EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ENGLISH CLASSES: LEARNERS’ DISPOSITION, MOTIVATION, AWARENESS

The paper is focused on Emotional Intelligence which is considered by the authors to be an integral constituent of Sophisticated Thinking. Being complex phenomenon comprised of several structural elements (Critical Thinking, Cognitive Flexibility, Complex Problem Solving, Creativity and Emotional Intelligence) Sophisticated Thinking can be developed through educational interaction. The same rule works with each of its constituent. The objective of the Emotional Intelligence is to recognize the meanings of emotions and their relationships and to use them as a basis in reasoning and problem solving.

Development of an ability to use emotions to enhance cognitive activities should include students’ understanding that an emotion doesn’t reflect only feelings as it is an organised mental response to an event including physiological, experimental and cognitive aspects among others. This understanding should be based on students’ disposition towards engaging into problem solving with and about emotions.

The paper presents the provisional results of the ongoing multi-staged project. In a qualitative five-month study aimed at Emotional Intelligence development the authors paid special attention to the process of motivation building as a necessary part of the aim proclaimed. The second-year students of RUDN University (Moscow, Russia) were divided into two groups. Throughout their English classes the control group was required to do reading and watch short videos with follow-up discussion tasks without prior development of their disposition towards emotional intelligence, whereas the experimental group carried out the tasks aimed at the conscious improvement of their emotional intelligence before they went on to perform the same activities that the first group did. All the participants were informed about the aims of the study and participated in the study willingly.

The results collected from the study indicate that the students with intentionally developed and motivated disposition to emotional intelligence achieved much better results both in Emotional Intelligence formation and in building English language competence.