An Introduction To Emotional Intelligence

In recent decades, there has been increasing focus on the role of formal education in empowering students’ social and moral development. A wealth of research evidence has shown that helping students to develop their social and emotional competencies can encourage students’ personal growth and can also yield benefits including increased student engagement and decreased levels of drop-out. However, much of what has been previously published in this field has focused on younger students, and there has been a lesser focus on third level students and educators. Therefore, there is a notable need for a single volume that synopsises the research that has been conducted pertaining to emotional and social skills development in third level learning environments. The key features of this text are a synopsis of key theories and research findings related to emotional intelligence and education; an outline of potential solutions to the most prevalent barriers that have been found with respect to encouraging emotional and social skills development in third level settings; and the provision of a tool-kit of simple exercises for use in third level educational settings, that are designed to help students develop a range of key aspects of emotional intelligence.There are both financial and pedagogical incentives for third-level colleges to invest in the provision of students’ social skills development. Therefore, the primary focus of this book is to help students and educators reach their maximum potential, and, in doing so, help encourage the development of emotionally intelligent college

A Qualitative Exploration of the Motivations and Expectations of Lecturers Who Sign-up to Participate in an Emotional Intelligence Coaching Programme

Research has emphasised the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in the work of higher education staff. However, little is about the motivations and expectations of lecturers who decide to participate in EI coaching programmes. As part of a larger study pertaining to the efficacy of EI coaching for Irish higher education lecturers, qualitative data was collected by way of a questionnaire that contained two open-ended questions from all participants who signed up for coaching (N = 40). The findings indicate that the primary motivations for participants to sign-up for coaching were personal development and a desire to support research activities. Participants expected that their participation would give them an opportunity to enhance their self-awareness and learn about EI through their participation in the programme. The participants brought with them an openness to the experience. The findings also highlighted that lecturers had, for the most part, not received any formal training in this area, which suggests that a gap exists in lecturer training in this regard. Based on these findings, it is recommended that further research be conducted to acknowledge the importance of EI in the work of higher education lecturers in Ireland and to assess the motivations and expectations of participants in EI programmes in other contexts. It is also recommended that further research explore the reasons why lecturers may choose not to participate with EI coaching

Thinking Outside the Box: Promoting Learning Through Emotional and Social Skills Development

The European Qualifications Framework provides a useful insight into the kinds of outcomes and abiliti es that are promotedacross the EU. However, beyond arguably vague references to concepts such as ‘integrity’ and ‘autonomy’, this frameworkmakes no reference to the development of students’social and emotional competencies. Based on initial research findings inan Irish context, and when considered against the backdrop of a convincing literature on the importance of emotionalintelligence in academic attainment, there would appear to be considerable scope to modify this framework in order to accommodate more specific reference to the development of emotional and social skills. This paper addresses an important gap in educational practice at Third Level and presents a suggested reformulated version of the EQF that includes referenceto social and emotional skills development at all levels of academic attainment. It is hoped that this may help to stimulatenew thinking in this area and promote the incorporation of learning outcomes that are more directly relevant to the development of emotional competencies in qualificat ions frameworks at national level across the EU. Ho wever, a need for much further research in this area is indicated

An Argument Against Sex Segregation in Post-Primary Schools: Examining Wellbeing Perspectives

There currently exists a substantial body of research regarding the influ-ence that the educational environment can bear upon the social and emotional wellbeing of male and female students. It has been highlighted that young female students tend to present with lower levels of wellbeing than do male students, and that the behaviour of male students may be implicit in this discrepancy. Some scholars have proposed sex segregation to be an appropriate palliative measure in addressing the lower measures of wellbeing observed among female students. This paper will present a counter-argument to this proposal based on two principal arguments. First, that sex segregation can have deleterious outcomes for female students and may reify the identity of young girls as ‘weaker than’, or ‘needing protection from’, young boys. Second, that sex segregation overlooks the performative aspect of gender and fails to account for male students who may perform a feminine gender-identity. Wellbeing perspectives from a post-primary context will be examined in relation to international research regarding both biological sex and socially con-structed concepts of gender. It will be proposed that educational dis-course that informs decisions to segregate the sexes be reconceptualised to include a broader understanding of students’ needs and identities in relation to both sex and gender

An Evidence Review of Behavioural Economics in the Justice Sector

Behavioural economics combines elements of economics and psychology to better understand how and why people behave the way they do in the real world. While behavioural economics originally sought to better understand economic decision-making, it has since grown in scope and application, and it is increasingly used by governments, government departments and other organisations to shape and implement public policies in a range of policy areas. This Review considers the application of behavioural economics theories and concepts (commonly referred to as behavioural insights) to the justice sector in a range of areas of justice policy in different jurisdictions. Areas of justice policy include improving immigration and integration policies, tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, improving policing, community safety and penal policy, making court systems more efficient, accessible and fair, and addressing broader challenges and opportunities presented by innovation and climate change. This Review is broken into two main parts. Part 1 is about behavioural economics generally. It explains the background to the field and its evolution to the present day and contextualises behavioural economics within the broader fields of economics and psychology. The main concepts and theories of behavioural economics are explained. Part 1 also addresses how behavioural economics research is conducted, explains some of the critical and ethical debates that have emerged within the field, and evaluates how and why behavioural economics emerged as a popular tool for policy design. Part 2 is about the application of behavioural economics to the justice sector. It is broken down into a series of policy areas within the justice sector. These areas were pre-identified by the authors with the Department of Justice as being particularly relevant to its work to inform and assist with policy formation. The specific areas are: - immigration and integration, - domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, - policing, community safety and penal policy, - court systems and access to justice, and - innovation and climate action. Part 2 presents case studies of policy interventions informed by behavioural economics theories and concepts from other jurisdictions in each of these areas. Often these —— 4 interventions are pre-tested for their effectiveness before their wider roll-out in the general population. Alongside specific policy interventions, Part 2 also considers literature that assesses how behavioural economics theories and concepts can help to better understand and solve policy problems that arise in the justice sector. The Review concludes with observations and analysis of the implications of behavioural economics research for the justice sector, and how best to harness it to improve justice policies in the future

Exploring the Differences in Emotional Competency Across Subject Domains for Irish First Year Undergraduate Students

This study generated composite emotional competency profiles for Irish first year undergraduate students in four separate subject areas and tested for statistical significance between student groups. A total sample of 307 participants took part in this research as follows; n = 119 social care, n = 108 business, n = 42 computing, n = 38 engineering. Results revealed significant differences between Social Care and all other student groups for the interpersonal skills composite scale and for two of the three sub-scales from which it is computed, empathy and social responsibility. With respect to the third sub-scale from which the interpersonal skills composite scale is computed, interpersonal relationships, social care students had statistically higher scores than computing and engineering students and business students also had statistically higher scores than computing students. Results are discussed with reference to curriculum design, student support services and the design of interventions for at-risk students

The Pursuit of Civic Engagement: Youth Civic Engagement and the Role of Higher Education

Putnam (2000) argues that, in recent years, there has been a steady decline of social capital and civic engagement in western societies. However, arguments claiming a \u27crisis\u27 of civic engagement have also been met with fierce academic disagreement, leading to a strongly contested debate as to whether civic engagement is in decline or simply evolving. Using a mixed methods approach, this research sought to explore youth civic engagement among the students of the Technological University Dublin aged 18 to 25. Preliminary quantitative results provide evidence of both disengagement with traditional routes and a re-routing of engagement towards more lifestyle orientated, personal engagement. Preliminary qualitative results provide further insight into the possible barriers motivating young people to find alternative routes of civic expression. In light of these results and the national strategic priority of higher education in the promotion of civic engagement, this paper makes some recommendations for consideration in the development of the new Technological University for Dublin

Student Wellbeing at Junior-Cycle Level: Teachers’ Perceptions of Relevant Policies and Curricula

Research has demonstrated that initiatives aimed at promoting the development of social and emotional wellbeing in second-level students can help to insulate students against the many factors that may otherwise result in negative affect [1]. In 2017, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) published new wellbeing guidelines which mandate all Irish post-primary schools to allocate 300 hours of junior-cycle instruction to the promotion of students’ social and emotional wellbeing. While much is understood about the potential benefits of such programmes [2], little is known within an Irish context about the attitudes and views of educators in this regard. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in knowledge by analysing the attitudes/opinions of post-primary educators with regard to how best to promote students’ wellbeing. This research will be conducted in two phases using a sequential mixed-methods design. Phase one will be quantitative in nature and will consist of a large-scale survey of second level educators. Phase two will consist of a series of focus groups and interviews. The information garnered from this study may be utilised to assist in possible refinements of the NCCA wellbeing guidelines and the greater wellbeing curriculum. References [1] Duckworth, A. L., & Seligman, M. E. (2005). Self- Discipline Outdoes IQ in Predicting Academic Performance of Adolescents. Psychological Science, 16(12), 939-944. doi:10.1111/j.1467- 9280.2005.01641.x [2] Spilt, J. L., Koomen, H. M., & Thijs, J. T. (2011). Teacher Wellbeing: The Importance of Teacher–Student Relationships. Educational Psychology Review, 23(4), 457-477. doi:10.1007/s10648-011-9170-