assessment of EI

1. Formative assessment of
student teachers’ emotional intelligence:
Does it improve their classroom
performance?
Eamonn Pugh and Ed Tyson
Teacher Educators, University of Cumbria
BERA Annual Conference 2008

2. Research purpose
To improve the professional situation of the participants:
one researcher
four student teachers
four school-based mentors

3. 1. Would student teachers improve the emotional
intelligence of their teaching if given feedback
by a teacher educator?
1. If student teacher emotional intelligence
improves, does this lead to improved overall
teaching performance?
Research questions

4. "When you are with learners,
you have the chance to connect
with them beyond the
transmission and discussion of
ideas and facts, and thereby to
transform the experience both
for you and them. If you do not
use emotional intelligence in
your teaching, then the value of
both your subject knowledge
and your learning and teaching
methods can be seriously
diminished".
(Mortiboys, 2005)
Emotionally-intelligence teaching
(Mortiboys, A, 2005)
Subject
knowledge
Learning &
teaching
methods
Emotional
intelligence

5. So what does emotionally intelligent
teaching look like?
Put the teaching qualities below under the most appropriate heading
Emotional
intelligence
Learning &
teaching methods
Subject knowledge
12. Makes eye contact
11. Manages time well
10. Good use of resources
9. Good materials
8. Good listener
7. Expert
6. Demonstrates empathy
5. Clear speaking
4. Clear directions
3. Can answer any questions on
topic
2. Authoritative
1. Approachable

6. So what does emotionally intelligent
teaching look like?
12. Makes eye contact
13. Manages time well
9. Good materials
8. Good listener
10. Good use of
resources
7. Expert
6. Demonstrates
empathy
5. Clear speaking
3. Can answer any
questions on topic
1. Approachable
4. Clear directions
2. Authoritative
Emotional
intelligence
L & T methods
Subject knowledge

7. Definitions of emotional
intelligence
"An array of emotional, personal and social abilities which
influence one's overall ability to cope effectively with
environmental demands and pressures" Bar-On, 2000
"The ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and
emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this
information to guide one's thinking and actions.” Mayer &
Salovey, 1990
'The ability to tune into emotions and taking appropriate
action'.
Pugh, 2007, (informed by Orme, 2001)

8. EI Ability Model: Mayer & Salovey(1990)
Identifying emotions: the ability to perceive emotions in
oneself and others, as well as in objects, art and events.
Using emotions: the ability to generate, use and feel
emotion to communicate feelings, or employ them in
thinking or creating.
Understanding emotions: the ability to understand
emotional information, how emotions combine and progress,
and to reason about such emotional meanings.
Managing emotions: the ability to regulate emotions in
oneself and others so as to promote personal understanding
and growth.

9. EI Competence Inventory:
Goleman,Hay Group,Boyzatis (2002)
Self-Awareness: Know internal states, preferences, resources,
intuitions
Emotional Self-Awareness: Recognise one's emotions and their effects
Accurate Self-Assessment: Know one's strengths and limits
Self-Confidence: A strong sense of one's self-worth and capabilities
Self-Management: Managing the above
Emotional Self-Control: Keep disruptive emotions and impulses in check
Transparency: Maintain integrity, acting congruently with one's values
Optimism: Persistence in pursuing goals despite obstacles and setbacks
Adaptability: Flexible in handling change
Achievement Orientation: Strive to improve or meeting excellence
standards
Initiative: Readiness to act on opportunities

10. EI Competence Inventory:
Goleman,Hay Group,Boyzatis (2002)
Social Awareness: Aware of others feelings, needs, and concerns
Empathy: Sense others' feelings & perspectives, take active interest in their
concerns
Organizational Awareness: Read a group's emotional currents and power
relationships
Service Orientation: Anticipate, recognise and meet customers' needs
Relationship Management: Induce desirable responses in others
Developing Others: Sense others' needs & bolster their abilities
Inspirational Leadership: Inspire and guide individuals and groups
Influence: Wield effective tactics for persuasion
Change Catalyst: Initiate or manage change
Conflict Management: Negotiate and resolve disagreements
Teamwork & Collaboration: Work with others toward shared goals.
Create group synergy in pursuing collective goals.

11. Emotional intelligence:
a theoretical framework
Action that takes
account of the feelings
of others.
Managing our own
feelings effectively
Behavioural
response to
feelings
Recognising the
feelings of others
Recognising our
own feelings
Awareness
of feelings
Social
(or Interpersonal)
Personal
(or Intrapersonal)
Pugh, E, 2007 (Adapted from Goleman,Hay Group,Boyzatis (2002) )

12. Criticism of the concept of
emotional intelligence
Concerns about emotional intelligence:
Theoretical foundation questioned - “old wine in a new
bottle” (Matthews et al, 2002)
Validity of measurements - socially desirable responding
(faking good)
Study of emotional intelligence of teaching neglected
because:
Traditional view of emotions as a “vulgar impediment to
cognition” (Hawkey, 2006):
Emphasis on negative aspects of emotions associated with
teaching (anxiety, anger ..)

13. Practitioner research, conducted in one primary school
(4-11 yr old pupils)
Two data sets collected:
Two feedback sheets from each lesson jointly observed:
teacher educator (emotional intelligence filter) and
mentor (professional teaching standards)
• A semi-structured interview with student teachers and
their mentors (interviewed in peer pairs).
Two lessons (x 4 students) observed with four week interval
(weeks 3 and 7 of an 8 week final placement).
Interviews held in week 8 i.e. after the second observation.
Methodology and research instruments

14. Behaviours indicating student teacher managing own feelings or lacking
emotional control (“emotional hijack”; Goleman, 1995)
Awareness and management of own non-verbal communication
Responses to pupils that show comprehension of pupil feelings as well as
thoughts (evidence of deep listening and understanding on verbal and
non-verbal communication by pupils)
Responses that shows value for pupils and their learning (e.g. Use of pupil
names, referring back to individual contributions)
Opportunities for pupils to voice feelings/thoughts
Evidence of apparent prejudice towards particular pupils
Students EI strengths
Student’s EI areas for development
Success in creating positive emotional environment (Summary score:1-10)
Observation Criteria:
Emotional intelligence filter

15. Data analysis
Qualitative use of data (small sample)
Deductive analysis; predetermined coding categories:
•Feedback sheets – comparisons of student teacher
strengths and areas to develop (EI between lessons; EI and
QTS in same lesson)
•Interview transcripts – patterns or deviance from feedback
sheets (triangulation?) participant perception of validity
Inductive analysis; emerging coding categories
•Interview transcripts

16. Results 1
1. Did student teachers improve the emotional intelligence of
their teaching after feedback from a teacher educator? Yes.
Summary on EI scale: 5 → 7½, 5 → 7½, 8 → 9, 7 → 7 (limitation):
Qualitative feedback comments on EI sheets (strength)
Triangulated with participant comments at interview (strength)
I could feel it going wrong
and I was mad at myself. I
was more in control in 2nd
lesson
You wrote down things that she didn’t
realise she was doing. When I did my
last observation last week, there was a
big difference

17. Results 2
1. Did this improved emotional intelligence lead to
improved teaching performance? Perhaps.
• Many links between improvements in EI and profession
standards behaviours. (strength)
• Chicken and egg situation unresolved (improved EI or
teaching performance: which came first?) (limitation)
If the study hadn’t have been there,
maybe the focus wouldn’t have been
there and I wouldn’t have improved so
much
The emotional intelligence
things overlapped with what I
picked up using the normal
lesson observation format

18. EI not explicitly recognised in standards
driving teacher education programmes
(when mapping EI competency inventory
against any QTS teaching standards)
Mentor/student teacher relationships
need to be effective if this approach
used
Importance of mentor modelling of EI for
student teachers
Feedback from pupils on teacher EI
would add further validity to findings
Emergent findings
Teachers could
sometimes
learn from
students too.
Especially
here,.. they’re
happy to hear
your ideas.
It’s made me
reflect upon my
own practice as
well… because
it’s more focused
Going through
the standards,
ticking off the
planning and
so on, it’s not
explicit.
Maybe it
should be part
of the
standards.. In
Professional
Values?

19. Conclusion
Small scale study showed improvement in
student teacher EI and overall performance.
Indication that something important is
happening when feedback on emotional
intelligence is provided.
Implication that future large scale research is
necessary to study the full impact, seeking
findings which could be generalisable.

20. References
Mayer, J and Salovey, P (1990) Emotional Intelligence, Baywood Publishing Inc
Gardner, H (1993) Multiple Intelligence: The Theory in Practice. New York: Basic
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ.
New York: Bantam.
Orme, G, (2001) Emotionally Intelligent Living, Carmarthen : Crown House
Mortiboys, A (2002) The Emotionally Intelligent Lecturer. SEDA Special No. 12
Matthews, G.; Zeidner, M.; Roberts, Richard D (2002) Emotional Intelligence:
Science and Myth (eBook); Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press
Sutton, R, Wheatley, K, (2003) Teachers’ Emotions and Teaching: A Review of
the Literature and Directions for Future Research; Educational Psychology
Review, Vol. 15, No. 4
Mortiboys, A (2005) Teaching with Emotional Intelligence, Routledge
Kremenitzer, J (2005) Emotional Intelligence in Teacher Education, Focus on
Teacher Education Vol 5 (4)
Hawkey, K. (2006). Emotional intelligence and mentoring in pre-service teacher
education: a literature review. Mentoring & Tutoring, 14(2), 137-147
Hattie, J and Timperley, H, (2007);The Power of Feedback; Review of
Educational Research; 77 (1) 81–112

21. Copies of paper and/or
presentation
Eamonn.Pugh@cumbria.ac.uk
Edward.Tyson2@cumbria.ac.uk

22. 1. Use of non-verbal communication - maintained throughout lesson:
Eye contact Facial expression Gesture Humour Voice intonation Voice volume
2. Responses to the mood of the class?
3. Pupils given chance to voice their feelings as well as thoughts?
4. E.g. of response to pupil feelings.
5. Response to show student teacher fully listened to & understood what pupils said.
6. Response to pupils’ non-verbal communication (categories in 1. above)
7. What feelings did student teacher show to the pupils?
8. Behaviours indicated lack of emotional control (e.g. anxiety, anger - “emotional hijack”)
9. E.g. of student teacher apparently managing own feelings
10. How many pupils had responses acknowledged in manner that valued them?
1-3 4-6 7-10 11-20 20+ Were all pupil names used?
11. How often did she refer back later to individual contributions? 0 1-2 3-4 5-6 7+
12. Evidence of any apparent prejudice towards particular pupils?
13. End score: Success in creating positive emotional environment. (1-10)
14. Students EI strength(s)
15. Student’s EI area(s) for development
Observation Sheet:
Emotional intelligence filter