Emotional intelligence and beliefs about children, discipline and classroom practices among pre-service teachers
This research sought to explore how emotional intelligence (EI) shapes the beliefs of pre-service teachers with respect to issues such as classroom management and student behavior. 101 pre-service teachers were recruited from undergraduate and graduate education courses at a private, mid-sized university. The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), which assesses emotional intelligence, the Teacher Belief Q-sort (TBQ), which assesses beliefs about children, classroom practices and classroom management, and a Self Report measure, which assesses the use of self assessment techniques, were administered. ^ EI had a medium effect size on age (r = .35, p<.01) suggesting that as age increases, so does Emotional Intelligence. Scores on the TBQ showed no relationship to age or level of education and scores on the EQ-i or TBQ were not related to gender. ^ A series of correlations and partial correlations revealed some relationships between EI and Teachers' Beliefs. The results showed a consistent specific relationship between all scales of EI and a preference for a classroom that was less teacher-directed. There was variability in the relationships between EI and other Teachers' Beliefs, such that when response bias was controlled for, the results showed that several correlations were largely a function of social desirability rather than a relationship between constructs. ^ There were some relationships between EI and teachers beliefs but little correspondence between teachers' beliefs and self-assessment practices and also between EI and self-assessment practices. ^ Recommendations for teacher training programs, implications for future research and a discussion regarding the application of this study for school-clinical child psychology are presented. ^
Education, Educational Psychology|Education, Teacher Training|Psychology, Developmental
Maryclare E Flanagan,
"Emotional intelligence and beliefs about children, discipline and classroom practices among pre-service teachers"
(January 1, 2009).
ETD Collection for Pace University.