Abstract:

In recent decades there has been increasing interest in the role of formal education on increasing students' social and emotional skills. One means by which this can be achieved is through providing students with emotional intelligence (EI) coaching and a wealth of research evidence attests to the benefits of doing so (e.g. Carthy, McCann, McGilloway and McGuinness 2013; Carthy and McGilloway 2015). Increasingly, employers are also calling for graduates to possess both technical skills and knowledge related to their chosen profession and highly developed interpersonal skills. This presentation will summarise findings from a range of studies that have been conducted over the past ten years in an Irish third level teaching institution and will highlight the positive impact that EI coaching has had for staff and students, including decreased rates of attrition and increased levels of student attainment. Barriers to employing EI coaching in third level colleges will be discussed and proposals made as to how they may be overcome. The importance of preparing graduates for the 21st century globalised work environment will be highlighted. Finally, based on ten years worth of data collection and study, suggestions will be made as to how best to promote social and emotional skills development in third level institutions.

Keywords:

Emotional Intelligence, student support, well-being.