🧠 Journal Summary: The Heart and Art of Robotics: From AI to Artificial Emotional Intelligence in STEM Education

Authors: Christopher Dignam, Candace M. Smith, Amy L. Kelly

Published In: Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health (JESEH)

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in education, specifically focusing on the integration of artificial emotional intelligence (AEI) into learning systems. Its primary goal was to explore how AEI-powered robotics can enhance student engagement, cognitive development, and social-emotional learning across various educational levels, from early childhood to higher education.

💡 Key Concepts

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): The simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems, to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. In education, AI can automate instructional processes.
• Robotics: The branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots.
• Artificial Emotional Intelligence (AEI): A subset of AI that allows machines to recognize, interpret, process, and simulate human emotions. In education, AEI enables robots to respond affectively to students’ emotional states.
• STEM/STEAM Education: An educational approach that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, fostering interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary learning.
• Constructivist Learning Theory: A theory that emphasizes learners constructing their own understanding and knowledge through experiences and reflecting on those experiences.
• Experiential Learning Theory: A theory where learning occurs through a hands-on approach, allowing learners to acquire knowledge, skills, and values from direct experiences.
• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): The process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

📊 Key Insights

• The evolution of AI and robotics in education is shifting from basic automation towards systems capable of emotionally responsive learning through AEI.
• AEI introduces an emotional dimension to AI-driven robotics by enabling them to recognize and respond to human emotions, which can significantly enhance learning.
• The study found that AEI can improve student motivation, problem-solving abilities, and collaboration.
• Emotionally intelligent robotics help create adaptive learning environments that can adjust to students’ emotional states, promoting better engagement.
• The integration of AEI-powered robotics is supported by constructivist and experiential learning theories, particularly within interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary STEAM education.
• Challenges such as data privacy concerns, potential inaccuracies in emotion recognition, and equitable access to robotics need to be addressed for ethical implementation.

📘 Example Application

Imagine a high school physics class where students are designing and programming robots to perform complex tasks. An AEI-powered robot, acting as a learning assistant, observes a student struggling with a particular coding sequence, displaying frustration.

The robot, recognizing the emotional state, could then offer a simplified explanation of the concept, suggest a collaborative activity with a peer, or even provide a calming visual prompt, helping the student overcome their emotional barrier and re-engage with the problem. This real-time emotional responsiveness fosters a more supportive and effective learning environment.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

The findings of this paper highlight a crucial shift in educational technology: moving beyond purely functional automation to incorporating emotional intelligence. This is vital because learning is not just a cognitive process; it’s deeply intertwined with emotions.

When educational tools, like robots, can understand and respond to a student’s feelings, it opens up new avenues for personalized and empathetic learning experiences. Addressing the identified challenges, such as privacy and accuracy, will be key to unlocking the full potential of AEI in education and creating more humane and effective learning environments.

📌 Takeaway

The integration of artificial emotional intelligence into robotics holds significant promise for transforming STEM/STEAM education by creating adaptive and emotionally responsive learning environments that enhance student engagement and development. However, careful consideration of ethical implications and practical challenges is essential for its successful implementation.

🧠 Journal Summary: Effects of Mindfulness-Based Therapy and Counseling Group on Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness of Clinical Psychology Students

Authors: Phamornpun Yurayat, Patcharin Katsatasri, Gamon Savatsomboon

Published In: International Education Studies

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated the impact of mindfulness-based group therapy and counseling on the emotional well-being of clinical psychology students. The main goal was to assess how such interventions could affect their emotional intelligence, mindfulness, stress levels, happiness, self-compassion, and compassion for others.

The researchers used a quasi-experimental design with fourteen fourth-year undergraduate clinical psychology students in northeastern Thailand, who were selected due to slightly elevated stress levels.

💡 Key Concepts

• Emotional Intelligence (EI): The ability to skillfully identify, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, while also empathizing with the emotions of others. It helps individuals navigate difficult situations with resilience and make informed decisions.
• Mindfulness: The practice of being fully aware of the present moment and accepting thoughts and feelings without judgment. It enhances mental clarity and emotional stability. Mindfulness-based therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms while improving mental health and happiness.
• Mindfulness-Based Therapy (MBT): A therapeutic approach that utilizes mindfulness techniques to improve emotional well-being and reduce stress.

📊 Key Insights

• Immediately after the intervention and three months later, participants showed significantly higher levels of emotional intelligence, mindfulness, happiness, self-compassion, and compassion for others compared to before the intervention.
• Stress levels significantly decreased after the intervention and remained lower three months later.
• The findings suggest that incorporating mindfulness-based therapy and counseling can effectively enhance emotional well-being and reduce stress among clinical psychology students.
• Clinical psychology students often face challenges like stress and burnout during their professional training due to factors like feelings of incompetence, excessive workload, and constant evaluation.
• Emotional intelligence is crucial for medical personnel as it positively influences physical, mental, and social well-being by improving emotional resilience, social support, empathy, and job satisfaction, while also reducing stress and burnout.

📘 Example Application

In a university setting, a student support center could implement a mandatory or elective mindfulness-based therapy and counseling program for clinical psychology students, particularly those in their practical training or internships. This program could include weekly group sessions focusing on mindfulness exercises, emotional regulation techniques, and self-compassion practices.

The goal would be to equip students with tools to manage the high stress and emotional demands of their studies and future careers, thereby improving their overall well-being and professional effectiveness, similar to the positive outcomes observed in this study.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

These findings are very important because they highlight practical ways to support the mental health of future clinical psychologists, who will be responsible for helping others manage their mental well-being.

By fostering emotional intelligence and mindfulness early in their education, we can help them build resilience, manage stress, and become more empathetic and effective professionals. This, in turn, can lead to better patient care and a healthier workforce in the mental health field.

📌 Takeaway

Mindfulness-based therapy and counseling are effective tools for enhancing emotional intelligence and reducing stress, proving crucial for the well-being and professional development of clinical psychology students.

🧠 Journal Summary: Parenting style and emotional intelligence as the predictors of academic buoyancy among the senior secondary students

Authors: Sarab Tej Singh, Satish Kumar, Vishal Singh

Published In: Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn)

🔍 Study Summary

This research investigated the relationship between academic buoyancy, emotional intelligence, and parenting styles among senior secondary students in Punjab, India. The study aimed to understand how academic buoyancy varies based on parenting styles and emotional intelligence, and to compare academic buoyancy across students from different academic streams (science, commerce, and arts).

The motivation for the study stemmed from the stressful nature of the Indian educational system and its impact on student performance, highlighting the need to enhance academic buoyancy.

💡 Key Concepts

• Academic Buoyancy: This refers to an individual’s strength to effectively manage daily academic challenges, obstacles, and failures in learning environments while maintaining a positive attitude and persistence towards their academic goals. It involves the ability to recover from setbacks faced during learning.
• Emotional Intelligence: This involves the capacity to identify and comprehend one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. The study notes that emotions are influenced by life experiences and affect daily activities.
• Parenting Styles: These are the various approaches parents use in raising their children, which are fundamental to a child’s socialization, development of worldviews, and learning social norms. The study highlights the significant impact of the parent-child relationship on a child’s development.

📊 Key Insights

• Academic buoyancy and emotional intelligence were found to be significantly higher in girls compared to boys.
• Significant differences in parenting styles were observed based on gender.
• There was a significant difference in all variables (academic buoyancy, emotional intelligence, and parenting styles) based on the academic stream of the students.
• A significant positive relationship exists between academic buoyancy and emotional intelligence.
• Both emotional intelligence and parenting styles were identified as significant predictors of academic buoyancy.

📘 Example Application

In a high school setting, school counselors and administrators can organize workshops for parents to educate them about different parenting styles and their impact on a child’s academic resilience. For instance, parents practicing a democratic parenting style, which was found to be the most prevalent and effective, could be encouraged to foster open communication and provide autonomy, thereby nurturing their children’s emotional intelligence and academic buoyancy.

Simultaneously, schools could implement programs that specifically enhance emotional intelligence skills among students, such as stress management techniques or conflict resolution, particularly for boys and students in streams that show lower academic buoyancy, helping them better cope with academic pressures and improve their overall performance.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

These findings are crucial because they underscore the interconnectedness of home environment, emotional well-being, and academic success. For parents, understanding how their parenting style can directly influence their child’s ability to bounce back from academic setbacks offers practical guidance.

For educators and policymakers, recognizing the predictive power of emotional intelligence and adapting support systems based on gender and academic stream can lead to more targeted and effective interventions, ultimately creating a more resilient and positive learning environment for all students.

📌 Takeaway

This research highlights that fostering academic buoyancy in students can be achieved by enhancing their emotional intelligence and adopting supportive parenting styles, providing a pathway for parents and educators to collaboratively build more resilient and successful learners.

🧠 Journal Summary: The mediating and moderating effects of mindfulness and emotional intelligence on the emotional labor strategies and career resilience of tourism employees

Authors: Xin Zhang, Ruoqi Zhao, Yike Li, Shuhuang Wu, Ting Xiao, Wenhao Pan & Wenlong Wang

Published In: Scientific Reports

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated the role of emotional labor strategies among Chinese tourism employees within communication contexts. Its primary goal was to explore how mindfulness, acting as a mediating variable, and emotional intelligence, acting as a moderating variable, affect the career resilience of these employees. The research aimed to provide empirical evidence for improving communication efficiency and work motivation in the tourism sector.

💡 Key Concepts

• Emotional Labor Strategies: This refers to how individuals manage their emotions to display expressions or behaviors that meet job expectations. It includes:
  • Surface acting: Adjusting external emotional expressions without changing internal feelings.
  • Deep acting: Regulating and transforming internal emotions to align with organizational needs.
  • Authentic behavior: A natural expression where an employee’s true emotions match the organizational requirements.
• Career Resilience: The ability of employees to cope with pressure, challenges, and uncertainties, and to continuously adapt and grow in their careers, particularly in dynamic industries like tourism.
• Mindfulness: A trait involving actively facing the present, focusing on it, objectively accepting it, and maintaining alertness and quick thinking. It helps individuals acknowledge feelings without criticism or avoidance.
• Emotional Intelligence: An individual’s capacity to evaluate, express, recognize, and effectively utilize their own emotions, guiding their thoughts and behaviors, and managing relationships with others.
• Conservation of Resources (COR) theory: A theory positing that individuals strive to obtain, retain, protect, and build resources, including emotional resources, which can be depleted or built through emotional labor strategies.

📊 Key Insights

• There is a significant correlation between emotional labor strategies, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and career resilience.
• Surface acting behavior has a significant negative predictive effect on mindfulness, suggesting it depletes emotional resources and may weaken career resilience.
• Authentic behavior significantly and positively predicts both mindfulness and career resilience.
• Mindfulness can directly and positively predict career resilience.
• Mindfulness serves as a mediating variable between authentic behavior and career resilience, meaning authentic emotional expression fosters mindfulness, which in turn enhances resilience.
• Emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between mindfulness and career resilience, allowing employees to be more sensitive to others’ emotions and convey their own effectively, thereby strengthening the positive impact of mindfulness on resilience.

📘 Example Application

In a hotel setting, management could implement mindfulness training programs for customer service staff. This training would encourage employees to practice authentic emotional expression rather than just surface acting when dealing with challenging guests. By fostering mindfulness, employees would be better equipped to manage their stress and emotional exhaustion, leading to increased job satisfaction and a greater sense of achievement.

With higher emotional intelligence, these employees could also better understand and respond to guest needs, enhancing both service quality and their own career resilience within the demanding hospitality industry.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

The findings of this study underscore the critical interplay between emotional regulation, self-awareness, and resilience in demanding service environments like tourism. It provides valuable insights for organizations seeking to enhance employee well-being and performance by not just focusing on external behaviors but also nurturing internal psychological resources.

Understanding these dynamics can help cultivate a more resilient workforce capable of navigating challenges effectively.

📌 Takeaway

Authentic emotional expression, coupled with mindfulness and emotional intelligence, significantly enhances an employee’s ability to cope with workplace demands and build lasting career resilience. Investing in emotional well-being and self-awareness training can lead to a more adaptable and effective workforce.

🧠 Journal Summary: The Relationship Between Job Stress, Resilience, Emotional Intelligence, and Job Satisfaction Among College Teachers

Authors: Xieping Chen & Qian Xie

Published In: Scientific Reports

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated how job stress and emotional intelligence influence job satisfaction among college teachers, specifically exploring the mediating role of resilience and the moderating role of gender. The research aimed to provide practical insights for improving working conditions and promoting psychological well-being among educators in the increasingly competitive and evolving higher education landscape.

💡 Key Concepts

• Job Stress (JS): Psychological or physiological responses that occur when an individual’s characteristics clash with job demands, potentially harming performance and overall well-being. For college teachers, this can arise from factors like excessive workload, time pressure, student management, and insufficient resources.
• Emotional Intelligence (EI): The ability to perceive, understand, and regulate emotions effectively, supporting personal growth and adaptation. High emotional intelligence helps individuals manage their own emotions and those of others, cope with stressful situations, and prevent resource depletion.
• Resilience (RES): The capacity to effectively cope with, adjust to, and recover from adversity, trauma, or significant stress. It serves as a crucial psychological resource, helping individuals mitigate resource loss and gain new adaptive resources.
• Job Satisfaction (JSF): A positive emotional state experienced when an individual’s work fulfills their personal values. For college teachers, it specifically refers to a positive emotional outlook formed after a comprehensive evaluation of various aspects of their teaching practices.

📊 Key Insights

• Job Stress (JS) negatively impacts Job Satisfaction (JSF): Higher levels of job stress lead to lower job satisfaction among college teachers.
• Emotional Intelligence (EI) positively impacts Job Satisfaction (JSF): Teachers with higher emotional intelligence tend to experience greater job satisfaction.
• Resilience (RES) mediates the relationship: Resilience partially explains how job stress and emotional intelligence affect job satisfaction. It helps to lessen the negative impact of job stress and amplify the positive influence of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction.
• Gender moderates the relationships: The study found significant gender differences in how these factors influence job satisfaction:
  • Female teachers’ job satisfaction is more sensitive to decreases caused by job stress compared to male teachers.
  • Emotional intelligence has a more pronounced positive effect on job satisfaction for female teachers.
  • Resilience has a more significant positive impact on job satisfaction for male teachers, indicating they are better equipped to cope with workplace challenges through resilience.

📘 Example Application

To improve teacher retention and well-being, a university could develop gender-specific support programs. For instance, they might offer emotional regulation workshops tailored for female faculty to help them leverage their emotional intelligence in managing stress.

Simultaneously, for male faculty, programs focusing on building resilience and proactive problem-solving strategies could be beneficial. Additionally, reducing excessive workload and improving access to resources would create a more universally supportive environment, enhancing job satisfaction across all faculty members.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

These findings are crucial because they highlight that supporting college teachers’ well-being isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Recognizing the different ways job stress, emotional intelligence, and resilience impact job satisfaction based on gender allows for more tailored and effective interventions.

By focusing on both individual psychological resources and organizational support, universities can create a healthier and more productive environment for their faculty, ultimately benefiting the quality of education.

📌 Takeaway

This study underscores that resilience and emotional intelligence are vital psychological resources for college teachers, significantly buffering the negative effects of job stress and boosting job satisfaction, with gender playing a key role in these dynamics. Implementing gender-sensitive support systems can enhance teacher well-being and stability in demanding academic environments.

🧠 Journal Summary: Exploring the Relationship between Test-Anxiety, Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance among University Students

Authors: Khalida Rauf and Naveed Iqbal

Published In: Journal of Education and Educational Development, Vol. 11, No. 1, 2024

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated the connections among test anxiety, emotional intelligence, and academic performance in university students from both public and private sectors in Karachi, Pakistan. Its main goals were to understand these relationships and to identify any differences based on gender or the type of university (public vs. private). The research used a quantitative, cross-sectional design, gathering data from a sample of 388 university students.

💡 Key Concepts

• Test Anxiety: This refers to the emotional distress an individual feels during test situations, often stemming from self-doubt. It can lead to unhelpful responses like worry and fear, hindering performance.
• Emotional Intelligence (EI): This is the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions, and to use this understanding to function effectively in daily life and during tasks. It also encompasses social, behavioral, and emotional tendencies that contribute to overall performance.
• Academic Performance: In this study, academic performance was measured by students’ grades from their last two semesters.

📊 Key Insights

• The study found an inverse relationship between test anxiety and emotional intelligence, meaning that as test anxiety increases, emotional intelligence tends to decrease.
• There was also an inverse relationship between test anxiety and academic performance; higher test anxiety was associated with lower academic performance.
• A positive relationship was identified between emotional intelligence and academic performance, suggesting that higher emotional intelligence correlates with better academic results.
• Gender differences were observed in test anxiety, with female students generally reporting higher levels. However, no significant gender differences were found in emotional intelligence within this study’s sample.
• While students from public and private universities showed differences in test anxiety levels, there was no significant difference in their emotional intelligence scores.
• Emotional intelligence plays a vital role in helping to reduce anxiety and improve performance in academic settings.

📘 Example Application

A university could implement comprehensive psychological support programs aimed at improving students’ emotional intelligence and test-taking strategies. For example, before major exam periods, the university could offer workshops on “Emotional Regulation for Exam Success.”

These workshops would teach students practical techniques to manage their test anxiety, such as mindfulness exercises, cognitive reframing, and effective study habits. By fostering these emotional skills, students could better utilize their intelligence and knowledge, leading to improved academic performance and overall well-being.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

These findings highlight how crucial emotional intelligence is for academic success, especially in handling test-related stress. For educators and institutions, this means we shouldn’t just focus on academic content but also on developing students’ emotional skills.

By understanding how emotional intelligence, test anxiety, and performance interact, we can create more supportive learning environments that help students reach their full potential, both in their studies and in life.

📌 Takeaway

Cultivating emotional intelligence is vital for university students, as it positively influences academic performance and helps manage test anxiety, enabling them to navigate academic challenges more effectively. Educational institutions should prioritize integrating emotional skill development and psychological support to enhance student well-being and academic success.

🧠 Journal Summary: Examination of the correlation between emotional intelligence and prosocial behavior of physical education and sports school students doing individual and team sports

Authors: Burcu Sıla Sezer, Varol Tutal

Published In: Acta Psychologica

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated the connection between emotional intelligence levels and prosocial behavior among university students studying physical education and sports. It specifically looked at how these factors relate in students participating in either individual or team sports. Using a quantitative relational screening model, the research collected data from 542 university students in Turkey. The goal was to contribute to the limited existing literature on emotional intelligence and prosocial behavior within a sports context.

💡 Key Concepts

• Emotional Intelligence: This refers to an individual’s ability to recognize and understand their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. In sports, it’s considered vital for athletes to manage their emotional states effectively before, during, and after competitions. The study assessed emotional intelligence using the “Revised Schutte Scale,” which includes dimensions like Optimism/Mood Regulation, Use of Emotions, and Evaluation of Emotions.
• Prosocial Behavior (Positive Social Behavior): Defined as situations where individuals intentionally and actively help others. In the realm of sports, this concept aligns with athletes displaying positive, moral behaviors, such as fair play. The “Positive Social Behavior Scale” was used to measure this, encompassing sub-dimensions like Public, Emotional, Altruistic, Obedient, Anonymous, and Emergency Positive Social Behavior.
• Individual and Team Sports: The study differentiated between individual sports, where responsibility rests solely on the individual, and team sports, which are group activities aimed at outperforming an opposing team. The research explored how these different sport types might influence emotional intelligence and prosocial behavior.

📊 Key Insights

• Significant gender-based differences were observed in the “use of emotions” and “optimism/mood regulation” sub-dimensions of emotional intelligence.
• Female individual athletes demonstrated higher levels in the “use of emotions” sub-dimension compared to males.
• Among team athletes, females exhibited higher levels in “use of emotions,” “emotion evaluation,” “optimism/mood regulation,” and overall emotional intelligence than their male counterparts.
• Gender also led to significant differences across several positive social behavior sub-dimensions, including public, anonymous, immediate, emotional, and obedient positive social behavior, as well as the total scale.
• A notable difference in “obedient good social conduct” was found across various sports types.
• Overall, the study concluded that there are positive, moderately significant associations between emotional intelligence and prosocial behavior traits. This indicates that enhancing university students’ emotional intelligence has a beneficial impact on their positive social behaviors.

📘 Example Application

A university’s athletic department could design and integrate emotional intelligence modules into their existing training programs for student-athletes. For example, interactive workshops could teach athletes how to better manage their stress before a big game (optimism/mood regulation), effectively communicate their feelings to teammates (use of emotions), and empathize with opponents or officials (evaluation of emotions).

By fostering these emotional skills, athletes would not only improve their performance by enhancing teamwork and reducing conflicts but also develop stronger prosocial tendencies, such as offering support to a struggling opponent or demonstrating good sportsmanship even in defeat. This proactive approach would equip them to be more compassionate and socially responsible individuals, both on and off the field.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

This study provides compelling evidence that emotional intelligence is not just a soft skill but a critical factor influencing how individuals interact positively with others, especially in dynamic environments like sports.

The findings are particularly relevant for educational institutions, suggesting that cultivating emotional intelligence among students can lead to more empathetic and supportive social behaviors. This is vital for nurturing well-rounded individuals who contribute positively to their communities and future professions, extending beyond just their athletic or academic achievements.

📌 Takeaway

Improving emotional intelligence in university students, particularly those engaged in sports, is significantly associated with fostering positive social behaviors and can contribute to a more harmonious and ethical environment in both athletic and broader social contexts.

🧠 Journal Summary: How do emotional intelligence and professional identity affect humanistic care ability? A cross-sectional study among standardised training nurses in China

Authors: Hao Yang, Xihong Wang, Ting Bai, Jincheng Zhang, Hong Zhang, Wentao Peng, Hongqian Liu

Published In: BMJ Open

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated the current levels of emotional intelligence, professional identity, and humanistic care ability among standardized training nurses (STNs) in China. Its main goals were to understand the relationships between these variables, specifically exploring whether professional identity acts as a mediating factor in the relationship between emotional intelligence and humanistic care ability. The research aimed to uncover potential mechanisms connecting these crucial aspects of nursing practice.

💡 Key Concepts

• Emotional Intelligence (EI): The capacity of an individual to perceive, understand, regulate, and utilize emotions to enhance thought and interpersonal functioning. It includes self-emotional appraisal, others’ emotional appraisal, regulation of emotion, and using emotion to improve performance.
• Professional Identity: An individual’s self-concept and the internalization of professional values, roles, and responsibilities within their chosen profession. In nursing, this involves adhering to ethical standards, values, and practices to provide high-quality patient care.
• Humanistic Care Ability: A core component of nursing that focuses on the holistic treatment of patients, encompassing their physical, emotional, psychological, and social well-being through values like empathy, respect, and dignity. It is measured by understanding, courage, and patience.

📊 Key Insights

• Standardized training nurses (STNs) exhibited low levels of humanistic care ability, particularly in the dimension of “courage,” and low levels in assessing others’ emotions, although they showed moderate levels of professional identity.
• There was a statistically significant positive correlation between humanistic care ability, professional identity, and emotional intelligence among STNs.
• Emotional intelligence had a significant positive direct effect on humanistic care ability (β=0.798, p<0.001).
• Professional identity partially mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and humanistic care ability (β=0.109, p<0.05), indicating that emotional intelligence not only directly boosts humanistic care but also does so indirectly by strengthening professional identity.
• Emotional intelligence positively predicted professional identity (β=0.442, p<0.001).
• Professional identity positively predicted humanistic care ability (β=0.247, p<0.05).

📘 Example Application

In a nursing education program, incorporating targeted emotional intelligence training could significantly enhance newly graduated nurses’ empathy and their sense of professional identity.

For instance, workshops focusing on recognizing and managing emotions in clinical settings, role-playing challenging patient interactions, and encouraging reflective journaling could directly improve their humanistic care abilities and indirectly strengthen their commitment to the nursing profession, leading to better patient outcomes.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

These findings are crucial because they highlight the interconnectedness of emotional intelligence, professional identity, and humanistic care in nursing. Recognizing professional identity as a mediator emphasizes that fostering a strong sense of professional self can amplify the positive effects of emotional intelligence on patient care.

This provides a clear direction for educational interventions to cultivate more empathetic and effective healthcare professionals.

📌 Takeaway

Emotional intelligence is vital for nurses’ ability to provide humanistic care, with professional identity playing a key role in strengthening this connection; therefore, integrating emotional intelligence and professional identity training into nursing education is essential for developing highly competent and compassionate nurses.

🧠 Journal Summary: Ability emotional intelligence profiles and real-life outcomes: a latent profile analysis of a large adult sample

Authors: Christophe Haag, Lisa Bellinghausen and Clément Poirier

Published In: Frontiers in Psychology

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated different types of emotional intelligence (EI) profiles, specifically focusing on “ability” emotional intelligence (AEI), and explored how these profiles relate to various everyday life outcomes such as health, well-being, and decision-making. The primary goal was to identify distinct AEI profiles within a large adult sample and link them to practical, real-world consequences.

The research aimed to provide new insights into how AEI manifests in daily life and its impact on crucial aspects like decision-making, social interactions, and overall well-being.

💡 Key Concepts

• Emotional Intelligence (EI): Defined as the ability to accurately perceive, appraise, and express emotions; to access and generate feelings that facilitate thought; to understand emotions and emotional knowledge; and to regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth.
• Ability Emotional Intelligence (AEI): An approach to EI that categorizes it as a form of intelligence, which is best measured through “performance-based” tests. This study utilized the QEg model, which describes AEI through three meta-competencies:
  • Identification of Emotions (IE): The skill to precisely recognize emotions in oneself and others by observing physiological signs, interpreting emotional cues (cognitive expressions, behaviors, vocal, postural, and facial signals), and pinpointing emotional triggers.
  • Understanding Emotions (UE): The ability to grasp emotions and anticipate their potential positive or negative effects, including evaluating emotion intensity, predicting changes over time, and foreseeing outcomes.
  • Strategic Management of Emotions (SME): The meta-competency to consciously choose and express appropriate emotions to adapt to a given situation. This involves selecting the desired emotional state and employing effective emotion regulation strategies to achieve it.
• Latent Profile Analysis (LPA): A statistical technique used to identify hidden subgroups or “profiles” within a larger population based on shared characteristics or parameters.
• QEg Model: An online, performance-based assessment tool specifically developed to measure the seven dimensions of AEI in the general adult population, extending a previous model designed for managers.
• Real-life Outcomes: Various aspects of daily life examined in relation to AEI profiles, including stress perception, home-work interaction, levels of gratitude, overall satisfaction with life, emotional burnout, and quality of decision-making.

📊 Key Insights

• The study, using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) on a sample of 2,877 French adults, identified three distinct AEI profiles: Full Emotional Processing (FEP), Minimal Emotional Processing (MEP), and Partial Emotional Processing (PEP).
• The Full Emotional Processing (FEP) profile consistently demonstrated superior performance across all measured AEI abilities when compared to the MEP and PEP profiles.
• Individuals categorized under the FEP profile exhibited several significant positive real-life outcomes:
  • Lower levels of perceived stress.
  • Reduced negative interaction between home and work life.
  • Higher levels of gratitude.
  • Greater satisfaction with life.
  • Lower scores on emotional exhaustion, a key indicator of burnout.
  • A stronger tendency to consider future consequences in their decision-making over immediate gratification.
• These findings collectively indicate that the FEP profile is strongly associated with enhanced mental and physical health, overall well-being, increased life satisfaction, and improved decision-making capabilities.
• The research emphasizes the importance of developing individualized AEI training programs. These programs should be tailored to different profiles, focusing on building foundational emotional skills for those with minimal or partial processing, while further refining the strengths of individuals with full emotional processing.

📘 Example Application

In an organizational setting, a human resources department could implement AEI assessments as part of their employee development program. By identifying employees’ specific AEI profiles (FEP, MEP, or PEP), the company can then design and offer targeted training.

For instance, employees with a “Minimal Emotional Processing” profile might receive foundational training on recognizing and understanding their own emotions and those of others, using practical exercises like role-playing common workplace scenarios. Conversely, employees with a “Full Emotional Processing” profile could be offered advanced workshops on strategic emotion management for complex negotiations or leadership roles, further honing their existing strengths.

This tailored approach ensures that resources are effectively allocated to improve individual well-being, reduce stress and burnout, and foster better decision-making across the workforce, ultimately leading to a more emotionally intelligent and productive organization.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

These findings are crucial because they move beyond simply acknowledging the importance of emotional intelligence and dive into how different levels of emotional processing actually manifest in tangible life outcomes. Understanding these distinct AEI profiles allows educators, leaders, and even individuals to recognize that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to emotional development.

It highlights the potential for highly personalized interventions and training programs, making efforts to improve emotional intelligence far more effective and impactful. By tailoring approaches to an individual’s specific emotional processing profile, we can more effectively enhance well-being, improve decision-making, and build resilience in various personal and professional contexts.

📌 Takeaway

This study powerfully demonstrates that a higher level of ability emotional intelligence, characterized by “Full Emotional Processing,” leads to tangible positive outcomes in health, well-being, and decision-making. Recognizing and nurturing these specific emotional processing profiles is key to fostering improved individual and collective flourishing.

🧠 Journal Summary: The Impact of Maternal Emotional Intelligence and Background on Children’s Emotional Competence

Authors: Pei-Chuan Hsu

Published In: Problems of Education in the 21st Century

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated the connection between a mother’s emotional intelligence, various family background factors, and the emotional development of their children aged 1 to 6 years. The primary goal was to understand how these elements collectively contribute to a child’s emotional competence. Data was gathered from 235 mother-child pairs in Taiwan through a questionnaire survey, ensuring a balanced gender distribution among the children.

💡 Key Concepts

• Emotional Intelligence (EI): The ability to recognize and understand one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. This capacity enables individuals to express and manage emotions appropriately in social situations. Key components often include self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, and empathy.
• Emotional Competence: A child’s ability to understand, recognize, express, and regulate their emotions effectively. This includes skills like emotional understanding, emotional recognition, and emotional expression and communication.
• Maternal Emotional Intelligence (Maternal EQ): Refers specifically to the mother’s capacity for emotional intelligence and its influence on her child’s emotional development.

📊 Key Insights

• Children’s emotional competence was found to improve significantly with age and grade level, indicating a developmental progression.
• No significant differences in emotional competence were observed between boys and girls.
• Maternal emotional intelligence plays a crucial role as a significant predictor of a child’s emotional competence, highlighting the direct impact of a mother’s emotional capabilities.
• Beyond maternal emotional intelligence, a child’s age also significantly contributes to their emotional abilities, suggesting that older children generally have more developed emotional skills.
• Other maternal background factors such as age, education level, household monthly income, and marital status, as well as the child’s gender, did not show a significant direct impact on children’s emotional competence in this study.
• The study’s model explained approximately 19.3% of the variation in children’s emotional competence, with maternal emotional intelligence and children’s age being the most influential factors.

📘 Example Application

In an educational setting, these findings suggest that early childhood programs could benefit significantly from integrating modules aimed at enhancing parental (especially maternal) emotional competence. For instance, workshops for parents could focus on strategies for emotional regulation, understanding children’s emotional cues, and fostering open emotional communication within the family. This approach could directly support children’s emotional growth and development, leading to better emotional understanding and expression among young learners, and ultimately contributing to their overall well-being and readiness for educational journeys.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

This study provides valuable empirical support for the intuitive idea that a mother’s emotional intelligence is a powerful predictor of her child’s emotional growth. The finding that children’s emotional competence develops with age is a reminder of the importance of sustained emotional support and education throughout early childhood. For educators and policymakers, this research underscores the need to consider family-centric approaches in early childhood development initiatives, recognizing that fostering emotional skills in parents can have a ripple effect on the next generation. It emphasizes that while many factors influence a child’s development, the emotional environment provided by primary caregivers is particularly impactful.

📌 Takeaway

Maternal emotional intelligence is a vital factor in a child’s emotional development, demonstrating that nurturing parents can significantly foster their children’s emotional competence as they grow. Educators and policymakers should prioritize strategies that enhance parental emotional intelligence as a key component of early childhood programs.