Development of emotional intelligence of university students through foreign (English) language learning

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Sumy National Agrarian University

Development of emotional intelligence of university students through foreign (English) language learning

Berezniak O.P., Senior Lecturer at the Foreign Languages

at the Department

Shcherbyna Y.M.,

Senior Lecturer at the Foreign Languages

at the Department

Abstract

It is not by chance that the ability to communicate effectively has become the basis of new educational standards. Over the past few decades many studies have been focused on the topic of personality «success». Scientists have come to the conclusion that a high level of IQ isn't only the main factor of success in real life. Hundreds of successful people, who achieved career results in professional sphere, were tested and it was defined that the ability to get on well in society, build good relationships, control own emotions and understand the emotions of other people are things that matter. Emotional intelligence (EI) plays a very significant role in our life. It has been explored by scientists in different areas: psychology, business management, foreign language learning. As we are living through a very difficult period, the importance of EI formation is great. The paper deals with the problem of developing (EI) through foreign (English) language learning in educational institutions. From the author's viewpoint, any student of an educational institution except acquired knowledge and skills must develop so-called «flexible skills» that will help him (her) solve life problems or problems that concern the professional sphere. The subject «Foreign language» becomes an excellent tool for solving these problems as teaching a foreign language is about learning how to communicate. Foreign (English) language teachers set up definite educational goals choosing methods and techniques how to teach effectively and they pay special attention to the development of EI. It's been stated that the learning of a foreign language can influence effectively on a personality as a teacher proposes to students a great variety of exercises and techniques that make a positive impact on emotional and psychological state of mind and promote better English learning. Techniques proposed in the article will allow students to identify and manage their own emotions and evaluate the feelings and emotions of other people.

Thus, the mentioned in the article exercises contribute much to the development of students' communication skills on the one hand, and are perfect instruments for personal development on the other hand.

Key words: emotional intelligence, mental health, social environment, the learning process, communication skills, learning techniques.

Анотація

РОЗВИТОК ЕМОЦІЙНОГО ІНТЕЛЕКТУ СТУДЕНТІВ ВИШІВ ЗА ДОПОМОГОЮ ВИВЧЕННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ (АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ) МОВИ

Невипадково вміння ефективно спілкуватися стало основою нових освітніх стандартів. За останні кілька десятиліть багато досліджень було присвячено темі «успіху» особистості. Вчені прийшли до висновку, що високий рівень IQ є не тільки головним фактором успіху в житті. Сотні успішних людей, які досягли певних результатів у своїй кар'єрі, брали учать у тестуванні. Результати показали, що здатність знаходити спільну мову з людьми у суспільстві, будувати добрі стосунки, контролювати власні емоції та розуміти емоції інших людей - це те, що дійсно важливо для досягнення успіху. Емоційний інтелект (ЕІ) відіграє дуже важливу роль у житті. Вчені займалися його дослідженням у різних сферах науки: в психології, в управлінні бізнесом, у вивченні іноземної мови. Оскільки ми живемо у дуже складний час, важливість формування ЕІ є вагомою частиною загального психічного розвитку людини.

У статті розглядається проблема розвитку (EI) за допомогою вивчення іноземної (англійської) мови в закладах освіти. З точки зору автора, будь-який студент навчального закладу, крім набутих знань і умінь, повинен розвинути в собі так звані «гнучкі навички», які допоможуть йому вирішувати життєві проблеми або проблеми, які стосуються професійної сфери життя. Дисципліна «Іноземна мова» стає чудовим інструментом для вирішення цих проблем, оскільки метою викладання іноземної мови є формування комунікативної компетенції. Викладачі іноземної (англійської) мови ставлять перед собою певні освітні цілі, пропонуючи методи і техніки ефективного навчання і приділяють особливу увагу розвитку ЕІ. У статті визначено, що вивчення іноземної мови сприяє ефективному розвитку особистості завдяки тому, що викладач пропонує студентам велику кількість різноманітних вправ і технік, які позитивно впливають на емоційний та психологічний стан людини, сприяють кращому засвоєнню англійської мови. Вказані у статті техніки дозволять студентам виявляти власні емоції і навчитися управляти ними, оцінювати почуття та емоції інших людей.

Таким чином, розглянуті у статті вправи сприятимуть розвитку комунікативних навичок студентів, з одного боку, та з іншого, виступатимуть чудовими інструментами для особистісного розвитку людини.

Ключові слова: емоційний інтелект, психічне здоров'я, соціальне середовище, процес навчання, комунікативні навички, методи навчання.

Problem statement

Nowadays Ukraine faces one of the most difficult periods in its history due to the Russian aggression against the Ukrainian nation. Randomness and unpredictability of everyday life demonstrate how difficult it's for people to keep emotions under control and overcome difficulties. Fear, despair, uncertainty, anxiety are emotions that unfortunately dominate in our society these days. Especially the problem concerns the youth as the events we're living through can reflect negatively and be the reason of many health problems for young generation in future. Teachers of different educational establishments must take care of students, providing them with a good environment that promotes effective learning. A positive learning environment can lead to greater student achievement. It creates students, who feel comfortable, confident, who make friends easily, take risks and aren't afraid to make mistakes. learning psychological emotion

So, we suppose that the issue of emotional intelligence (hereinafter EI) in the sphere of education is of vital importance, as it's a factor that preserves mental health and adapts student youth to crisis situations, helping them to handle problems with creativity and patience. Furthermore, EI plays a great role in English learning, as it fosters a better understanding of language nuances, enhances learner motivation, improves communication skills, enriches learning experience. Foreign language teachers can increase life resources of student youth through a wide range of tools, achieving learning goals and creating an excellent social environment that supports the learning process.

Analysis of recent research and publications

A great number of foreign and Ukrainian scientists such as D. Goleman, H. Gardner, J. Mayer, P. Salovey, I. Andrieieva, E. Karpenko, V. Zaritskaya investigated the impact of emotional intelligence on learning and teaching in education. Many researchers consider that EI results from the interaction of intelligence and emotion. EI refers to an individual's capacity to understand and regulate emotions [2].

J. Mayer, D. Caruso, P. Salovey characterize emotional intelligence as the ability to perceive, evoke emotions, increase the effectiveness of thinking through emotions, understand and control them, i.e. emotional intelligence is interpreted as a combination of cognitive abilities and personal characteristics [8]. According to V. Zaritskaya EI influences on cognitive, emotional and behavioral spheres [6]. D. Goleman defines EI as follows: “... being able, for example, to reign in emotional impulse; to read another's innermost feelings, to handle relationships smoothly - as Aristotle put it, the rare skill `to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way”[4]. D. Goleman claims that a person's life success is determined not so much by the general level of mental development, but by those features of his mind that determine the ability to self-knowledge and emotional self-regulation, the ability to express feelings, understand and subtly react to the condition of other people. It is the level of emotional development that determines the life and professional success of people.

According to the scientist, the main purpose of EI development is focused on:

development of self-awareness (understanding emotions and ability to express them, identifying your own strengths and weaknesses);

self-control/self-motivation and emotion regulation (understanding the source of certain feelings and ability to cope with them effectively, taking responsibility for actions and mistakes and honoring commitments);

enhancing social skills (the ability to find solutions and build personal relationships);

developing empathy and understanding other people's reactions and emotions (to acquire skills to be a good listener, to have an ability to cooperate or resolve conflicts);

handling relationships;

team work (knowledge of when and how to take the lead, and when to follow the guidance of others);

decision-making (the ability to think about your actions and know their consequences, to track what influences decision-making: feelings or mind);

responsibility;

sincerity (the ability to build trusting relationships).

The purpose of the article. Psychological state and mental health during the war are extremely important. No doubt, studying and teaching in the current situation in Ukraine is complicated. Even when students are in relative safety, when they have an access to the internet and possibility to study online or in the specially equipped basements in educational establishments, the process of education isn't the same as before the war. Teachers take care of their students, do their best to provide them with good conditions that promote learning.

So, in the study we will concentrate on how EI can be developed and what techniques and activities can be implemented by English teachers at the lessons so that build confidence, create a positive atmosphere in the class, encourage students' cooperation, enhance their learning. As there is little research on the topic, we suppose the stated problem is the issue of the day.

Presentation of the main materials

The concepts of social and emotional functioning play a key role in student's life, as it's possible for students to use emotions effectively and productively in an adaptive manner. EI has a connection with social skills that are closely related to flexible skills, personal qualities and attitudes. So, foreign language learning is considered to be the most effective for development of EI. The purpose of any lesson is the formation of communicative competence. A foreign language is a unique subject, as it includes a wide range of human interests: literature, art, politics, sports, business, education, health, geography, science, etc. that easily makes it significant for any student. It is possible to model various communicative situations. Many experts in the field of linguodidactics believe that learning a foreign language has a significant impact on the formation of a student's personality and, in particular, his emotional sphere. EI helps increase the ability not only to understand emotions, but also to work with them; control self-esteem on the one hand, and negative emotions and reactions in response to them on the other hand. Interpersonal and emotional regulation of skills can play a key role in situations where students must cope with difficult aspects of academic life. We can talk about the close relation between EI and academic performance.

The presented in the article techniques and exercises can be recommended for English teachers as these methods that let deliver knowledge, facilitate learning and develop EI.

One of the most popular activity that English teachers usually start a lesson with is a warming-up activity. A lecturer can propose students describe and explain their feelings at that moment. Students receive flashcards with words like happy, angry, excited, worried, pleased, tired etc. Various phrases are offered to help students answer the questions. For example: pass exams, win the competition, receive bad news, work much at the report, sleep badly, buy new jeans etc. Here are some examples:

The Present Simple Tense: I am angry, when I get bad news. The Present Progressive Tense: I am happy, because I'm reading a greeting card. The Present Perfect Tense: I am tired, because I have worked much at my report.

So, demonstrating how one feels and explaining the state of emotions help students develop knowledge about own feelings and emotions of people around them. At the same time, grammar and lexical units are revised. This process promotes students' speaking skills development.

Another technique for EI development at English classes is an “active listening” technology. A psychologist Bradley Bush, the author of the book “The Science of Learning”, pays attention to active listening, developing self-awareness skills. Active listening allows students to focus on non-verbal cues, build trust and rapport and demonstrate concern and understanding. Teachers can encourage active listening by engaging students in two-way interactive dialogue that implies:

focusing on both yourself and the student during the dialogue;

awareness of its non-verbal signals;

understanding of all responses;

awareness of everything that is going on [1].

Such kind of work includes emotionally expressive coloring, which can be imitated (if the dialogue is built by a teacher), or valid (if the dialogue is presented by students and a text in the dialogue is based on students' personal experience).This approach is especially relevant when a teacher tries to get feedback and support active listening and motivation.

The next strategy for developing EI includes self-awareness activities. Since self-awareness involves tuning into our inner dialogue, exercises that help build self-awareness can be considered as the first steps towards challenging these irrational processes. It's possible to use lexical and phonetic tasks involving a psychoemotional content component at foreign language classes. These can be exercises for understanding and memorizing quotations, statements, conclusions with deep philosophical, vital meaning of famous people from different spheres of life: science, art, politics, law, medicine, business etc. Besides, it's possible to give such a task as “Complete the phrase ...”, where both grammar and vocabulary will be used, psychological aspects of self-awareness will be taken into consideration. Thus, developing students' self-awareness is one of the ways to help them cope with problems such as exam stress or anxiety before testing or public speaking and, at the same time, replenish their active vocabulary with new words, expressions, phraseological units, modal verbs, grammar structures.

One more exercise for promoting EI is aimed at developing a student's self-confidence. The exercise allows learners to express their feelings, increasing self-confidence and self-esteem. In this exercise students are encouraged to start a conversation, which begins with asking someone for something and expressing feelings at the same time. To start the exercise, it is advisable to make a “list of social problems” and prepare cards. Ideally, each challenge card should reflect the social situation associated with the student and correspond to the student's age or the specifics of his future professional activity. A lexical and grammatical context is deliberately chosen. After that each student randomly takes a card and completes the task.

We can't but mention interesting TED lectures that can be informative both for teachers and students as they touch upon the problems of EI development. Here is the list of top 5 topics that tickle students' fancy on the topic.

Daniel Goleman “Why aren't we more compassionate?” [5];

Guy Winch “Why we all need to practice emotional first aid” [10];

Pamela Meyer “How to recognize a liar” [9];

Dan Gilbert “Why we make bad decisions” [3].

Discussions. This kind of activity is very important for developing students' communicative skills. Our attention is paid to special strong/limited agreement and disagreement statements:

We consider the following set of statements is powerful, as it gives students possibility to express their different emotions during hot discussions.

Fig. 1. Special strong/limited agreement and disagreement statements

Conclusions

Thus, foreign language is not only an academic discipline the aim of which is to master speech competence in a foreign language for communication in social and everyday spheres of human activity, but it's also significant for development of a student's personality. The global trends of the modern world are such that the importance of emotional competence in life increases more and more. Language teachers must pay attention to this fact and conduct lessons implementing techniques and activities in such a way that can contribute much to students' EI development.

References

1. Busch B., Watson E. The Science of Learning: 77 Studies that Every Teacher Needs to Know. Routledge, 2019. P. 188.

2. Cherry K. How psychologists evaluate intelligence. 2018. 248 p.

3. Gilbert D. Why we make bad decisions. TED Ideas worth spreading. 2005.

4. Goleman, D. Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam Books. 1995. P. 13.

5. Goleman D. "Why aren't we more compassionate?” TED Ideas worth spreading. 2007.

6. Зарицька В. В. Соціально-психологічні чинники розвитку емоційного інтелекту: Науковий вісник Ужгородського національного університету. Серія «Психологія», 2021. Вип. 2. С. 19-22.

7. Lazarus R. S. Emotion and adaptation. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. 334 p.

8. Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. Emotional Intelligence Theory, Findings, and Implications. Psychological Inquiry, 2004. V. 15. P. 197-215.

9. Meyer P. "How to recognize a liar”. TED Ideas worth spreading. 2011.

10. Winch G. Why we all need to practice emotional first aid. TED Ideas worth spreading.2014.

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