Development of Emotional Intelligence in First-Year Undergraduate Students in a Frontier State.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been defined as knowing the emotional state of self and others. Its relevance for college student development is only beginning to be researched. In the present research, the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory was administered to college students at the beginning and end of a semester-long course designed specifically for first-semester undergraduates at a public university in a sparsely populated state. At the beginning of the semester, student EI scores were significantly lower than the normative mean in several areas, but were generally within the normative range. Over the course of the semester, women made significant gains in total EI and three composite scores. In contrast, the scores for the men were stable across time. We are encouraged by the growth made by the women in this short time frame. Additional research is necessary to determine whether men can also achieve this surge in EI. Key Words: Emotional Intelligence, First year college experience, rural, Social-Emotional Learning ********** Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been defined as a set of emotional reasoning abilities composed not only of knowing one's own emotional state but also the emotional state of others (Mayer & Salovey, 1997). Research has been conducted on the role EI plays in performance within educational and management settings (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). Importantly, it has been found that people with higher EI scores show more cooperation with others, better social skills, increased perspective-taking of others, and even higher levels of marital satisfaction (Schutte, et al., 2001). While there is evidence that EI increases with age (Bar-On & Parker, 2000), it is not clear whether EI can be trained or facilitated (Zeidner, Roberts, & Matthews, 2002). Reuven Bar-On (1997) conceptualized EI as consisting of five dimensions: intrapersonal, interpersonal, adaptability, stress management, and general mood. From these, Bar-On developed the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) (Multi-Health Systems). According to Baron (2006) the EQ-i was validated using data collected in Canada and the United States. Small differences in EI were found across age groups, with scores peaking for people in their forties. Additionally, small differences were found based on gender with women having higher scores than men on the Interpersonal dimension and men having higher scores in areas related to managing their emotions and adaptability. No ethnic differences were found. Dawda and Hart (2000) determined that the EQ-i has good reliability and validity with college students. Although they did not detect differences between the scores of college women and college men, they concluded that further research on gender differences should be conducted. The relationship between EQ-i scores and academic success in college has been explored. While some researchers found no correlation (Newsome, Day, & Catano, 2000) or only weak correlations (O'Connor & Little, 2003) between grade point average and EQ-i, Parker and colleagues (Parker, Summerfeldt, Hogan, & Majeski, 2004) have reported that academic success for first-year full-time college students was associated with specific subscales. In addition, a relationship between EQ-i and student retention has been reported (Parker, Hogan, Eastabrook, Oke, & Wood, 2006). Both Dawda and Hart (2000) and O'Connor and Little (2003) found lower than expected EQ-i scores for college students, leading to the possibility that students entering college do not have sufficient life experiences for mature emotional intelligence. Changes in EQ-i scores for undergraduates have been found over the course of 32 months of college (Parker, Saklofske, Wood, Eastabrook, & Taylor, 2005). These researchers determined that student scores increased in EQ-i Total and in all composite scales except the Interpersonal. Students transitioning from high school to college face a series of critical experiences across multiple life domains (Gall, Evans & Bellerose, 2000). …

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