Can Emotional Competence Be Taught in Higher Education? A Randomized Experimental Study of an Emotional Intelligence Training Program Using a Multimethodological Approach

Abstract

Since the introduction of the Bologna Process, the goal of education has been not only to acquire technical skills but also to master other skills, such as teamwork, effective communication skills, time optimization, and the ability to manage one's emotions. The present work describes a program to develop emotional intelligence in higher education, the “Emotional Intelligence Training Program,” with a multimethodological approach that offers the opportunity for university students to develop their emotional intelligence. A total of 192 higher education students participated in this educational experience. Of the participants, 66% were women, and 34% were men; the average age of the sample was 18.83 years with a standard deviation of 2.73. The results indicate that our program can help improve emotional intelligence through three proposed methodologies: online, in the classroom, and coaching. It has been demonstrated that the program is effective in the three methodological modalities presented, offering a range of possibilities to future users because it is possible to select the most appropriate modality based on the resources and possibilities available in each situation. Finally, Future research should focus on the application of this program to assess the acquisition of emotional competences at the postgraduate level.

Academic Achievement and Failure in University Studies: Motivational and Emotional Factors

“…Emotional competencies will help university students meet challenges, promote entrepreneurship, and achieve academic and career success [75][76][77][78][79][80]. As a practical implication of these findings, it is proposed that education and training associated with the emotional aspects for university students is included in the first few courses to enhance and develop these attributes in students to avoid academic failure [32][33][34][35].…”

“…Scientific literature indicates the need to include training for this competence in the intervention programs that are intended to stop university abandonment and to ensure that the students perform well academically [32][33][34][35].…”

Conflict Mediation, Emotional Regulation and Coping Strategies in the Educational Field

“…The development of emotional skills represents the basis for learning and development of other abilities, being that the acquisition of knowledge is mediated by emotions (Khosla et al, 2009;Miller, 2010;Yip and Côté, 2013;Gilar-Corbí et al, 2018). The development of emotional skills represents the basis for learning and development of other abilities, being that the acquisition of knowledge is mediated by emotions (Khosla et al, 2009;Miller, 2010;Yip and Côté, 2013;Gilar-Corbí et al, 2018). When seeking and creating positive and nutritious teaching-learning environments, where the development of capacities for emotional management is promoted, another aspect that Gross includes in the Extended Process Model must be analyzed, the importance of the dynamic context as the setting for interpersonal relationships.…”

“…When seeking and creating positive and nutritious teaching-learning environments, where the development of capacities for emotional management is promoted, another aspect that Gross includes in the Extended Process Model must be analyzed, the importance of the dynamic context as the setting for interpersonal relationships. This factor is an influencer that allows the teaching experiences to be strengthened, facilitating the internalization and apprehension of knowledge and its subsequent implementation by students (Woods, 2010(Woods, , 2012Erkutlu and Chafra, 2014;Goggin et al, 2015;Gilar-Corbí et al, 2018), while avoiding that teachers reach exhaustion when experiencing negative emotions (Chang, 2013).…”

Higher Education, Happiness, and Residents' Health

“…First, education improves the subjective well-being of residents by improving their income level (Luo, 2006 ). Second, people receiving higher education are better at communication and can deal with disputes and contradictions flexibly (Gilar-Corbí et al, 2018 ; Zhao et al, 2019 ). This not only makes for expanding and maintaining social relations with others but also enables individuals to obtain a stable emotional support and strengthen their perception of happiness (Huang, 2013 ).…”