document 3 feb 27 2009 b w parker

1

Emotional Intelligence: Exploring the Education & Wellness Implications

James D. A. Parker,

Canada Research Chair in Emotion & Health

Trent University, Ontario

2

Outline

• pre-history of EI

• overview of EI models

• EI: the transition to adulthood perspective • EI: the child and adolescent perspective

3

Pre-History of EI: the Educational Psychology Perspective

• “social intelligence” (Thorndike, 1920)

• “nonintellective intelligence” (Wechsler, 1940)

• “multiple intelligence” (Garner, 1983)

• “practical intelligence” (Sternberg, 1985)

4

Pre-History of EI: the Clinical Perspective

• “psychological mindedness” (McCallum & Piper, 1997)

• “need for cognition” (Cacioppo & Petty, 1982)

• “levels of emotional awareness” (Lane & Schwartz, 1987)

• “alexithymia” (Sifneos, 1973)

5

Emotional Intelligence: Historical Overview

• Salovey & Mayer (1989/1990)

• Goleman (1995)• Bar-On (1997)

6

Bar-On Model of EI

InterpersonalAbilities

IntrapersonalAbilities

StressManagementAbilities

AdaptabilityAbilities

7

EI Models

• EI distinct from cognitive abilities• EI abilities develop over time• changes throughout life

• can be improved through training and remedial programs

8

EI across childhood/adolescence (EQ-i:YV)

0

10

20

30

40

50

7to8 9to10 11to12 13to14 15to16 17to18

Age-group

9

EI across adulthood (EQ-i)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Decade of life

10

When does EI change? (the importance of transitions)

• from elementary school to high school• high school to the workplace• high school to university• from single to being married• transition to parenthood• losing a job (changing jobs)• from marriage to divorce

11

EI as Vulnerability for Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Young Adults

• 1st year Trent undergraduates (n = 1616; 472 men & 1144 women)

• rated themselves on EI, social anxiety & ADHD symptoms at the start of term (Sept.)

12

EI:EQ-i:Short

ADHD(CAARS)

-.73

-.68

EI:EQ-i:Short

Social Anxiety(SIAS)

-.77

-.75

Note: results for men above the arrow; women below

13

Family Study: EI and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

• sample consists of 192 families (children and both biological parents)

• children (91 males and 101 females) ranged in age from 8 to 16 years

14

Measures

Children• EQ-i:YV• Children’s Depression

Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992)

• Conners’ Rating Scale-Self Report (CRS; Conners, 1997)

Parents• EQ-i• CDI (Parent rating-

form; Kovacs, 2005)

• CRS (Parent rating-form)

15

Father’sRatings

Mother’sRatings

SelfRatings

Child’sMood

Child’sEI

.68

.83

.52

-.66

EI and depression symptoms

16

Father’sRatings

Mother’sRatings

SelfRatings

Child’sConduct

Child’sEI

.70

.51

.46

-.47

EI and conduct problems

17

Father’sRatings

Mother’sRatings

SelfRatings

Child’sConduct

Child’sEI

.50

.51

.51

-.52

EI and ADHD symptoms

18

EI: the Post-Secondary Perspective

19

Why do students withdraw?

• is there a link between academic success and EI?

20

Personal problems

Change of programs

Economic/healthproblemsOther

Reasons students withdraw

21

Common “personal problems”

• problems making new relationships • problems modifying existing

relationships (e.g., living apart) • difficulties learning new study habits

• problems learning to be independent

22

Trent Academic Success & Wellness Project (TASWP)

• phase 1 started in Sept. (1999) at Trent University

• initial goal was to develop an assessment protocol to identify 1st-year students at risk for “failure” using the EQ-i:Short.

• focus was on full-time students coming to Trent within 24 months of graduation from high-school

23

• 2 groups of particular interest:

‾ "successful" students (1st-year GPA of 80% or better)

‾ "unsuccessful" students (1st-year GPA of 59% or less)

TASWP (predicting academic success; Parker et al., 2004)

24

Two groups not significantly different on:

• high school GPA

• age• course load at start of year

25

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Inter Intra Adapt StressM

80% or better59% or less

**

* p < .05

*

Mean EQ-i scores for 1st year students (GPA 80% or better vs. 59% or less)

26

Predicting “successful” and “unsuccessful” students using EI

Correct PredictionIncorrect Prediction

Correct PredictionIncorrect Prediction

Successful Unsuccessful

27

TASWP (predicting retention; Parker et al., 2005)

• 2 groups of interest:

‾ students who withdrew at some point before the start of 2nd year

‾ 2nd-year students at Trent (randomly matched with the 1st group on age, gender, and year starting at Trent)

28

Predicting students who persist vs. students who withdraw using EI

Correct Prediction

Incorrect PredictionCorrect PredictionIncorrect Prediction

Persist Withdraw

29

Replication & Extension of TASW

Project • 2000-2008: Trent U. (n = 7,000+); replication of

results using 3 different EI-related measures• 2002: US Pilot Project (n = 1,426)

– UNC Charlotte, U. Charleston, Georgia Southern U., U. Southern Mississippi, West Virginia U., Fairmont State College

• 2005-2008: several Ontario Colleges (n = 2,500)• 2003-2008: US/Europe Retention Projects (n =

11,000+ at 12 different institutions)

30

EI: Elementary and Secondary Perspectives

31

Trent Academic Success & Wellness Project (High School Performance; Parker, Creque et al., 2004)

• May 2002: students (grade 9 to 12) attending a high school in Huntsville, Alabama (n = 742) completed the EQ-i:YV during a home-room period

32

2 groups identified: • 138 students scoring at the 80th

percentile or better (for their grade) on end of year GPA

• 131 students scoring at the 20th percentile or less (for their grade) on end of year GPA

33

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

Inter Intra Adapt StressM

80th or better20th or less

*

*

* p < .05

*

Mean EQ-i:YV scores for high school students (80th percentile or better vs. 20th or less)

34

Lindsay Elementary School Study (Parker, unpublished)

• sample consisted of 72 students (42 males, 30 females) attending an elementary school in Lindsay, Ontario

• students ranged in age from 7-12 years (mean = 9.40 years; SD=1.16)

• completed the EQ-i:YV in Sept. and June

35

Predicting Academic Success

Correct Prediction

Incorrect Prediction

Above Average Below Average

36

Peterborough “Problem Child” Study

Conduct Problems Sample• 62 boys & 39 girls (7-17 yrs) recruited via

Children’s Aid Societies (CAS) • all in care of the CAS for at least 6 months (due

to previous or current emotional & behavioral problems)

• 83% were in a residential setting (group home); 17% were in foster care

37

Community Sample

• 101 children & adolescents randomly selected from the large EQ-i:YV normative pool (n = 9,172)

• matched with Group 1 on the basis of age and sex

38

Predicting “community sample” using EI

Correct PredictionIncorrect Prediction

39

Predicting “conduct problems” sample using EI

Correct PredictionIncorrect Prediction

40

Final thoughts: How can EI information be leveraged?

• supplemental information when working with special populations

• identifying children at risk for developing internalizing and/or externalizing problems

• useful information while monitoring treatment/intervention

• useful information for program or curriculum evaluation

41

Contact Information

James D. A. Parker,Dept. of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, ONK9J 7B8 Tel: 705-748-1011 x1283 Fax: 705-748-1580 jparker@trentu.ca