously stated. The 18 competencies discussed by Wolff (2015) are listed below. The response to the 18 competencies are based on the following scale: 1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = sometimes, 4 = often, 5 = consistently, and 6 = don t know. The data collected undergoes further analyzes by individuals trained to use ECI. Self-Awareness concerns knowing one's internal states, preferences, resources, and intuitions. The Self- Awareness cluster contains three competencies: 19

25 Emotional Awareness: Recognizing one's emotions and their effects Accurate Self-Assessment: Knowing one's strengths and limits Self-Confidence: A strong sense of one's self-worth and capabilities Self-Management refers to managing ones' internal states, impulses, and resources. The Self- Management cluster contains six competencies: Emotional Self-Control: Keeping disruptive emotions and impulses in check Transparency: Maintaining integrity, acting congruently with one s values Adaptability: Flexibility in handling change Achievement: Striving to improve or meeting a standard of excellence Initiative: Readiness to act on opportunities Optimism: Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks Social Awareness refers to how people handle relationships and awareness of others feelings, needs, and concerns. The Social Awareness cluster contains three competencies: Empathy: Sensing others' feelings and perspectives, and taking an active interest in their concerns Organizational Awareness: Reading a group's emotional currents and power relationships Service Orientation: Anticipating, recognizing, and meeting customers' needs Relationship Management concerns the skill or adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others. The Relationship Management cluster contains six competencies: Developing Others: Sensing others' development needs and bolstering their 20

26 abilities Inspirational Leadership: Inspiring and guiding individuals and groups Change Catalyst: Initiating or managing change Influence: Wielding effective tactics for persuasion Conflict Management: Negotiating and resolving disagreements Teamwork & Collaboration: Working with others toward shared goals. Creating group synergy in pursuing collective goals. (Wolff, 2005, p. 3) To sum this all up, Goleman s mixed model of emotional social intelligence focuses on leadership qualities. It is for this reason that the mixed model is often sought out in the business world to find model employees who are capable of managing themselves and others. The next subsection will examine Rueven Bar-On s model of emotional intelligence. The Bar-On model explains that an individual s ability to deal with daily life is influenced by their emotional, social skills, and the ability to adapt to different situations. Rueven Bar-On. Bar-On s model states, emotional-social intelligence is a cross- section of interrelated emotional and social competencies, skills and facilitators that determine how effectively we understand and express ourselves, understand others and relate with them, and cope with daily demands (Bar-On, 2006, p. 3). Bar-On (2006) also describes emotional intelligences as, a number of intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies, skills and facilitators that combine to determine effective human behavior (p. 2). Basically, the Bar-On model describes emotional intelligence as a set of social and emotional skills that influence how humans behave, make decisions, and cope with the 21

27 stress of daily life. Bar-On s model on emotional intelligence has been greatly influenced by other researchers. Some of these names include Edward Thorndike, David Wechsler, and Peter Sifneos. Of particular note is Charles Darwin. Bar-On (2006) writes, Darwin s early work on the importance of emotional expression for survival and adaptation (1872/1965) has influenced the ongoing development of the Bar-On model, which both stresses the importance of emotional expression and views the outcome of emotionally and socially intelligent behavior in Darwinian terms of effective adaptation (Bar-On, 2016, p. 3). This means emotional intelligence is the ability to deal with and adapt to one s social environment. Bar-On makes this clear by explaining, Ultimately, being emotionally and socially intelligent means to effectively manage personal, social and environmental change by realistically and flexibly coping with the immediate situation, solving problems and making decisions (p. 4). Bar-On s model for emotional intelligence has, five high level factors, which are subdivided in 15 subfactors (Fernandez-Berrocal and Extremera, 2006, p. 9). These five factors are as follows: intrapersonal skills, interpersonal skills, adaptability, stress management, and general mood. Intrapersonal skills refer to one s ability to understand their own mood, feelings, and ideas. Interpersonal skill refers to the ability to be aware and understand the emotions of others. Adaptability refers to our flexibility when it comes to our emotions and our decision-making skills under various circumstances. Stress management refers to the ability to control one s emotions and resist impulse. General mood refers to the ability to be positive and optimistic. Bar-On developed many instruments to measure emotional intelligence. The most notable of 22

28 these measuring tools is the emotional quotient inventory (EQI). The emotional inventory tool is a measure comprising 133 items that evaluates the five components described in his theoretical model (Fernandez-Berrocal and Extremera, 2006, p. 9). The EQI utilizes such tools as interviews, questionnaires, and self-measures to determine emotional intelligence as well as social competency. The current understanding of ESI and SEL programs are based on the findings of the individuals mentioned in this chapter. These individuals pave the way for the current understanding of ESI and SEL programs. Current research builds upon the earlier works of these individuals. Therefore, it is crucial to have an understanding of the history of emotional intelligence. Scientific data must be quantifiable for evaluation. Emotional intelligence measures have been included because the correct methodology for the collection of data must be implemented to provide useful information. For example, evaluating the ability to recognize facial expressions in social settings will not be a good indicator for emotional intelligence if the theory focuses on self-perception and how that perception influences decision-making. The predecessors of emotional intelligence theories are important because they have established the current understanding of ESI and its contemporary research. It is important to understand the benefits of ESI in order to provide the students with the highest level of success in school and in life. Therefore, the benefits of SEL programs will be examined in the next chapter. It is important for policy makers and other stakeholders to recognize the advantages of SEL programs in order for ESI standards to become a reality. 23

29 Chapter Three Benefits of Emotional Intelligence Education The study of emotional social intelligence (ESI) is no longer a new idea in academics since Edward Thorndike first introduced it in Studies have shown that ESI is beneficial to the students growth holistically. Success is not all about academics performance. However, improving the emotional intelligence of a student will also improve their academic achievement. Fernandez and Ruiz (2008) writes, The ability to pay attention to their emotions, experience feelings with clarity and be able to recover from negative states of mind will be a decisive influence of students mental health, and this psychological balance in turn is related to and ultimately affects academic performance (p. 430). Social emotional learning (SEL) programs are now taught in many schools throughout the country. Some states like Illinois has SEL state standards. The benefits of SEL programs need to be explored in order to justify having a state standard that includes the development of ESI in children. This chapter will examine some of the benefits of emotional intelligence education for policy makers and other stakeholders. EI and Academic Achievements. A study conducted by Downey et al. (2008) in Australia examined the effects of emotional intelligence on academic success. The authors of this study hypothesized that students with higher emotional intelligence will perform better academically. The sample size for this study consists of 209 secondary students. There were 86 males and 123 females in the study. Their teachers recruited the participants with permission from both the students and their parents. The Adolescent Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test (SUEIT) was used to collect data on 24

30 emotional intelligence. Downey et al. (2008) explains, Adolescent SUEIT is a selfreport questionnaire made up of 57 items, which correspond to four subscales: Emotional Recognition and Expression (10 items), Understanding Emotions (19 items), Emotions Direct Cognition (10 items) and Emotional Management and Control (18 items) (p. 12). After the data was collected, the letter grades were then converted into numerical values to correspond to the 5-point Likert type scale used by Adolescent SUEIT. Downey et al. (2008) explains the procedure for their research. Participants completed the Adolescent SUEIT during class time in the middle of the school year (June), and their EI scores were matched with the students academic records for the entire year that were collected at the end of the year (December). The original letter-grading format of A +, A, B +, B... was converted to numerical format of such that an overall grade-point-average (GPA) could be calculated based upon the students marks in each of the subjects they undertook during the school year (p. 12). The results demonstrate a link between scholastic performance and emotional intelligence. Downey et al. (2008) analyzed the students by placing them into three groups based on GPA. The first group consists of those in the 80 th percentile or better. The second group consists of those in the 20 th percentile and below. The third group consists of those who were between the 80 th and 20 th percentile. Comparison of these groups with the Adolescent SUEIT scores found that higher levels of emotional intelligence were associated to higher academic scores. In addition, certain subjects in school were linked to different aspects of emotional intelligence. Downey et al. (2008) explains their findings. 25

31 Academic success was found to be associated with higher levels of total EI, via assessment of the EI of different academic levels (80th percentile, 20th percentile, and middle groups). Regression analyses also revealed that dimensions of the Adolescent SUEIT differentially predicted secondary school subject grades: Emotional Management and Control was found to significantly predict Maths (r ) and Science (r ); the Understanding Emotions sub-scale significantly predicted scores for Art (r ) and Geography (r ) (p. 10). The data collected by Downey et al. (2008) demonstrates a positive correlation between emotional intelligence and school performance. A study by Brackett et al. (2012) further supports Downey s data. Brackett et al. (2012) conducted a research on 273 students by teaching them how to identify their emotions using a SEL program called RULER. The RULER program will be discussed in detail in chapter 4. Students who went through the RULER program demonstrated an increase in academic performance compared to those who did not based on a pretest and a posttest. Downey et al. (2008) makes the final concluding thoughts: The results of the present study indicate that different dimensions of EI predicted scholastic achievement across some secondary school subjects [such as math, science, and geography]. This knowledge may assist schools and teachers in deciding whether to develop EI as part of the school curriculum, which may also result in an improved social/life skill development in conjunction with academic performance (p. 15). The next subsection will discuss the benefits of ESI and college readiness. 26

32 EI and College Readiness. Another benefit of emotional intelligence education for students is college readiness. As this paper has shown, many studies have been done linking emotional intelligence to the benefits in school and personal life. Dymnicki et al. (2013) explain, Participation in SEL programs was associated with positive impacts on six major student outcomes, including improved SEL skills, attitudes toward self and others, social behavior, and academic performance as well as reduced conduct problems and emotional distress. The impact on academic performance translated to an 11th percentile point gain in students achievement test scores (p. 6). SEL programs promote college readiness because it develops critical thinking, self-awareness, and good decisionmaking. These are qualities that make students college ready and employable in the real world. To further support that emotional intelligence is important to learning, Fernandez- Berrocal and Extremera (2006) writes, The ability to pay attention to their emotions, experience feelings with clarity and be able to recover from negative states of mind will be a decisive influence on students mental health, and this psychological balance in turn is related to and ultimately affects academic performance (p. 430). Many states have already adopted SEL programs because the skills taught in emotional education are being recognized as being beneficial. Dymnicki et al. (2013) explains, The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which have been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia, are increasingly being recognized as an important set of college- and careerreadiness standards. While SEL serves as a foundation for CCSS, the connections are implicit and not always immediately apparent (p. 9). Figure 3 provides examples of ESI standards found in different states. For example, the student in Kansas should demonstrate critical thinking, a sense of personal responsibility, and are emotionally 27

33 ready for the responsibilities of adult life. These are all qualities that schools hope students will achieve. However, a focus on academics alone will not achieve this goal. Figure 3. Standards with SEL Skills From States and Organizations. This chart shows some of the learning goals for SEL programs in five different states that have adopted emotional intelligence education into their state standards. Dymnicki, Allison, Sambolt, and Kidron. (March 2013). Improving College and Career Readiness by Incorporating Social Emotional Learning. American Institute for Research. 23p. Chart p. 7 A paper published in the American Institute for Research by Yoder (2014) further explains that CCSS require critical thinking. Critical thinking is important, but this also 28

34 adds stress on the students. English and math classes are increasingly more difficult and require students to think critically to answer open-ended questions. For example, the CCSS have math performance task that requires students to use a diagram to complete. Information regarding the diagram is read to the students while they try to solve the problem. As a teacher of fourteen years, it is common to hear students say, I go blank or get nervous during tests. SEL programs teach students to keep their emotions under control and how to handle challenging situations in life and in school. Teachers who integrate ESI into their classrooms enhance student learning because students feel more positive about themselves and others. ESI also decreases behavioral problems as students become increasingly aware of their own moods and how it impacts other students around them. The next two subsections will examine specific studies that were conducted on ESI and college readiness. Study on EI and Freshmen College Students at Ontario University in Canada. In another study related to college readiness by Parker et al. (2004), 374 first year college students attending Ontario University completed the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQi). Their EQi and academic performance were examined at the end of the first year. Parker et al. (2004) discusses the following results, When EQi: Short variables were compared in groups who had achieved very different levels of academic success (highly successful students who achieved a first-year university GPA of 80% or better versus relatively unsuccessful students who received a first-year GPA of 59% or less) academic success was strongly associated with several dimensions of emotional intelligence (p. 163). EI Experiment on Freshmen College Students at Widener University. In a similar study, Wang et al. (2012) examined the effects of emotional intelligence 29

35 education on freshman students compared to those who did not receive emotional intelligence education. This study was conducted at Widener University in Chester, PA. over three years. The university offers a seminar for incoming freshmen every year. The class meets twice a week for 15 weeks. This class is designed to teach incoming college students study skills, decision-making, and managing the transition from high school to college life. A curriculum for emotional intelligence was embedded in this curriculum. Emotional intelligence education was embedded into 11 freshman seminar classes and compared to 11 freshman seminar classes with no emotional intelligence education. The instructors for the experimental class all had clinical training. Each seminar consists of six to fifteen students. Wang et al. (2012) explains the importance of this study. The objectives of the course are: 1) To assist students in the transition from home and high school to the higher-education environment; 2) To acquaint students with the social and emotional competencies associated with intra- and inter-personal success; 3) To discuss opportunities for direct application of these competencies to both academic and personal life; and 4) To help students acquire the skills and resources needed to be a successful college student (p. 3). One of the challenges that freshmen students face is having to rely more on themselves instead of on their parents, friends, and teachers. The seminars will help students not only deal with academic life, but with new emotional and social challenges. The Widener Emotional Learning Scale (WELS) was used to assess the students initially and after the seminar. The assessment examined the following five areas of emotional intelligence: Awareness of Emotions in Self and Others, Tolerance of Difference or Conflict, Interpersonal Relationship Skills, Flexibility in Perspective- 30

36 Taking and Behavior and Self-Management Skills (Wang et al., 2012, p. 5). In addition, the students were asked to write an essay at the end of the seminar about what they have learned. Researchers examined the essays collected over three years for specific statements relating to areas of emotional learning based on the five criteria measured in WELS. Below are selected responses that reflect emotional intelligence learning: I am now more organized with my work than I was in high school and now know how to manage my time wisely. I am able to keep my goals in mind while doing my work and I do the right things to do well in school, such as being able to think clearly when faced with heavy emotions. I learned many skills that I would not have known. These skills helped me to get through many emotions I was dealing with when I first started college. I learned how [to] analyze my emotions then confront them step by step rather than pushing them aside. Overall, I would say that I had an extremely successful semester because I am now aware of what is expected of me and my good grades are a direct result of self management skills....this course has done a great deal in helping me transition from high school to college as well as reorganizing many different aspects about myself as a person. (Wang et al., 2012, p ). The study suggests that there is a link between emotional intelligence education, and academic achievement. The authors suggest that further study must be conducted 31

37 that randomizes students into the program. For example, students who are already predisposed to emotional intelligence education may get more out of the class. Also, the major or classes being taken by the students may impact their GPA. However, this study and others similar to it provides a strong relationship between emotional intelligence and student success holistically. The next subsection will examine the impact SEL programs have on classroom behavior. Improved Classroom Behavior. Emotional intelligence teaches students how to recognize their own emotions and those of others. Students learn to manage those emotions and make positive decisions. The important decisions students make on a daily basis that will impact their adolescent and adult life can be greatly improved through an understanding of emotional intelligence and SEL programs. Dr. Francis Jensen is a neuroscientist with an interest in studying the teenage brain and behavior. She explains that, teenagers and children have more synapses connections between brain cells than adults do (Jensen, 2015, p. 17). Dr. Jensen suggests that positive and negative experiences at this time will make a lasting impression on the teenager s life. This is also why, Adolescence is a time for figuring out your identity and who you are going to be for the rest of your life (Jensen, 2015, p. 18). This is a critical stage in a teenager s life as their brains are developing in the midst of so many external stimuli, such as school, friends, and family. Jensen (2015) explains that the connections between the different lobes of the brain are not complete until an individual reaches early adulthood. The frontal lobe is last to finish connectivity in the brain. The frontal lobe is, our seat of executive function, judgment, empathy, insight, and impulse control (Jensen, 2015, p. 18). This is why adults are shocked by some of the decisions teenagers make. Learning 32

38 about the teenage brain is obviously important if adults are to educate and guide our children. This is also a good time for teenagers to learn about themselves. Jensen (2015) writes, I wish that every teenager had to take a course on how their brain works so that they would understand that they re building their brain by what they do every day (p. 20). Emotional intelligence does not teach students about the biology of the brain, but it does teach students about themselves. Everything Dr. Jensen described is compatible with the goals of SEL. The following subtopics will focus on emotional intelligence and behavior. This is related to Dr. Jensen s research into the teenage brain because it is about identity, choice, and self-control. Conflict is inevitable between the teacher and the student. The next subsection will explore the benefits of emotional intelligence education on reducing conflict between the students and the teachers. Children Learn to Reduce Conflict With Their Teachers. Conflict within the classroom is unavoidable. The traditional form of discipline within the classroom is usually coming from the teacher in the form of rewards and punishments. Basically, the teacher is the one manage the student s behavior within the classroom. The SEL program teaches students how to manage themselves by making them aware of their own feelings, behavior, and actions. The purpose of such training in a SEL program is not just to avoid conflict, but teach students to be the source of conflict resolution. Conflict occurs when there is a difference in need, opinion, and perspective. Willet (1991) took a look at how children communicate and approach conflict in the classroom with their teachers. This was not an experiment conducted based on observations between teachers and students, but rather, an experiment based on hypothetical situations. Willet (1991) explains their methodology. 33

39 we pose a pair of hypothetical 'dilemmas' to a sample of children and ask them to report the strategies that they think they would use to resolve the conflicts. In each of the dilemmas posed, we ask them to pretend that they are the student in the dilemma and that they are in conflict with their own teacher. Then, in a structured interview, the sampled children are asked to: (1) define any problem that they think exists in the conflict situation, (2) choose an action that they think will resolve the problem, (3) offer reasons that justify the proposed action and (4) describe the feelings of the participants in the conflict (p. 379). The sample size consists of 60 children (ages 7-12) in Reykjavik, Iceland. Figure 4 illustrates the scoring method used in the interview. The children were given a numerical value ranging from 0 to 3 based on their answers. The numerical value reflects the students ability to understand the conflict scenario. Students who are able to evaluate their responses to the scenario from multiple perspectives received a score of 3. Students received a score of 0 if they are unable to explain or justify their choices. 34

40 Figure 4. Illustration of the Scoring Method Used By Willet This chart illustrates the scoring used by Willet during the interview process. Willet, John D. (September 1991). Children s Perspectives on Conflict Between Student and Teacher: Developmental and Situational Variations. British Journal of Developmental Psychology. Vol. 9 Issue 3, p p. Graph p

41 The results of the interviews demonstrate that children have a higher capacity for reciprocity as they get older. Older children are able to differentiate the teacher s role as an instructor in academics and as a guidance counselor in behavior. Gender seems to have influence on morality, but females appear to be able to be more social and are capable of proposing multiple strategies to solve conflict. The research should encourage teachers to think about ways of providing various and challenging communicative situations for the resolution of interpersonal conflicts (Willet, 1991 p.378). The author suggests that schools promote the education of communicative action skills since children are already in the process of developing them at this critical age. The skills demonstrated by the children in this study and the insight gained by Willet (1991) highlights the importance and relevance of a SEL program. The skills that are naturally developing in children as they get older are also the skills that emotional intelligence seeks to develop. ESI is not just important for children, but it is also important for adults as well. The next subsection will examine the impact of emotional intelligence on teacher performance in the classroom. EI and Teacher Performance. Teachers are the primary source of learning for children in education. Therefore, a teacher s mental and emotional health is very important to the everyday function of the classroom. Teachers experience a lot of stress everyday from their pupils, parents, and administrators. In addition to meeting all of the state requirements and preparing for class everyday, state testing puts pressure on teachers to insure their pupils perform proficiently. Work will often follow a teacher home, as they have to grade papers and make lessons. Naqvi (2016) writes, The teachers who are dealing with the problem of stress not only carry a negative action to 36

42 school, but also present a negative behavior within the classroom. Consequently their performance as an instructor declines, eventually resulting in poor performance (p. 211). Naqvi (2016) further explains that a study was conducted on Malaysian teachers linking teacher emotions and performance. It has been found that increased usage of negative emotions within the classroom has inhibited the learning of students, thus suggesting that negativity in teacher s personality highly influenced their performance as an instructor (p. 214). A teacher s emotional state is clearly linked to classroom performance. Naqvi (2016) studied the relationship between teacher emotional intelligence and performance. The purpose of this study was to see if there is a link between teacher performance and emotional intelligence. The research consists of 910 teachers who were selected from a pool of 3168 secondary school teachers. The method was a questionnaire called Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form which was used to measure the teachers emotional intelligence. The data on teacher performance were taken through student examinations conducted by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Lahore. The data was collected over two years and the results demonstrated a correlation between teacher performance and emotional intelligence. Naqvi (2016) reports, With regard to relationship it was concluded that statistically significant positive relationship existed between emotional intelligence and performance of secondary school teachers. It means that increase in the level of emotional intelligence enhances the performance of secondary school teachers at secondary school level (p. 219). The current research indicates that emotional intelligence is not only important for the children, but it is important for the adults as well. The next subsection will examine how ESI is related to self-efficiency in teacher performance in the classroom. 37

43 EI and Self-Efficiency in Teachers. Andrea Penrose, Ian Perry, and Chris Ball conducted more research linking teacher self-efficacy and emotional intelligence in Self-efficacy as described by the three authors is referring to the teacher s ability to rely on their own to deal with crisis, solve problems, and bring about learning among students. The study consists of 211 participants with 135 females and 75 males. The age of the participants range from 22 to 63 and the work experience range from 1 to 43 years. The hypothesis for this experiment is stated below: a. teachers who reported higher levels of emotional intelligence would also report higher levels of self-efficacy, and b. the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy would be moderated by gender, age, length of teaching experience and current status within the school (Penrose et al., 2007, para. 29). Questionnaires were used to test the two hypotheses. The Reactions to Teaching Situations (RTS) was used to measure emotional intelligence. The Teaching Efficacy Scale (TES) was used to measure teaching efficacy and linear regression was used to analyze the data. The data showed no significance between self-efficacy, gender, age, and experience. However, the data showed significance between self-efficacy and emotional intelligence. Penrose et al. (2007) concludes with the following paragraph. In conclusion, results in this study were consistent with expectations that emotional intelligence is positively related to teacher self-efficacy. In addition, consistent with prediction, female teachers reported higher levels of emotional intelligence than did male teachers. Age and status were significantly related to emotional intelligence while experience and status were significantly related to 38

44 personal teaching efficacy. However, one of the predicted moderators had a significant impact on the relationship between emotional intelligence and efficacy. Emotional intelligence is a significant predictor of efficacy even after controlling for the effects of gender, age, length of experience, and current status (Penrose et al., 2007, para. 60). Other studies mentioned by the authors found similar results when comparing emotional intelligence and teaching efficacy. The benefits of emotional intelligence are many. Teachers with high levels of emotional intelligence are capable of identifying emotions in themselves are those of their students. They are capable of discriminating among those emotions to make wise choices when confronted with stressful situations such as those brought on by a disruptive student. It is clear that emotional intelligence is beneficial to school children and teachers. The authors suggest that teachers should be offered workshops on emotional intelligence due to its importance and connection to learning. The next subsection will examine the benefits of ESI for at risk students. Assist Students Who are Emotionally at Risk. According to WebMD, those who are at risk for suicide may exhibit many different symptoms and these symptoms vary by age, gender, and ethnic background. Some of these suicide symptoms are: excessive sadness, hopelessness, withdrawal, causing harm to self, and trauma. Christine Cha and Matthew Nock at Harvard University conducted a study on suicide prevention and emotional intelligence. Cha and Matthew (2009) describe their methodology: Adolescents (N=54) aged were recruited from local psychiatric clinics and the community to participate in this cross-sectional laboratory-based study. Analyses examined whether the relations between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and suicide 39

45 ideation and attempts were moderated by adolescents EI. These constructs were assessed using self-report, structured interviews, and performance-based tests, respectively (Cha and Matthew, 2009, p. 2). The research found a high correlation between emotional intelligence, suicide attempts, and thoughts of suicide. Cha and Matthew (2009) writes, Consistent with our primary hypothesis, overall EI significantly moderated the relation between CSA [child sexual abuse] and both suicide ideation and attempts (p. 10). Based on the study, the authors suggest more research should be conducted between emotional intelligence and suicide as further research may yield significant gains in the understanding of suicide prevention. Further lending credibility to the benefits of emotional intelligence and at risk behavior is a research published by Payton et al. in Payton et al. (2000) looked at the benefits of emotional intelligence and at risk behavior. Payton et al. (2000) explains that there are too many programs doing many different things. Since schools are inundated with curriculum and administrative demands, these programs often clash with each other. Eventually, they lose their importance and the programs just become a fad. For any program to have success in helping at risk children, they must cover a wide range of needs. Many at risk behavior share similar traits or protective measures. A SEL program will help meet this need. Payton et al. (2000) explains the importance of SEL for at risk behavior: Because the problem behaviors that these programs target often occur together in clusters, share many of the same risk and protective factors, and can be addressed by similar strategies, there is growing national support for a comprehensive, coordinated approach to the prevention of risk and promotion of positive youth 40

46 development. Such comprehensive initiatives typically target multiple outcomes, are multiyear in duration, coordinate school-based efforts with those in families and the larger community, and include environmental supports so children have opportunities to practice positive behaviors and receive consistent reinforcement (Payton et al., 2000, p 179). Another example supporting SEL programs and the benefit for at risk children is the House Bill HB The House Bill HB 1518 documents the following, Without strong social and emotional supports, students are at risk of truancy or dropping out of school, and not persisting in post-secondary education. There is also a risk of bullying, maladjustment, trauma, interpersonal violence, suicide, and substance abuse. Relationships matter. Students do not come into the classroom leaving their experiences at the door (An Act Relating, 2017, p.7). The bill explains that children are not always taught important social emotional skills, which are necessary for their personal growth and dealing with life s difficulties. Another difficulty students face in schools is bullying, which comes in many forms. With the creation of social media, students are now faced new cyber bullying. The next subsection will examine the findings of Lacer and Tissington (2011) on bullying and ESI. EI and Bullying. Another benefit of emotional intelligence education is bullying prevention. Bullying is a serious problem in our society. Misty Lacer and Laura Tissington published a paper in the Journal of Instructional Psychology that examined some of the causes of bullying in our society. Lacer and Tissington (2011) explain that conflict is a reflection of the attitudes and culture of adults, community, and socioeconomic background. Studies have shown that teens will experience more 41

47 violence if they are minority groups or from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Teens from low-income families may suffer from feelings of hopelessness and are more likely to experience bullying by other children. In addition, there are fewer resources available to teen in lower socioeconomic communities. The study finds that boys are more likely to experience violence involving weapons. However, that number is on the rise for girls. Both genders are capable of displaying acts of aggression and he number of girls in correctional facilities is increasing while boys are decreasing. Video games are also more violent these days. Lacer and Tissington (2011) points out that Females are often seen in acts of violence in video games played by children today and this may be a contributing factor to the rise of violence among female teens. Community efforts should be established to help mitigate the problem. Students in low socioeconomic situations need to see opportunities that are available for them outside of their current worldview. In addition, SEL programs may help with violence prevention because it creates a common language within the school and community. Research published by the British Psychological Society has shown that emotional intelligence (EI) and teacher management plays a key role in helping to solve the problem of bullying. A sample of 2,806 school children were involved with this research. The mean age of children were 15 years old with 51.8% being girls and 48.2% being boys. The test used questionnaires that measured EI and teacher management within the classroom. Cases et al. (2015) explains, Self-report questionnaires were administrated; four of the dimensions of the School-wide Climate Scale: Bullying [sic] victimization; bullying aggression; positive teacher management; and negative teacher management (p. 410). A computer model was used after the data was collected to create 42

48 results for further analysis. The study points to three elements that make up EI and help prevent bullying are: (1) Attention, the level of attention the person believes they dedicate to their emotions; (2) Clarity, whether the person distinguishes the emotions experienced at each moment; and (3) Repair, the person s perception of their own capacity to replace negative emotions with more positive ones (Casas et al., 2015, p. 410). The research concluded that EI was linked to bullying and teacher management of the classroom played a huge role in bullying prevention. The authors found that students with higher levels of EI have more positive social skills and are less likely to engage in aggressive behaviors. The research concludes that schools should have a program to educate teachers on how to manage their classrooms and train students in EI to prevent bullying. It is clear that the development of ESI will lead to personal growth, academic success, and overall life achievement. The typical school setting seeks to teach students all these features. However, an emphasis on academic performance and grades will not develop these life skills. Goleman believed that IQ alone does not explain an individual s intelligence and success. As a high school teacher, I can say, students are inundated everyday by personal issues, family issues, and social issues at school. These are all stress inducing problems that academic achievements alone will not solve. There are students who have no place to stay, students who experience bullying, or the loss of a friend. These problems ultimately fall on the counselor of the school. However, a single counselor cannot handle 4,000 students in a typical school. A SEL program that is supported by the state and starts at a young age will be very beneficial because it incorporates, techniques that teach the whole student. Recognizing the benefits of SEL 43

49 programs may provide the impetus for implementing SEL state standards. Different schools have different needs. After a school or district decides that a SEL program is going to be implemented, a program needs to be chosen. There are many programs out there that each school and their respective district need to research in order to decide what is best for their needs. Some programs are short term and some programs are long term and training for teachers must be considered along with its cost. The next chapter will discuss some of the SEL programs that are out there today. 44

50 Chapter 4 Programs for Emotional Intelligence Education There have been many advances in the research of emotional social intelligence (ESI) since Edward Thorndike first introduced it in Since then, people like Peter Salovey, John Mayer, Daniel Goleman, and Rueven Bar-On brought ESI to the forefront in research and education. The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is an organization formed in 1994 and dedicated to the study of emotional intelligence and based in Yale University. CASEL has put together a program guide for educators to assist them in identifying the SEL program that is right for their school since every SEL program is different and offers something unique to every school. The follow subtopics will examine some of the SEL programs that are available today. ELSA Program. The Emotional Literacy Support Assistance (ELSA) program aims to provide educators professional support in establishing social emotional learning. The program utilizes the school s own resources to accomplish the task of creating a SEL program. A study by Rebecca Hill (2016) on ELSA aims to discover how children experience the ELSA program. A trained educational psychologist supervises classes in ELSA and students are assigned to the ELSA program by their school. Classes in ELA last one term; however, the length may vary based on student needs because ELSA is designed to be adaptable. Therefore, the ELSA program is short term and targets specific students with special needs. ELSA teachers may deal with students with a very wide range of challenges. The study was based on 53 students between the ages of six and eleven. Students reported that understanding the purpose of the ELSA program before they started and the relationship built with the teacher was important. The methodology 45

51 included a questionnaire and an interview with nine students at the end of the program. According to Hill (2016), children s perspective on the ELSA program had never been examined before and underrepresented. Therefore, this study is very important to understanding the effectiveness of the ELSA program. The researchers were aware that the children might have difficulty in expressing their opinion about the program. Therefore, the children were allowed to use drawings to help express themselves. Audio recordings were taken and the pictures were included in the report to support the audio data. Sixteen primary schools implementing the ELSA program in districts just outside of London participated in this study. The children who participated in the questionnaire and interview were selected from these schools. Hill (2016) explains the results for the questionnaires: The findings from the analysis of the children s questionnaires indicated that all of the children rated the ELSA project as effective and 42 percent scored the maximum perceived effectiveness score. An independent samples t-test showed that there was no significant difference between gender and age for perceived effectiveness scores (p. 53). The interview process focused on the relationship between the students and the ELSA teacher. In regards to the relationship with the ELSA teacher, the students indicated that developing a therapeutic relationship, trust, and openness was important. In addition, the children explained that sharing their problems and working together with the teacher was critical. In regard to dealing with feelings, Three subthemes were identified under this core theme; exploring feelings, managing feelings and changing feelings (Hill, 2016, p. 55). The children explained how important it was for them to be able to express their feelings and learn how to alter their feelings. The last core theme of 46

52 the interview was building resilience. The children reported, When talking about reframing situations, the children spoke about being able to look at a situation differently, which had helped them to manage their feelings and behavior (Hill, 2016, p. 56). This study was based on student relationships with their ELSA teacher where the regular classroom curriculum was not interrupted. This is a program that can be adopted by most schools that aim to target specific children with minimal restructuring of the school. The ELSA program was created an educational psychology named by Sheila Burton with the belief that children are happier and do better in school if their emotional needs are addressed. Training is a six-day course provided by the educational psychology service (EPS) and individuals trained to teach this program are known as ELSAs. Topics covered in the ELSA program included: bereavement, social skills, self-esteem, anger management, and friendships. Training is also delivered on practical skills including active listening, working with puppets, social stories and therapeutic stories (McEwen, 2015, p. 40). The ELSA must attend regular workshops with a trained psychologist to maintain their status as an ELSA teacher. As pointed out by Hill (2016), developing a therapeutic relationship with the students is important and this is one of the goals of the ELSA training program. The goal for the children is for them to identify their own emotions, regulate those emotions, and make good judgments. Children will learn how to evaluate situations from different perspectives, feel more confident, and develop social competency. The next two emotional intelligence-learning programs are games designed to teach students about ESI. Happy 8-12 Video Game. Conflict is unavoidable and in a school environment, disagreements between students and staff are bound to happen, therefore, it is important 47

53 for both students and teachers to learn conflict resolution skills. In order to do that, individuals most learn to see situations from more than one perspective. Happy 8-12 is a video game designed to teach school children emotional intelligence. A study was done to determine the effectiveness of Happy 8-12 in teaching students emotional skills. Happy 8-12 consists of 25 playground and family scenarios in which the students must learn to navigate their way through and make decisions. The video game measured, attention deployment, cognitive reevaluation and situation modification (Fiella et al., 2016, p. 587). The methodology consists of 574 students of 5th and 6th grade of primary education. 301 of the participants were boys (52.4%) and 273 were girls (47.6%). Average age was 10.53, with a standard deviation of.662. The design employed in the present work was a quasi experimental design with pretest and posttest with a control group. The instruments and techniques used for the evaluation were: QDE, STAIC, CES, playground climate, anecdotic registration of conflict behaviors and academic performance (Fiella et al., 2016, p. 584). Questionnaires were given before and after the test to the students. The experimental group consists of 351 students who actually participated in Happy 8-12 training. Fiella et al. (2016) explains that the results of the test are statistically significant. Students demonstrated a marked improvement in their ability to identify and management emotions, which is an important factor in bullying prevention. Bullying prevent is important because students who are bullied tend to have lower academic achievements. The study demonstrates that Happy 8-12 is an effective tool on preventing conflict. Spock Video Game. The purpose of this research was to assess the videogame (Spock) on improving emotional intelligence in adolescents. Cejudo and Latorre (2015) 48

54 explain that Spock measures emotional intelligence based on the model proposed by (Mayer and Salovey, 1997). The four areas of emotional intelligence being measured in Spock are: perception of emotions, use of emotions to facilitate thought, understanding emotions, and emotional regulation. The study was conducted using the Mayer-Salovey- Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test. The population size consisted of 92 individuals from 17 to 19 years of age. A pre-test and post-test was administered. The game presents students with hypothetical situations, both intrapersonal and interpersonal in nature, and shows them possible solutions. Students must decide which of the alternative responses is most adequate for the situation posed. Each situation offers four possible responses (Cejudo and Latorre, 2015, p. 327). The video game seeks to encourage reflection and simulate social settings. There was statistical significance in improving emotional intelligences with Spock. The data also showed that improvements were more substantial in males compared to females. According to (Cejudo and Latorre, 2015) this might be a result of males being more visual and most boys are attracted to playing video games in the first place. The video games are always followed by group discussions regarding the various situations presented in the game with the teacher facilitating. The results demonstrate that Spock and other similar programs may be beneficial in enhancing adolescent emotional intelligence. Morgan (2009) explains in a book review that boys are made fun of for showing their feelings when they are young, but put down for not doing that when they are older. Boys are discouraged from acts of violence, but are also called a sissy if they let someone push them around. This makes developing socially and emotionally difficult for boys. Video game programs such as Spock may prove very beneficial in schools for male students. 49

55 PBIS. Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) is not a program designed to develop emotional intelligence. However, it is included in the literature review because it shares a common theme with SEL programs. Both PBIS and SEL programs encourage the use of a common language throughout the entire school. This is very powerful concept when trying to transform a school culture because it encourages common practice among all students and staff. Most of the techniques presented in PBIS are not new teaching strategies, they are things that good teacher already do. For example, walking around and monitoring the room and creating a routine that students can be familiar with. However, PBIS does encourage the entire school to use the same methods and language when engaging students and preventing negative behavior. Similar to SEL, PBIS is about prevention and not punishment. Figure 5 summarizes the approach of PBIS. 50

56 Figure 5. Illustration of the Core Features of PBIS This diagram clearly illustrates the three fundamental practices of PBIS. Supporting and Responding to Behavior: Evidence Based Classroom Strategies for Teachers. (2015). PBIS. Retrieved Jan 16, Diagram p. 4. The diagram illustrates the three main practices of PBIS. Foundation refers the normal routines, teacher expectations, and the design of the classroom. Practice involves preventing negative behavior and how the teacher response to them. The third main practice of PBIS is data collection. This refers to the observational data as well as any quantitative data from student questionnaires. Teachers should meet regularly as a staff to review the data and adjust their practices accordingly. The cycle continues as teachers implement new classroom procedures. The most powerful concept here is not the practice, but the shared practices and language used by the entire school. This practice is related to SEL programs because the idea behind SEL programs is to expose the school 51

57 community to the concepts of ESI so that the entire student and staff community shares a common language. The shared practices by every individual will create a strong program that reinforces learning beyond school. The next subsection will look at experiential education that is designed to create positive social interactions, leadership skills, and violence prevention. Experiential Education. Experiential education is not a SEL program. However, it is being discussed here because the emphasis is to promote positive social interactions among students from all walks of life. The goal of experiential education is to promote positive social interactions and leadership skills. Hettler and Johnson (2009) conducted a study examining different experiential education programs available in the United States. Experiential education can take many forms, but they always have the same elements: activity, reflection, application, and further reflection on the experience. Experiential education is a fully immersive experience, such as community service, exposure to nature, and experiencing other cultures. An example is the Farm and Wilderness organization. Young people get together in the wilderness and learn how to foster a productive community by applying Quaker beliefs during their stay. Other programs use outdoor adventures to help build community and conflict resolution skills through rope courses and other such adventure obstacles. There are also experiential violence prevention education programs. These programs reach out to children who have experienced mistreatment, have a tendency for violent behavior, and children who come from a demographic were violence is prevalent. Like other experiential programs, this is not a workshop. These programs may involve the outdoors as mentioned above and have a strong focus on counseling and therapy. 52

58 Experiential education should not be confused with other forms of environmental learning, camping, and adventure activities. Similarities do exist, however, experiential education is clearly focused on teaching kids about community building, social skills, and violence prevention. Experiential education uses the same learning environments that adventure activities use, but the emphasis is not so much on the activity itself, but rather, experiential education takes on a constructivist approach to learning. Pupils construct their own knowledge of the world through learning, experiencing, and reflecting. Those who participate in experiential education learn by being immersed into various circumstances, such as having the students create their own government. Students come out of these experiences with an understanding of social behavior through reflecting and interacting with others. The next subsection will discuss a program known as Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy (REBT). This program is designed to teach students ESI with its focus on helping students in emotional distress. REBT Program. Rational Emotional Behavior Therapy (REBT) aims to help children deal with crisis by educating them on self-help techniques. REBT is based on the idea that most emotional problems arise from a distorted worldview of a particular issue or there is a lack of cognitive development on the part of the individual. It is not the event that causes the problem, it is how the event is internalized. There are ten common irrational beliefs that children display. For example, I must be liked by everybody I meet, or life has to be fair. Banks (2011) suggest that teachers educate students using REBT. The author explains, This paper supports the contention that a mental health curriculum should be delivered in classroom settings to address and remediate the socioemotional needs of students with and without disabilities and to support the need of 53

59 creating safe learning environments for all student (Banks, 2001, p. 384). The focus of REBT is helping students change their thought process and how external information is received. REBT gives students the tools they need to handle life s many difficulties well beyond their education in school. The basic tenets of REBT are to teach students how to distinguish fact from opinion, destructive thinking patterns, and identifying emotions. A lot of emotional disturbance can be avoided if children are taught how to identify negative thinking and emotional patterns. The author suggested using the ABCD approach where letter A represents an activating event, letter B represents behavior response, letter C represents consequences, and letter D represents disputing intervention. This is when the belief system of the individual is challenged by the therapist to engage the student in understanding their circumstances apart from their own personal worldview. Research demonstrates REBT has positive outcomes for students. Wilde (1996) conducted a study based on 95 school children between the ages of 9 to 10. The students were taught the basic tenets of REBT over a two week period. Each lesson focused on one aspect of REBT. For example, the first lesson taught students how to link thoughts and feelings. The second lesson taught students how to distinguish rational and irrational beliefs. At the end of the research, a board game was used to gage the students understanding and utilization of REBT. Wilde (1996) concluded that students of this age group are capable of learning REBT concepts and the lessons decreased negative thought patterns within the students. Morris (1993) provided treatment for 12 adolescents who were identified as having conduct disorder (CD) and 12 adolescents with ADHD. The treatment took place over 12 weeks using Rational Emotive Therapy (RET). The 54

60 treatment first focused on assessment, relationship building, and personal issues specific to the adolescents. The treatment later focused on identifying self-defeating thought patterns and emotions. The program was delivered using a variety of methods, such as, lectures, discussions, and videos. The study indicated a reduction in negative thought patterns, depression, and anger using RET and recommended that teachers incorporate emotional and behavior therapy in their classrooms. The next subsection will focus on a SEL program known as Recognize Understanding Labeling Expressing Regulating (RULER). RULER. Recognize Understanding Labeling Expressing Regulating (RULER) is a SEL program. The focus of the program is to teach students ESI to better equipment them for success in educational settings, social environments, and a future career. Students learn how to evaluate their emotions and those of others in order to make positive decisions. This will not only benefit the students, but also the work force as the students develop life skills in preparation for adulthood that will require interpersonal skills. For any SEL program to succeed, the learning environment must be favorable to this type of learning being implemented into the school. Brackett and Rivers (n.d.) writes, the success of any attempt to educate the whole child is dependent upon the extent to which learning occurs in caring, supportive, safe, and empowering settings (p.6). Basically, SEL programs require the entire school community to embrace the strategies and values being taught in the program in order to be effective. This is similar to PBIS, the success of a SEL program requires a common language and practice shared by the entire school community. Two reasons why SEL programs fail is because they are sometimes too narrow in their focus and another reason is a piecemeal approach to the 55

61 program. For a SEL program to be successful, training needs to take place before implementation. Common practice and language needs to be established with a goal of sustaining the program. RULER focuses on teaching students the following: recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotions. Brackett and Rivers (n.d.) explains, EI refers to an individual s fixed capacity or ability to reason with and about emotionrelated information, emotional literacy focuses on the malleable aspects of emotionrelated information, the knowledge and strategies that are acquired through experience and formal instruction (p. 9). Basically, ESI can be taught and developed over time. The RULER program has a framework that also supports different levels of learning based on age group. For example, Saarni (1999) explored emotional learning in children and found that 5 year olds are only capable of understanding very basic emotions; 10 year olds are capable of understanding emotions like disappointment and feelings of release from anxiety or distress. The RULER approach to learning and change in a student s life is demonstrated in Figure 6. 56

62 Figure 6. A Diagram Illustrating The RULER Approach to Positive Change This diagram illustrates the strategies and learning goals for the RULER program. Saarni, Carolyn. (1999). The development of emotional competence. New York: Guilford Press. Diagram p. 12. The RULER approach is designed to train staff, provide a curriculum for students, and provide programs to education families members as well. The entire learning community becomes partners in educating the students and each practice reinforces the other. When students learn the five basic tenets of RULER, they develop a better sense of self-worth, relationships, and academic performance. As the community grows together, each new generation of students entering the school will benefit from a positive and established learning environment. The RULER approach to implementation is illustrated in Figure 7. 57

63 Figure 7. Diagram Illustrating 1 Year RULER Implementation This diagram explains the 1 year implementation strategy to make RULER a success. Saarni, Carolyn. (1999). The development of emotional competence. New York: Guilford Press. Diagram p. 13. Once the district decides to implement RULER, a committee of students, parents, staff, and other stakeholders needs to be established. The committee needs to be fully integrated into the school and its purpose is to review the success of the program through periodic meetings. The committee must have power and influence in the school in order to be successful. For example, the committee can be given the power to make decisions regarding budget. This will give the committee teeth and meaning. Otherwise, the whole program may become just another fad and will fade away over time. Another key aspect of implementation is to create turn-key trainers. The turn-key trainers are staff members who will receive specific RULER training and act and agents to ensure its success. The next subsection will examine the mood meter used in RULER. 58

64 The RULER mood meter. One of the key aspects of RULER is to teach students how to label their emotions. Being able to identify an emotion and understand it allows the students to make better choices. Bracket, Rivers, and Salovey (2012) called this the Feeling Words Curriculum. Students learn how to identify their emotions through learning new vocabulary words. The mood meter is used to teach young children how to identify their emotions through color and vocabulary words are slowly introduced. Figure 8 illustrates the mood meter used in RULER. 59

65 Figure 8. Diagram Illustrating the Mood Meter This diagram illustrates the mood meter used in the RULER program. Tominey, Shauna et al. (March 2017). Teaching Emotional Intelligence in Early Childhood. Young Children. Vol. 72, Issue 1, p p. Diagram p. 8. Young children are sometimes unable to express their emotions with descriptive words. The mood meter teaches students how to express those emotions as they are asked to point to the color that represents their feelings and then, asked to point at the words that best describe that feeling within the colored box. The scale in the box allows the students to further explain the intensity of those feelings. Tominey et al. (March 60

66 2017) explain that a simplified version of the mood meter is used for children between the ages of 3 to 8. The teachers check in with the students throughout the day by asking them to point to the mood meter regarding how they feel. This trains the students to express their emotions and the teacher in turn does this as well. For the young children, the teacher may read stories and ask the students to use the mood meter to identify the characters feelings in the stories. The mood meter encourages the children to share their emotions. Brackett, Rivers, and Salovey (2012) conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of RULER. The study consists of 273 students and took place in fifteen classrooms and three schools. Report cards were used to determine academic performance and teacher evaluations were used to determine emotional intelligence. Brackett, Rivers, and Salovey (2012) explains their findings, Students in classrooms integrating RULER had higher year-end grades and higher teacher ratings of social and emotional competence (e.g., leadership, social skills, and study skills) compared to students in the comparison group. This study provides preliminary empirical evidence that SEL programs like RULER improve important student outcomes (p. 218). The next subsection will cover another SEL program known as PATHS. PATHS. Positive Alternating Thinking Strategies (PATHS) is a SEL program designed for preschool and elementary students. The PATHS program postulates that cognitive and emotional processes must work together in order for children to make positive decisions. PATHS is designed to increase ESI, decrease violence, and increase academic performance. The teachers teach topics that specifically address difficult social situations in class. Students learn about facial expressions through drawings and 61

67 discussions. PATHS is designed to be taught a couple times a week for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Greenberg et al. (1995) conducted a study based on 286 students. Of the 286 students, 150 received the PATHS training while the others were in control classrooms. Students in the program showed improvements in areas of understanding feelings, managing their emotions, and expressing their feelings using different vocabulary words. The next SEL program to be explored is called the 4Rs. The 4Rs Program. The 4Rs program refers to reading, writing, respect, and resolution. This SEL program is designed to incorporate English standards into its curriculum. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) website, the program utilizes, read-alouds, book talks, and sequential, interactive skills lessons to develop social and emotional skills related to understanding and managing feelings, listening and developing empathy, being assertive, resolving conflict creatively and nonviolently, honoring diversity, and standing up to teasing and bullying (4Rs, para. 1). The 4Rs cover preschool through the 8 th grade and the class sessions are usually 35 minutes long. The instructions are explicit and integrates English/language arts. According to Brown et al. (2010) the 4Rs has two primary components, (a) a comprehensive seven-unit, lesson, literacy-based curriculum in conflict resolution and social emotional learning (provided to teachers in a standardized, grade-specific teaching guide); and (b) 25 hours of training followed by ongoing coaching of teachers to support them in teaching the 4Rs curriculum with a minimum of 12 contacts in one school year (p. 156). The key to success using the 4Rs is training the teachers in the very skills they will be using and providing support as they teach and integrate the 4Rs into their classrooms. 62

68 Brown et al. (2010) conducted an experiment and collected data over the course of three years using 18 schools and 82 third grade classrooms. Teacher participants were surveyed prior to training and implementation of the 4Rs. The study found improvements in classroom attentiveness, an increase in the social and emotional climate of the classrooms, as well as teacher and student interactions. There are many SEL programs available for states and school districts to explore. The programs discussed in this chapter are just a few. CASEL provides a guide to educators with many programs to choose from and examine. In the next chapter, I will propose that ESI standards be adopted by states that do not have such standards already. ESI standards should start at preschool and end in high school as students prepare for adult life. Universities may also adopt ESI programs as well. As I have found out recently, it is not uncommon for college students to seek out counseling with the university therapist around finals week as a result of academic and other stress factors. 63

69 Chapter 5 Introduction The purpose of this thesis is to propose an educational teaching standard on emotional intelligence. This must start at the state level and work its way to the individual schools. Each chapter of this thesis provides pertinent information that collectively strengthens the argument. Chapter 2 of this thesis focused on the history and specific individuals that made contributions to the study of emotional social intelligence (ESI). Their work is important because it lays down the foundation for the current study of emotional intelligence and demonstrates the movement from IQ to ESI. Chapter 3 focuses on the benefits of ESI where the study on emotional intelligence education validates the benefits to the students overall growth and success in life. Chapter 4 examines some of the social emotional learning (SEL) programs that are currently available. Studies such as those conducted by Collaborative Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and studies such as those conducted by Peter Salovey and John Mayer demonstrates the importance of ESI in student success. It is important for policy makers to see how learning has changed over the years and history shows a lot of research has gone into the study of how people learn. The conclusion is that IQ is important, but so is ESI. It is important for state officials to see that there is a need for the benefits of SEL programs. Chapter 4 provides examples of SEL programs for state officials to examine as well as possible implementation. The following subsection is my proposal to advocate the start of ESI state standards. Proposal 64

70 This paper is proposing that state standards be implemented in all states for ESI using Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs. The programs should start at the preschool level and continue through high school. SEL programs should start at a young age because it will teach students the basic language of ESI. Those ESI skills will be reinforced and further developed as the student progresses through high school. Some states currently use SEL programs, but ends after primary school. High school is a critical time in a teenager s life and SEL programs should continue to prepare students for adult life and college. School districts should be allowed to choose the best SEL program for their students because every school has a different culture and every classroom has a different personality. Individual school districts will understand the needs of their student population a lot more compared to the state. Some SEL programs are designed to be short and there are others designed to be ongoing and self sustaining. Other SEL programs target very specific student populations, therefore districts must look closely at the programs that are available and choose the best one for their population. State officials must understand the benefits of emotional intelligence in order for state standards to be implemented and policy makers must also recognize that there is a need for emotional intelligence education. A list of current emotional intelligence related school problems should be provided for policy makers. An example is suicide rates, bullying, and depression among teens. Policy makers should also receive a list of benefits from ESI that is supported by current research. For example, Ross et al. (2002) explain that emotional problems usually start at a young age and can be prevented through emotional intelligence education; therefore SEL programs should be introduced 65

71 at a young age. It should be made clear to policy makers that the benefits of ESI extend beyond the needs of the individual student and impact the professional workforce as well. Fiona Doran-Smith is a consultant on emotional intelligence and is qualified to administer the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Doran- Smith (2013) explains the advantages of having high levels of ESI and lists 5 major benefits of ESI in the workplace. The 5 benefits of ESI in the workplace are: better professional relationships, increase personal effectiveness, improved thinking skills, better self management, and improved leadership capability. In fact, Daniel Goldman s research on emotional intelligence focuses on ESI and leadership. Goldman s model of emotional intelligence has been used in the workforce for years. John Keyser works with large businesses to help organize and promote success. Keyser (2013) explains that it is not uncommon for employees to feel unhappy or disrespected and that internal relationships are important because allow people to feel at ease. Soft skills, such as, active listening are important especially if one is in management. Keyser (2013) further explains, emotional intelligence is that sense of internal balance within us that enables us to keep our composure, make good decisions, communicate successfully, and maintain effective leadership even when under stress (para. 4). Emotional intelligence is important because it provides many benefits to the individual and the working environment. A plan for implementing SEL programs should be provided to the state and by the state to school districts. The RULER approach to emotional intelligence education was supported by Yale University and represents the following aspects of ESI: recognizing understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating. Marc A. Brackett and Susan E. 66

72 Rivers from the Yale Center provide a clear model for implementation for Emotional Intelligence. Figure 7 illustrates the 1 year implementation plan of RULER into a school system. This diagram is also found and discussed in chapter 4 of this thesis. Figure 7. Diagram Illustrating 1 Year RULER Implementation This diagram explains the 1 year implementation strategy to make RULER a success. Saarni, Carolyn. (1999). The development of emotional competence. New York: Guilford Press. Diagram p. 13. This diagram is important because it illustrates the strategy of implementation of RULER into the school with the intention of making it a sustainable program. An important aspect of this plan is step 7, which is the implementation of RULER into the classroom curriculum. Brackett and Rivers (n.d.) explains that a common mistake is to teach emotional intelligence separate from the regular classroom curriculum which will decrease the effectiveness and minimize its importance. Lastly, a list of SEL programs should be provided to the state and school districts. 67

73 Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) working with the University of Chicago in Illinois has produced a SEL program guide from preschool through high school. The programs are presented with their format of delivery, length of time, and other pertinent information for the viewer. The guide also provides an approach to promoting SEL programs. Figure 9 illustrates CASEL s approach to promoting SEL programs in schools. Figure 9. Illustration on How to Promote SEL Programs An illustration on promoting SEL programs in schools by CASEL. CASEL Guide. (2015). Effective Social and Emotional Learning Program: Preschool and Elementary School. Collaborative for Academic, Social, Emotional Learning. 50p. Diagram p. 7. The CASEL guide emphasizes for steps to promoting SEL programs. The first is to implement ESI into classroom teaching practices. The second is to create a curriculum that supports ESI. The third is to create policies and organizational structures that 68