Qualitative Evaluation of Emotional Intelligence During Conversation Classes

Abstract

For centuries the main emphasis in education has been placed upon cognitive abilities. Emotional aspects have long been neglected and on occasion not even considered at all. Nevertheless, it is not only parents at present who have to assume responsibility for shaping emotions of their children. The introduction of emotional intelligence in the school curriculum is seemingly inevitable and promises to bring about a radical change in educating the whole human being. This study examines the impact of emotional intelligence on the first year students’ communicative competence. The author of this article created a training program entitled ‘Activities for Developing Emotional Intelligence in SLA’ and implemented it in order to increase the students’ emotional awareness, empathy, co-operation, the ability to manage their emotions, communicative competence and the ability to resolve conflicts. The group of participants consisted of 30 students from the Teacher Training College in Częstochowa and the program lasted for half a year (45-min session per week)—the students’ second term of their first year of study. Subsequently, at the end of the training the students assessed how worthwhile the whole process of introducing aspects of emotional intelligence was by giving oral interviews. The findings revealed that the introduction of such a program into the conversation classes was not only appreciated and valued by the students, but also beneficial in terms of positively impacting on certain attributes linked to the students’ emotional competencies.

Appendices

Appendix 1. Sources of Activities

• Cunningham, G. and Bell, J .2005. face2face. Advanced Student’s Book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Dyrda, B. 2004. Rozwijanie twórczości i inteligencji emocjonalnej dzieci i młodzieży. Kraków: Oficyna Wydawnicza “Impuls.”

• Ekman, P. 2012. Emocje ujawnione. Gliwice: Helion.

• Gough, Ch. 2002. English vocabulary organizer: 100 topics for self-study. Croatia: THOMSON HEINLE.

• Oxenden, C., Latham-Koening, Ch., Brennan, B., and Martin, B. 2008. New English File: Upper-intermediate Teacher’s Book. Oxford: Oxford University Press

• Ravell, J and Norman, S. 1997. In Your Hands. NLP in ELT. Saffire Press

• Schilling, D. 2009. Jak wykształcić inteligencję emocjonalną. 50 pomysłów ćwiczeń – poziom podstawowy.

• Schilling, D. 2009. Jak wykształcić inteligencję emocjonalną. 50 pomysłów ćwiczeń – poziom ponadpodstawowy.

• Wosik-Kawala, D. 2013. Rozwijanie kompetencji emocjonalnych uczniów szkół ponadgimnazjalnych. Lublin: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej.

• Emotional Intelligence Activities for teens ages 13-18: http://ong.ohio.gov/frg/FRGresources/emotional_intellegence_13-18.pdf

• http://www.DO2Learn.com

• http://www.mtstcil.org/skills/assert-8.html

• http://www.pinterest.com/studycoach/emotions-emotional-control/

• Additionally, there are activities created by the researcher of the study.

Appendix 2. Interview Questions

• 1. Do you consider the activities on emotional intelligence useful for you? Why yes/no? What influence have they had on you?

• 2. Which of the conducted activities did you like the most? Why?

• 3. Was it easy to talk about your feelings/emotions? Why yes/no?

• 4. Which of these activities do you consider the least effective? Why?

• 5. In your opinion, will the new vocabulary connected with emotions enable you to express yourself more clearly in various situations?

• 6. Do you think, that thanks to these activities you were able to integrate with/get to know better the people from your group?

Appendix 3. Sample Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan 1

• Topic: Understanding emotions.

• Timing: 45 min

• Level: upper-intermediate and higher

• Number of students: 18

Aims:

• Labeling emotions and interpreting heir meanings

• Understanding the relations among certain emotional transitions

Objectives:

• Students learn how to identify the emotions they feel and the reasons why the emotions have occurred

• Students practise how to investigate real life situations and amylase them utilizing their acquired knowledge of understanding emotions.

Introduction (5 min)

The teacher discusses the issue of understanding emotions.

Activity 1 (25 min)

Students sit in a circle on the floor and their task is to talk about their emotions using balls of wool of a different colour. Each ball represents different emotion. Students describe the situations in which they have felt: angry, annoyed, anxious, proud, excited, embarrassed, miserable, and so on—depending on how many balls of different colour there are. On a huge piece of paper and with the usage of some tape they create something similar to a spider’s net. They do that by sticking the end of the wool on the piece of paper and throwing it to another student. The last person cuts the end of the wool off. And another emotion is discussed and studied.

Activity 2 (10 min)

The teacher gives the students a few situations. Their task is to think about the reasons for each of them. Then they think whether they would react in any of the situations and how would they react.

• Situation 1: A young man runs into the zebra crossing without watching around.

• Situation 2: A mother smacks a child.

• Situation 3: A woman punches her colleague from work.

• Situation 4: A child is walking down the street and is crying.

Students work in pairs and make dialogues to each of the situations.

Conclusion and final remarks (5 min).

References:

• Workshop on: Inteligencja emocjonalna – jak rozwijać emocjonalność uczniów. Kraków, 08.012.2012.

• http://www.pinterest.com/adventurousSC/counseling-empathy/.

Lesson Plan 2

• Topic: Managing emotions.

• Timing: 45 min

• Level: upper-intermediate and higher

• Number of students: 15

Aims:

• Managing and regulating emotions

• Altering negative emotions into pleasant ones

Objectives:

• Students learn new how to control and alter their emotions on the basis on various situations

• Students learn how to control anger by means of some role-plays or real life situations

• Students realize the consequences of bad emotions

Introduction (5 min)

The teacher introduces the students to the topic and purpose of the lesson. There is a short discussion during which students express their opinions on expressing and recognizing emotions.

Activity 1 (8 min)

Teacher asks students to describe a situation that they were in a really nasty mood. What caused their mood? How long did it last? What were the consequences? The teacher asks them to put up their hands if they treated their friends/family member badly because of their bad mood. Students read the Situation and state how the problem began, which emotions were present and what the end of the story was.

Situation

Renata was ready to go out but she couldn’t find her books and nobody at home was able to help her. She had prepared two assignments for that day and both of them were in those books. She started to get nervous. She found them in her younger sister’s hiding place after about half an hour of searching for them. When she asked her sister what it meant, she admitted that she had hidden them on purpose. Despite the fact that the books were found, Renata was furious at her sister for a long time. She went out very late and in a really nasty mood. When she entered the classroom, her best friend, Kate, said: “Hi. What has happened? You look upset.” Then Renata snapped at her: “Leave me alone. I don’t feel like talking to you.”

Discussion questions:

• (a) What was Renata’s real problem?

• (b) What were the first emotions, which she felt while dealing with the problem?

• (c) What other emotions were present?

• (d) What did Kate do that Renata behaved in such a way towards her?

• (e) Why did Renata snap at Kate?

The teacher asks students why we should control emotions and encourages them to make up a list of other helpful ideas. The whole class create a list of “Strategies for managing mood.”

Activity 2 (12 min)

The teacher explains that each person needs some time to overcome bad emotions. If they let them free, they will influence their actions. Then the teacher asks the students to brainstorm some ways that are used to deal with anger. They include both good and bad methods.

Ways to deal with anger
GOOD METHODS	BAD METHODS
• ________________ • ________________ • ________________ • ________________ • ________________ • ________________ • ________________	• ________________ • ________________ • ________________ • ________________ • ________________ • ________________ • ________________

The teaches discusses the ways of dealing with stress with the whole class adding a few ideas to each list. Then, there is a discussion about the possible reasons for students’ behaviour and ways of substituting bad methods with the good ones. Students are asked to describe a situation that they were in a really nasty mood. What caused their mood? How long did it last? What were the consequences? Discussion.

Activity 3 (15 min)

The teacher asks students about the difference between a discussion and an argument. They listen to a psychologist giving some tips to help people when they disagree with somebody bout something. While listening students tick the six things the psychologist says.

• 1. Think carefully what you say when you begin a discussion.

• 2. Try to ‘win’ the argument as quickly as you can.

• 3. Say sorry if something really is your fault.

• 4. Never avoid an argument by refusing to talk.

• 5. Don’t say things which aren’t completely true.

• 6. Don’t shout.

• 7. Don’t talk about things which aren’t relevant to the argument.

• 8. Use another person to mediate.

• 9. Postpone the argument until later when you have both calmed down.

• 10. It’s a bad thing for a couple to argue.

After giving the answers, students add more detail to the tips they ticked.

Then students listen to a few different conversations in which people argue and are aggressive. Students’ task is to make almost the same conversation, however, ending the conversation in such a way that they clam a very angry person down using appropriate ways of dealing with anger.

Conclusion and final remarks (5 min).

References:

• Oxenden, C., Latham-Koening, Ch., Brennan, B., and Martin, B. 2008. New English File: Upper-intermediate Teacher’s Book. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Schilling, D. 2009. Jak wykształcić inteligencję emocjonalną. 50 pomysłów ćwiczeń – poziom podstawowy. Warszawa: Fraszka edukacyjna.

• Emotional Intelligence Activities for teens ages 13-18: http://ong.ohio.gov/frg/FRGresources/emotional_intellegence_13-18.