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Emotional Intelligence: Exploring the Education & Wellness Implications

James D. A. Parker,

Canada Research Chair in Emotion & Health

Trent University, Ontario

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Outline

• pre-history of EI

• overview of EI models

• EI: the transition to adulthood perspective • EI: the child and adolescent perspective

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Pre-History of EI: the Educational Psychology Perspective

• “social intelligence” (Thorndike, 1920)

• “nonintellective intelligence” (Wechsler, 1940)

• “multiple intelligence” (Garner, 1983)

• “practical intelligence” (Sternberg, 1985)

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Pre-History of EI: the Clinical Perspective

• “psychological mindedness” (McCallum & Piper, 1997)

• “need for cognition” (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982)

• “levels of emotional awareness” (Lane & Schwartz, 1987)

• “alexithymia” (Sifneos, 1973)

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Emotional Intelligence: Historical Overview

• Salovey & Mayer (1989/1990)

• Goleman (1995)• Bar-On (1997)

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Bar-On Model of EI

InterpersonalAbilities

IntrapersonalAbilities

StressManagementAbilities

AdaptabilityAbilities

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EI Models

• EI distinct from cognitive abilities• EI abilities develop over time• changes throughout life

• can be improved through training and remedial programs

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EI across childhood/adolescence (EQ-i:YV)

0

10

20

30

40

50

7to8 9to10 11to12 13to14 15to16 17to18

Age-group

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EI across adulthood (EQ-i)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Decade of life

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When does EI change? (the importance of transitions)

• from elementary school to high school• high school to the workplace• high school to university• from single to being married• transition to parenthood• losing a job (changing jobs)• from marriage to divorce

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EI as Vulnerability for Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Young Adults

• 1st year Trent undergraduates (n = 1616; 472 men & 1144 women)

• rated themselves on EI, social anxiety & ADHD symptoms at the start of term (Sept.)

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EI:EQ-i:Short

ADHD(CAARS)

-.73

-.68

EI:EQ-i:Short

Social Anxiety(SIAS)

-.77

-.75

Note: results for men above the arrow; women below

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Family Study: EI and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

• sample consists of 192 families (children and both biological parents)

• children (91 males and 101 females) ranged in age from 8 to 16 years

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Measures

Children• EQ-i:YV• Children’s Depression

Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992)

• Conners’ Rating Scale-Self Report (CRS; Conners, 1997)

Parents• EQ-i• CDI (Parent rating-

form; Kovacs, 2005)

• CRS (Parent rating-form)

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Father’sRatings

Mother’sRatings

SelfRatings

Child’sMood

Child’sEI

.68

.83

.52

-.66

EI and depression symptoms

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Father’sRatings

Mother’sRatings

SelfRatings

Child’sConduct

Child’sEI

.70

.51

.46

-.47

EI and conduct problems

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Father’sRatings

Mother’sRatings

SelfRatings

Child’sConduct

Child’sEI

.50

.51

.51

-.52

EI and ADHD symptoms

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EI: the Post-Secondary Perspective

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Why do students withdraw?

• is there a link between academic success and EI?

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Personal problems

Change of programs

Economic/healthproblemsOther

Reasons students withdraw

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Common “personal problems”

• problems making new relationships • problems modifying existing

relationships (e.g., living apart) • difficulties learning new study habits

• problems learning to be independent

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Trent Academic Success & Wellness Project (TASWP)

• phase 1 started in Sept. (1999) at Trent University

• initial goal was to develop an assessment protocol to identify 1st-year students at risk for “failure” using the EQ-i:Short.

• focus was on full-time students coming to Trent within 24 months of graduation from high-school

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• 2 groups of particular interest:

‾ "successful" students (1st-year GPA of 80% or better)

‾ "unsuccessful" students (1st-year GPA of 59% or less)

TASWP (predicting academic success; Parker et al., 2004)

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Two groups not significantly different on:

• high school GPA

• age• course load at start of year

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2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Inter Intra Adapt StressM

80% or better59% or less

**

* p < .05

*

Mean EQ-i scores for 1st year students (GPA 80% or better vs. 59% or less)

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Predicting “successful” and “unsuccessful” students using EI

Correct PredictionIncorrect Prediction

Correct PredictionIncorrect Prediction

Successful Unsuccessful

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TASWP (predicting retention; Parker et al., 2005)

• 2 groups of interest:

‾ students who withdrew at some point before the start of 2nd year

‾ 2nd-year students at Trent (randomly matched with the 1st group on age, gender, and year starting at Trent)

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Predicting students who persist vs. students who withdraw using EI

Correct Prediction

Incorrect PredictionCorrect PredictionIncorrect Prediction

Persist Withdraw

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Replication & Extension of TASW

Project • 2000-2008: Trent U. (n = 7,000+); replication of

results using 3 different EI-related measures• 2002: US Pilot Project (n = 1,426)

– UNC Charlotte, U. Charleston, Georgia Southern U., U. Southern Mississippi, West Virginia U., Fairmont State College

• 2005-2008: several Ontario Colleges (n = 2,500)• 2003-2008: US/Europe Retention Projects (n =

11,000+ at 12 different institutions)

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EI: Elementary and Secondary Perspectives

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Trent Academic Success & Wellness Project (High School Performance; Parker, Creque et al., 2004)

• May 2002: students (grade 9 to 12) attending a high school in Huntsville, Alabama (n = 742) completed the EQ-i:YV during a home-room period

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2 groups identified: • 138 students scoring at the 80th

percentile or better (for their grade) on end of year GPA

• 131 students scoring at the 20th percentile or less (for their grade) on end of year GPA

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1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Inter Intra Adapt StressM

80th or better20th or less

*

*

* p < .05

*

Mean EQ-i:YV scores for high school students (80th percentile or better vs. 20th or less)

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Lindsay Elementary School Study (Parker, unpublished)

• sample consisted of 72 students (42 males, 30 females) attending an elementary school in Lindsay, Ontario

• students ranged in age from 7-12 years (mean = 9.40 years; SD=1.16)

• completed the EQ-i:YV in Sept. and June

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Predicting Academic Success

Correct Prediction

Incorrect Prediction

Above Average Below Average

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Peterborough “Problem Child” Study

Conduct Problems Sample• 62 boys & 39 girls (7-17 yrs) recruited via

Children’s Aid Societies (CAS) • all in care of the CAS for at least 6 months (due

to previous or current emotional & behavioral problems)

• 83% were in a residential setting (group home); 17% were in foster care

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Community Sample

• 101 children & adolescents randomly selected from the large EQ-i:YV normative pool (n = 9,172)

• matched with Group 1 on the basis of age and sex

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Predicting “community sample” using EI

Correct PredictionIncorrect Prediction

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Predicting “conduct problems” sample using EI

Correct PredictionIncorrect Prediction

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Final thoughts: How can EI information be leveraged?

• supplemental information when working with special populations

• identifying children at risk for developing internalizing and/or externalizing problems

• useful information while monitoring treatment/intervention

• useful information for program or curriculum evaluation

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Contact Information

James D. A. Parker,Dept. of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, ONK9J 7B8 Tel: 705-748-1011 x1283 Fax: 705-748-1580 jparker@trentu.ca