EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING IN HIGHER EDUCATION International Conference on Emotional Intelligence Chicago, USA, June 30 – July 1, 2008 Isabella K. Reichel, Ed.D Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist, CCC-SLP/A Board Recognized Fluency Specialist Fluency Renaissance Center, NY fluencyren@aol.com

Challenges of Higher Education Higher cost of post-secondary education Increased accountability for producing educated, successful, and well-rounded people Increased scrutiny for preventing student misconduct, including rioting, hate crimes, campus and sexual violence, substance abuse, and dealing with psychopathology. (Luderman, 2004).

Changes in College Students During the Past 50 Years TV-influenced Computer literate More independent of family and religious leaders Less trusting of government Higher education becomes a source of providing values, emotional support, and role models (Higgins, 1998)

Changes in Higher Education During the Past 50 Years Methodology Dialogues and discussions Team learning Interdisciplinary approach Computer as a teaching tool Curriculum Connections among disciplines Women accepted as a powerful force Policies in the society Link between theory and practice -- internship (Higgins, 1998)

Changes in Campus Life During the Past 50 Years Ethnic diversity Networking with other colleagues Students’ emotional needs are addressed Counseling services Social bonding “to feel connected” Support of family life (day care centers) Goal of higher education is to transform lives (Higgins, 1998)

Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Higher Education EI promotes the academic achievement, student retention in college and successful transition from high school to higher education, (Parker, J. D. A., Summerfeldt, L. J., Hogan, M. J. & Majeski, S. (2004), Vella & Schlatter, 2006) Based on EI literature, 6 components of social and emotional intelligence influence academic performance and interpersonal skills of students. These components have been modified to higher education, as presented below (Liff, 2003)

Self-Awareness and Self-Advocacy Self-aware students are able to recognize and reflect on their emotions and understand causes of the emotions, in situations such as: Overwhelmed by homework Anger at a professor Anxiety due to exam Disappointment regarding grade Frustration about being late Concerns about friends, family, housing, and finances Deprivation of sleep and nutrition Students who have self-advocacy skills are more assertive, less demanding. They have less confusion, moodiness, and displaced feelings (Liff, 2003)

Self-Regulation of Emotions Allows students to stay on task, focus, think, and perform Develops coping tools to self-soothe Prevents substance abuse or other undesirable behaviors College educators facilitate the management of students’ emotions by Discussing expectations Being approachable Encouraging students to reflect upon disappointments (Liff, 2003)

Goal Setting Students need to: Set personal and academic goals Consider contingency and alternative plans for reaching them Persevere at times of adversity College professors need to: Generate motivation, Provide feedback Allow students to earn extra points Provide “hands-on” learning, by interaction and visual stimuli (Liff, 2003)

Self-Monitoring Professors need to: Reflect honestly on students’ performance, and regroup if necessary Have good time management Set up a reward system to encourage students to stay on task Students need to: Integrate social, academic, and work-related responsibilities Minimize distractions by developing delayed gratification (Liff, 2003)

Empathy Professors need to: Have good listening skills Students need to understand the affect of their professors when deciding whether to comment or make a joke in class Professors need to: Have good listening skills Maintain eye contact Repeat students’ words for clarity Acknowledge students’ participation Respect diversity (Liff, 2003)

Social Skills Students need to develop the ability to: Maintain relationships, which facilitates student achievements Collaborate with partners or learning teams College professors need to encourage: Open discussions Critical thinking, Strong communication skills Effective persuasion Assertiveness Positive faculty-student relationships (Liff, 2003)

Interventions for Emotional Intelligence EI training is becoming more common in higher education in the fields, such as business administration, health care, education, and counseling. This author will describe how EI training was integrated into graduate fluency disorders courses of a Communication Sciences & Disorders Department (Reichel, 2007; Reichel, 2005; Reichel & St. Louis, 2004).

The Reasons for EI Training in Fluency Disorders Classes Many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have difficulties managing affective aspects of stuttering (Shapiro,1999; Reichel& St. Louis,2004) Some SLPs do not understand clients’ feelings and experiences Many SLPs are not aware of their own negative attitudes toward people who stutter (PWS) Many SLPs are unable to address their own negative biases toward (PWS) (Reichel and St. Louis 2007)

Methods The EI training was integrated into 3 graduate fluency disorders classes 47 graduate students participated 14, 19, and 14 students in the 3 classes, during spring, summer, and fall semesters EI training lasted about 30 minutes within 2-hour fluency disorders classes weekly The EI training included short lectures, student presentations, role playing, group discussions, and laboratories with PWS Assessment instruments were presented before and after each course Open-ended questionnaire about the EI training was presented after the course concluded (Reichel & St. Louis, 2004)

Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of the EI curriculum on students’ Self-rating of EI Changes in attitudes toward PWS Perceptions of the importance of EI training

Curriculum Content The EI module was based on the theoretical frameworks of Mayer & Salovey (1997), Goleman (1995), and Bar-On (1997). Definition of emotion and other related concepts (feelings, mood, affect, and emotional intelligence) Neurophysiology and neurobiology of emotion, and of EI Autonomic nervous system in emotion Cognitive-emotional interactions Relations between emotion and memory The role of emotions in stereotyping and prejudice

Curriculum Content (Continued) Awareness of one’s own emotions Individual differences in emotions Cultural influences on emotions Development of empathy and sympathy Emotions of anxiety, fear, anger, embarrassment, guilt, and shyness, and their management in stuttering intervention Theory of change

Curriculum Content (Continued) Ability to understand emotions of the client Ability to understand clinician’s own emotions Ability to manage emotions of the client and self Models of emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence and education Emotional intelligence and health Improving students’ emotional competencies Critical evaluation of emotional intelligence (Reichel & St. Louis, 2004)

Emotional Competencies Discussed with Graduate Students Empathy Creativity Flexibility Motivation Confidence Risk-taking Tolerance of diversity Optimism Persistence (Goleman, 2005; Reichel & St. Louis, 2004)

Assessment Instruments The Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) (Shutte & Malouff, 1999) The Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes – Experimental Edition (POSHA-E) (St. Louis, et al, 2001) The 25 Bipolar Adjective Scale (BAS) (Wood & Williams, 1976) Qualitative instrument assessing students’ perceptions of the EI training (Reichel, 2004)

Perceived Changes in Emotional Intelligence On the EIS, none of the comparisons were statistically significant; but there was a trend in a positive direction Post-test scores were higher in 94% of the items EIS pre-test ratings were quite high, possibly creating a “ceiling effect,” so that post-test scores could not show much improvement A large majority of the respondents of the open-ended questionnaire considered EI abilities and competencies to be helpful to them personally and professionally

Perceived Changes in Students’ Attitudes Toward PWS POSHA-E -- statistically significant improvement in the students’ perceived knowledge about PWS; 78% improved knowledge of PWS 56.3% of the students improved their attitudes toward PWS On the BAS, more “positive” and fewer “negative” responses on the post-test than on the pre-test were measured in 84% of adjective pairs

Students’ Responses on Open-Ended Questionnaire 77% perceived EI construct as crucial for SLPs 64% felt that EI helps SLPs to understand clients’ emotions 38% believed that EI helps them to manage clients’ emotions 100% saw improvement in their ability to address affective aspects of PWS 19% believed that EI helps SLPs to understand their own emotions toward PWS 9% believed that knowledge of neurophysiology of emotion helps SLPs to understand stuttering 70% saw an improvement in their emotional competencies

Conclusion Although many EI programs have been developed to deal with challenges in the post-modern society, it is advisable that teachers continue enhancing their students’ emotional and social skills in naturally occurring situations, such as literature, history, and athletics, from a young age to adulthood. (Salovey, 2007)

References Bar-On, R. (1997). Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: A measure of emotional intelligence. Toronto, Canada: Multi- Health Systems, Inc. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam. Higgins,. T. (1998). Evolutions in higher education. Momentum, 29, (3), 12—15. Liff, S. B. (2003). Social and emotional intelligence: Applications for developmental education. Journal of Developmental Education, 26(3), 28—34. Liptak, J. J. (2005). Using emotional intelligence to help college students succeed in the workplace. Journal of Employment Counseling, 42(4). 2178.

References (Continued) Ludeman, R. B. (2004).Arrested emotional development: Connecting college men, motions, and misconduct. New Directions for Student Services, 107, 75—86. Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In Salovey, P. & Sluyter, D. J. (Ed.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence (pp. 3-31). New York: Basic / HarperCollins. Parker, J. D. A., Summerfeldt, L. J., Hogan, M. J. & Majeski, S. (2004). Emotional intelligence and academic success: Examining the transition from high school lo university. Personality and Individual Differences, 36, 1 63-172.

References (Continued) Reichel, I. (2007). Emotional intelligence and stuttering intervention. 10th International Stuttering Awareness Day Online Conference [ J. Kuster, Conference Chair, Minnesota State University, Mankato; For retrieval, http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad10/papers/reichel10.html]. Reichel, I., & St. Louis, K. O. , 2007, Mitigating Negative Stereotyping of Stuttering in a Fluency Disorders Class. In J. Au-Yeung & M. Leahy (Eds.), Research, treatment, and self-help in fluency disorders: New horizons: Proceedings of the Fifth World Congress on Fluency Disorders (pp. 236-244). International Fluency Association.

References (Continued) Reichel, I. (2005). Development of emotional intelligence module in graduate fluency disorders courses. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Florida. Reichel, I., & St. Louis, K. O. , 2004, The Effects of Emotional Intelligence Training in Graduate Fluency Disorders Classes. In H-G Bosshardt, J. S. Yaruss, & H. F. M. Peters (Eds.), Fluency disorders: Theory, research, treatment, and self-help (pp. 474—481). Nijmegen, The Netherlands: International Fluency Association/Nijmegen University Press. Salovey, P. (2007). Integrative summary. In R. Bar-On, J. G. Maree, & M. J. Elias (Eds.), Educating people to be emotionally intelligent (pp. 291—299). Westport, Connecticut, & London: Praeger. Schutte, N. S., & Malouff, J. M. (1999). Measuring emotional intelligence and related constructs. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen.

References (Continued) Shapiro, D. (1999). Stuttering intervention: A collaborative journey to fluency freedom. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. St. Louis, K. O., Fisher, E., Yaruss, J. S., & Lubker, B. B. (2001, November). Reliability of ratings on a public opinion survey of stuttering attitudes. Poster session presented at the annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, New Orleans, LA. Vella, P., Schlatter, N. (2006). Student retention and success – The emotional intelligence factor. Association for University and College Counseling. December, 7—9. Woods, C. L., & Williams, D. E. (1976). Traits attributed to stuttering and normally fluent males. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 19, 267-278.