SHARING THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE:
Why You Need Emotional Intelligence to Succeed at School?
Understanding and Managing Emotions
Gives Students the Edge
PERSPECTIVE
In the relentless pursuit of doctoral success, both graduate school administrators and doctoral
advisors play pivotal roles in shaping the academic journey of aspiring scholars. To empower
our doctoral students, we must explore every avenue that promises to bolster their chances of
achievement.
This article, titled “Why You Need Emotional Intelligence to Succeed at School –
Understanding and Managing Emotions Gives Students the Edge” spotlights a vital aspect
often overlooked in the pursuit of scholarly excellence: emotional intelligence.
Drawing on rigorous research and meta-analysis, this article offers compelling evidence that
emotional intelligence isn’t just a desirable trait; it’s an indispensable factor that significantly
contributes to academic success.
The insights in the article provide a robust rationale for incorporating emotional intelligence
programs into our doctoral curriculum.
I am sharing this article because it serves as one of the compelling cornerstone for advocating
the integration of emotional intelligence programs within our doctoral education framework. It
underscores that nurturing emotional intelligence isn’t merely a desirable endeavor; it’s an
imperative step towards equipping our doctoral students with the holistic skillset they need to
thrive academically and personally.
To learn more about the University Partnership Doctoral Success Program, contact me at:
Dr_CLL@CarolenaLyonsLawrence.Com
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Why You Need Emotional Intelligence to Succeed at School?
Understanding and Managing Emotions
Gives Students the Edge
Posted June 13, 2020 | Reviewed and Shared by Lybi Ma
Introduction
In the quest for academic excellence, students, parents, educators, and administrators often
contemplate the personal attributes that can set students apart in their educational journeys.
While teaching quality and available resources undoubtedly play pivotal roles, students’
intrinsic qualities can provide them with a competitive edge.
Two well-established attributes have traditionally been linked to student success: intelligence
and conscientiousness.
Intelligence is essential for mastering complex subjects like algebra and coding, while
conscientiousness involves organizational skills, such as managing homework and notes. These
attributes are undeniably crucial for academic achievement, as they account for 15 percent
intelligence and 5 percent conscientiousness of performance differences among students.
However, recent research has illuminated another vital factor in the equation – emotional
intelligence.
Understanding Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence encompasses the ability to perceive, use, understand, and manage
emotions effectively. Various emotional intelligence assessments employ rating scales or skillbased tasks to gauge this aptitude.
For instance, test-takers may evaluate their agreement with statements like, “I am aware of the
nonverbal messages other people send,” or they may identify emotions expressed in facial
expressions.
An extensive meta-analysis, encompassing 1,246 research findings, examined the connection
between emotional intelligence and academic performance. Although the study couldn’t
establish direct causation, it unveiled substantial correlations.
Overall, it was discovered that emotional intelligence could account for approximately 4
percent of differences in academic achievement.
Notably, certain facets of emotional intelligence demonstrated a more robust connection to
academic success than others. Emotion understanding and emotion management abilities
emerged as particularly significant. Students proficient in understanding emotions can
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accurately identify their own and others’ emotional state, grasps the causes of emotions,
monitor their fluctuations, and comprehend how emotions intertwine.
Meanwhile, students skilled in emotion management can effectively regulate their emotions
during stressful situations and maintain positive social relationships.
Emotional Intelligence vs. Conscientiousness and IQ
Comparatively, emotion management abilities accounted for 7 percent of the variance in
academic performance, while emotion understanding skills claimed an impressive 12 percent.
These statistics highlight the substantial impact of emotion-related characteristics on student
success, placing emotion understanding skills almost on par with IQ scores (15 percent) and
ahead of conscientiousness (5 percent).
Why Emotional Intelligence Matters in Education
Three key reasons substantiate the critical role of emotional intelligence in academic success:

1. Emotional intelligence equips students to navigate their emotional responses to
   academic challenges effectively. Students frequently experience anxiety before exams,
   disappointment over subpar results, frustration when their efforts yield inadequate outcomes,
   or boredom with uninteresting subject matter. Proficiency in regulating these emotions
   prevents them from hindering the learning process.
2. Emotional intelligence fosters and sustains valuable relationships with teachers,
   peers, and family members. Strong personal connections empower students to seek
   support from friends and educators during difficulties, facilitate collaborative learning
   experiences, and draw upon emotional support when needed.
3. Humanities subjects, such as literature and history, necessitate a certain degree
   of emotional and social insight. Understanding human motivations and emotions is
   pivotal for grasping universal themes and character development in literature, exemplifying
   the relevance of emotional intelligence across various academic domains.
   Key Differentiators of Emotionally Intelligent Students
   Emotionally intelligent students set themselves apart through their distinct approach to
   emotion regulation. Three key distinctions between high emotional intelligence and low
   emotional intelligence students are as follows:
4. Emotionally intelligent students employ superior emotion regulation processes,
   favoring positive strategies over negative ones. Concentrating on negative emotions
   tends to yield unfavorable outcomes, while focusing on the positive side leads to better results.
   Emotionally intelligent individuals predominantly utilize positive processes and minimize
   reliance on negative ones.
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5. Emotionally intelligent students excel in selecting context-appropriate and
   effective emotion regulation strategies. They demonstrate heightened sensitivity to
   situational nuances, enabling them to adapt their responses more flexibly. Their ability to
   discern whether a situation is within their control or not informs their strategy selection.
6. Emotionally intelligent students effectively implement chosen strategies. When
   employing a positive approach, they are capable of generating realistic and constructive
   perspectives on a given situation. Conversely, individuals with low emotional intelligence tend
   to develop vague or unrealistic views, which are less effective in alleviating negative emotions.
   Conclusion
   The significance of emotional intelligence in academic success cannot be overstated. While
   intelligence and conscientiousness are undoubtedly crucial, emotional intelligence
   complements these attributes by aiding students in managing their emotions, nurturing
   relationships, and thriving in diverse academic subjects.
   As research suggests, emotional intelligence plays a pivotal role, accounting for a substantial
   portion of the differences in academic achievement among students. Therefore, fostering
   emotional intelligence should be a fundamental component of any comprehensive doctoral
   success program.
   References
   MacCann, C., Jiang, Y., Brown, L. E. R., Double, K. S., Bucich, M., & Minbashian, A. (2019,
   December 12). Emotional Intelligence Predicts Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis.
   Psychological Bulletin, Advance online publication
   Poropat, A. E. (2009). A meta-analysis of the five-factor model of personality and academic
   performance, Psychological Bulletin, 135(2), 322-338
   Webb, T. L., Miles, E., & Sheeran, P. (2012) Dealing with feeling: a meta-analysis of the
   effectiveness of strategies derived from the process model of emotion regulation. Psychological
   Bulletin, 138(4), 775-338
   Peña-Sarrionandia, A., Mikolajczak, M., & Gross, J. J. (2015), Integrating emotion regulation
   and emotional intelligence traditions: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 160
   Haines, S. J., Gleeson, J., Kuppens, P., Hollenstein, T., Ciarrochi, J., Labuschagne, I. & Koval,
   P. (2016). The wisdom to know the difference: Strategy-situation fit in emotion regulation in
   daily life is associated with well-being. Psychological Science, 27(12), 1651-1659