Emotional Intelligence and Academic Life During COVID-19
During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many students and teachers have been forced to transition to a blended learning format, a learning approach that combines online learning opportunities with the traditional in-person classroom approach. This transition may have affected students’ study habits and cognitive engagement. Thus, a recent Chinese research study aimed to explore the direct and indirect relationship between several important characteristics of students in blended learning environments: their emotional intelligence, study habits, and cognitive engagement.
The study focused on the relationship between these three characteristics due to the significant influence of each on student learning and academic performance. For example, emotional intelligence (EI) is a key factor in a student’s academic career. It is an essential predictor of cognitive engagement and student learning, ability to regulate one’s emotional and social skills, and ultimately capability of producing positive energy from emotional or negative energy. Study habits, which include study strategies and practices, have been widely analyzed to determine which are most effective and what factors affect them. EI is critical for developing good study habits, which in turn are crucial for academic success and stability. Last, cognitive engagement allows students to use their previous knowledge and apply it to real-world problems. Because cognitive engagement directly affects self-regulation and academic motivation, it is critical to academic performance.
The study used a voluntary survey questionnaire with 26 statements, each of which participants responded to on a Likert scale to indicate their level of agreement. This was done to measure the EI, study habits, and cognitive engagement of 338 university students in Hunan, China. The questionnaire assessed EI through statements in four domains: self awareness (for example, “I know my moods are easily affected by external events,”) self-motivation (for example, “I learn to do better next time,”) regulation of emotion (for example, “I can talk to someone if I am very upset,”) and social skills (for example, “It is easy for me to make friends.”) Cognitive engagement and study habits were assessed through level of agreement with items such as “I can relate to the lessons learned in the classroom with a solution to the real-life problem,” and “I do my assignments regularly,” respectively. The results of the questionnaire were then statistically analyzed to determine relationships between the variables.
The study focused on the relationship between these three characteristics due to the significant influence of each on student learning and academic performance. For example, emotional intelligence (EI) is a key factor in a student’s academic career. It is an essential predictor of cognitive engagement and student learning, ability to regulate one’s emotional and social skills, and ultimately capability of producing positive energy from emotional or negative energy. Study habits, which include study strategies and practices, have been widely analyzed to determine which are most effective and what factors affect them. EI is critical for developing good study habits, which in turn are crucial for academic success and stability. Last, cognitive engagement allows students to use their previous knowledge and apply it to real-world problems. Because cognitive engagement directly affects self-regulation and academic motivation, it is critical to academic performance.
The study used a voluntary survey questionnaire with 26 statements, each of which participants responded to on a Likert scale to indicate their level of agreement. This was done to measure the EI, study habits, and cognitive engagement of 338 university students in Hunan, China. The questionnaire assessed EI through statements in four domains: self awareness (for example, “I know my moods are easily affected by external events,”) self-motivation (for example, “I learn to do better next time,”) regulation of emotion (for example, “I can talk to someone if I am very upset,”) and social skills (for example, “It is easy for me to make friends.”) Cognitive engagement and study habits were assessed through level of agreement with items such as “I can relate to the lessons learned in the classroom with a solution to the real-life problem,” and “I do my assignments regularly,” respectively. The results of the questionnaire were then statistically analyzed to determine relationships between the variables.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected many students’ emotional intelligence, which also negatively impacted their cognitive engagement and study habits.
Image Source: DariuszSankowski
The results indicated that self-awareness and self-management positively affect study habits, showing that EI promotes a positive relationship with study habits. The four EI domains mentioned above also positively impacted cognitive engagement, demonstrating that they provide support for cognitive engagement. There was also a direct positive relationship between cognitive engagement and study habits. Lastly, cognitive engagement was shown to mediate the connection between the four EI domains and study habits. However, there were notable limitations to the study. The 338 participants were from universities located in Hunan, China studying health sciences, producing a small and potentially biased sample that affected the generalizability of the results. Future studies should include students from more diverse fields, among other demographic factors such as age and geographic location.
Students face greater-than-usual challenges in building good study habits in blended learning environments during the pandemic. EI helps students develop their study habits to greater effect; cognitive engagement strengthens the connection between EI and study habits. The researchers recommended that universities integrate EI and cognitive engagement into their curriculum to ultimately improve student study habits. They also advised that instructors strive to both teach information and focus on the students themselves by identifying students with low EI to help develop their study habits. Finally, the researchers recommended that university administration train instructors to help them identify emotionally vulnerable pupils.
Students face greater-than-usual challenges in building good study habits in blended learning environments during the pandemic. EI helps students develop their study habits to greater effect; cognitive engagement strengthens the connection between EI and study habits. The researchers recommended that universities integrate EI and cognitive engagement into their curriculum to ultimately improve student study habits. They also advised that instructors strive to both teach information and focus on the students themselves by identifying students with low EI to help develop their study habits. Finally, the researchers recommended that university administration train instructors to help them identify emotionally vulnerable pupils.
Featured Image Source: StartupStockPhotos
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