Interest in the world of education is expanding with several education policies and systems looking at the holistic development of students more and more seriously. Emotional Intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ) is currently in the global spotlight as several countries accept it as a necessary shift in their educational policies. In this rapidly globalizing world, more and more young people are exposed to varied lifestyles, emotional intelligence becomes a key component that takes precedence over one’s academic qualifications and achievements. One needs skills such as empathy, adaptability, teamwork, positive outlook, self- awareness, and many more inter & intra- personal skills to ‘make it big'.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a term was first mentioned in writings around the 1940s- 50s. It was made popular by Howard Gardner in the Theory of Multiple Intelligence and finally, it was Daniel Goleman’s book: ‘Emotional Intelligence- Why it can matter more than IQ’ in 1995 that caught everyone’s eye. So, what is Emotional Intelligence? In simple words, it is the ability to perceive, use, understand and manage emotions that further enables a person to guide their thoughts and behaviours appropriately. In their latest writing, Goleman & Boyatzis (2017) explain that EI has 12 competencies broadly comprising of these four domains: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Several models explain EI with most encompassing the above-mentioned domains.
Research has directly linked higher levels of EQ to higher IQ, better adaptability, better mental health, fulfilling relationships, and achieving greater success in the future. This aptly justifies why the focus is currently on integrating EI-dominated educational systems. In a recent study conducted on approximately 1000 Spanish high school students, it was found that EI is a predictor of not only academic performance but also adaptability and overall wellbeing. Further, it was also found that higher EQ was related to a reduction in risk-taking behaviour. It was concluded that intervention programs focused on the development of EI were recommended to promote self-esteem and engagement amongst high school students.
Closer to home, a study released by Pratham in early 2020 found that amongst Indian children aged between 4 to 8 years from rural India, only a handful could identify primary emotions such as happiness and sadness. Infact, in a conflict resolution task, most children chose a response that would lead to escalation of conflict, suggesting that empathy was low. This study presents to us a disheartening finding- the children that struggle to recognise emotions also struggled to empathize and lacked the necessary skills of conflict resolution.
Adam Grant, a renowned psychologist, has suggested that EI maybe incorrectly perceived as a desirable moral quality rather than a skill that can be learned and developed. For adults, this may further imply that several stages of learning and unlearning of past patterns, automatic reactions, and behaviour. This could be an uphill task and can be made easy by integrating valuable EI-related topics of conversation and curriculum within the educational setup from an early age.
Taking a lead currently on focusing on the development of EI skills, India’s National Education Policy (2020) emphasizes the need to include social and emotional learning (SEL) within education curriculums. Highlighting the importance of having citizens that showcase rational thought as well as qualities such as empathy and compassion, the Policy implies that SEL is an important facet of education and can no longer be looked at separately from academics.
Also read-
https://www.adityabirlaworldacademy.com/blog/what-is-social-and-emotional-learning-and-why-is-it-important
At Aditya Birla World Academy, a top international school in South Mumbai, a unique and progressive curriculum is followed that is consistent with the recommendation of the National Education Policy. This curriculum provides an opportunity for the school counselors to interact with young students every week on topics that are drawn from varied areas in psychology including positive psychology, social psychology, social-emotional learning, and mental health literacy. Aligning itself to the key domains of EI, the curriculum touches upon topics such as self-awareness, mindfulness, thought management, prosocial behaviour amongst many other relevant ones. This international school in South Mumbai provides its learners with structured skill-based experiences within the classroom to develop their EI from LKG onwards.
The curriculum has demonstrated within a few years of its introduction instances of students being more caring, kind, and empathetic towards classmates as well as their teachers. Situations of bullying have reduced and inclusion towards anyone different is seen to be higher. Further, most learners from this South Mumbai International School, have progressed to excellent education institutes and have thriving careers which demonstrate effective interpersonal skills and leadership, a key quality linked to high EI.
Effectively integrating EI-focused curriculums into the education system isn’t just about allotting a class per week to the school counselors. It must also include the following:
- Creating spaces for peer mentoring and modeling
- Ensuring a good school climate that also involves the wellness of the adults
- Bringing in aspects of EI into the academic classes itself
- Making conscious decisions to prioritize co- curricular and extracurriculars
Higher EI would be the key to having future global citizens who are self-aware, conscious, and thrive as human beings- but the process to ensure this takes place needs to begin immediately.
