Emotional Competence Research Articles

Neurofeedback-driven Emotional Regulation Training in a virtual reality environment: a machine learning approach using OpenBCI

This paper addresses the design and development of an advanced neurofeedback system for training in emotional regulation skills and competencies; the system integrates a Virtual Reality (VR) platform with a 16-channel OpenBCI device for real-time capture of electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. The main objective of the research lies in the application of machine learning algorithms, specifically Random Forest and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), for the classification of emotional states in terms of valence and arousal. These algorithms achieve an accuracy of up to 83% for arousal classification and 90% for valence. EEG signals are processed and classified in real time and the results are integrated into a virtual reality environment created in Unity. This adaptive environment changes according to the detected emotional states, allowing for more precise regulation. In addition, a diaphragmatic breathing protocol has been developed within the virtual reality environment as an intervention strategy for emotional regulation. The system is in its final stage of piloting to establish the efficacy of the system.

Integrating emotional regulation in higher education: an Aristotelian-Thomistic approach

ABSTRACT The present study investigates emotional regulation and its relationship to the cardinal virtues, based on a cross-continental sample of college students and applying an Aristotelian-Thomistic framework. A descriptive, correlational, and comparative study was carried out with universities students across three countries (Chile, Spain, and Mexico). The research involved a sample of 314 students and utilized the WLEIS and the QCV scales. The results reveal a significant correlation between emotional regulation and the virtue of temperance, as well as between emotional assimilation and the virtue of fortitude. The study indicates that students possess a relatively low self-perception of their emotional regulation and emotional competencies of self-control, impulse control, and emotional management—competencies associated with the virtue of temperance. The results are similar across countries The results also reveal a significant correlation between emotional regulation and the virtue of temperance, as well as between emotional assimilation and the virtue of fortitude. The low student perception of emotional education suggests that virtue education should be included in universities. An integral formation that educates desire by integrating emotions with intelligence and will is proposed as a strategy.

Descriptive analysis of professional competences

The present work focused on an intervention program based on professional skills to promote employability. Emotional competencies were analyzed, as the delimitation of interpersonal competencies, the factors influencing teacher employability, and professional competencies. The methodology applied was cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational, aimed at describing, explaining, and identifying the degree of correspondence of the possible relationships between the variables. The approach was qualitative, while the method used was hypothetical-deductive, the type of research was basic, and the design was non-experimental at a correlational descriptive level with cross-sectional. The main results showed a relationship between professional competencies, employability, and the work context.

Making connections for children and teachers: using classroom-based implementation supports for teaching Pyramid Model practices in Head Start programs

IntroductionIn partnership with an urban school district Head Start program, we created a set of intervention supports that built upon the strengths of the district program services already in place.MethodsWe conducted a randomized control trial to test the use of natural helpers (teachers, special education coaches, and curriculum specialists) participating in practice-based coaching and monthly communities of practice, to augment a districtwide universal social-emotional program, The Pyramid Model for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children. Participants included 53 preschool teachers and 519 preschool children, across 26 classrooms, and 9 schools in a high poverty area of the district. Teachers were randomized to a waitlist control or intervention condition. Intervention teachers participated in practice-based coaching and monthly communities of practice over the course of two years.ResultsSignificant effects were found on participating intervention teachers’ observed increased implementation of positive social-emotional practices in the classroom, decreases in red flags (observed teaching behaviors counter to the Pyramid Model), and increased teacher reports of self-efficacy in the intervention group, compared to control teachers. No significant impacts on child classroom behavior problems, self-regulation, or approaches to learning skills were found for children enrolled in intervention classrooms, compared to children in the control classrooms.DiscussionFuture directions for research and implications for practice are discussed.

Emotional Intelligence and Career Wellbeing

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the human emotional aptitude that represents an inherent ability for learning or understanding in human interaction and interpersonal relationships. Research suggests that social and emotional competency, as represented by EI, are significant predictors of individuals' success in their lives and careers. To this end, this article addresses the role of EI in the context of vocational and career psychology. Guided and informed by major career theories, it will propose counselling interventions that may help individuals with low EI enhance their capacity to cope with their vocational life more effectively

Adapting to the emotional complexity of palliative care communication: Palliative care clinicians' experiences.

Communication is essential to medical care and is key in improving patient outcomes. We aimed to understand clinicians' emotions when communicating with patients in palliative care (PC) and the evolution of their communication skills. Between October and November 2021, 231 Swiss PC clinicians participated in an online cross-sectional survey (65% nurses, 35% physicians). Three questions invited participants to reflect on the development of their communication skills and on their emotions when communicating with patients in PC. Answers to these questions were analyzed thematically. Constantly adapting to complex emotions in communication was the overarching theme. Three main themes further allowed for an understanding of different communication challenges: emotions as a dynamic compass, not always under control, and evolving comfort and competence through personal and professional growth. In evolving comfort and competence, 6 strategies helped clinicians overcome fears and improve their confidence in communication: learning by doing and formal training, integrating life experiences and gaining insight from private life, taking time, collaborating and connecting with peers, acknowledging individuality, and connecting with one's own and patients' emotions. Participants described powerful emotional experiences when communicating with patients in PC, underscoring the emotional labor involved in PC communication. Our study highlights the need to re-conceptualize emotions as a valuable resource rather than a hindrance in clinical practice. The interplay between personal and professional identities in shaping communication skills, emphasizes the importance of emotional competence as a core professional skill. As clinicians often develop these skills individually, our findings suggest a need for earlier integration of emotional competence training in medical education, along with ongoing support through collaboration, and improved allocation of time resources, to enhance clinician well-being and patient care.

How aware are people of their current affect? A physiology-based investigation of affective awareness.

The assumption that people differ in affective awareness (i.e., the extent to which a person's subjective affective experience matches their affective bodily state) is central to emotional competence. To test this assumption empirically, we used a physiology-based approach to investigate individual differences in affective awareness. Participants (N = 255) viewed 76 pictures with affective content and rated their experienced affect. Facial muscle activity during picture presentation was assessed via electromyography (EMG) as a direct physiological measure of affective reactions. We used a multilevel model to quantify affective awareness as the strength of the intraindividual relationship between a person's EMG reactions and affect ratings. This relationship was positive on average and differed significantly between participants. These individual differences in affective awareness were reliable and stable over time. Affective awareness was higher for women than for men and went along with generally strong affective EMG reactivity and better socioemotional abilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of dance on enhancing social skills and emotional intelligence through creativity.

This research aims to analyze the impact of dance experience on the development of social and emotional competence in individuals, as well as to determine the influence of dance on the development of social interaction skills, communication, and perception of others. Additionally, through experimental means, effective strategies for utilizing dance to improve levels of social and emotional competence are identified. The study was conducted using online surveys and questionnaires. For data processing and analysis, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed, enabling the assessment of differences between the control and experimental groups across multiple dependent variables. Participants in the experimental group who participated in the program achieved a mean score of 75, which was higher than the control group's mean score of 70. The MANOVA confirmed the statistical significance of the obtained results, with an F-statistic of 7.412 and a p-value of <0.05. Furthermore, the experimental group demonstrated greater consistency in achieving program goals, as evidenced by a smaller standard deviation (10) compared to the control group (12). Therefore, the dance program can be recognized as an effective tool for developing social and emotional competence in youth. The practical significance of this article lies in the confirmation that participants in the experimental group, engaged in the program, achieved higher mean scores compared to the control group without such experience. Statistical analysis underscores the effectiveness of the program.

Impact of Instructor Support on Academic Burnout Among Chinese Normal University Students: A Case Study Through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory

Objectives This study aims to examine the impact of instructor support on academic burnout among university students through the lens of Self-Determination Theory. Methods This study employs a qualitative case study approach, focusing on instructors, current students, and graduates at a teacher education university in China. The university was purposefully selected for its relevance to the study. Data were gathered through observation, interviews, and artifact collection, and analyzed using the Constant Comparative Method developed by Glaser and Strauss. Results The findings show that students’ academic burnout is primarily characterized by academic disengagement, which manifests emotionally, attitudinally, and behaviorally, as well as by a low sense of achievement. Instructor support, including emotional encouragement, competence cultivation, and autonomy empowerment, not only reduces but also alleviates and prevents academic burnout. Specifically, emotional encouragement promotes positive learning states, while the synergy of emotional encouragement and autonomy empowerment transforms passive learning attitudes and negative behaviors. Furthermore, a holistic approach combining these three supportive forms significantly bolsters students’ self-efficacy. Conclusions This study highlights the pivotal role of instructor support in reducing, alleviating, and preventing academic burnout among university students who are preparing to become future teachers, providing actionable insights for enhancing teacher training programs.

Effect of employee emotional competence on customer emotional attachment: the roles of service recovery satisfaction and service failure severity

PurposeThis study aims to enhance our understanding of employee emotional competence (EEC) in the context of service failure and recovery. Accordingly, the present study investigates the relationship between perceived EEC and customer emotional attachment (CEA) through the mediating role of service recovery satisfaction (RES). Furthermore, the study examines the moderating impact of service failure severity (SFS) on the relationship between perceived EEC and RES.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered online survey was carried out to collect data. Using a convenience sampling technique, 195 US consumers were recruited from Prolific Academic. To test the hypotheses, this study employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsAccording to the analysis, perceived EEC impacts CEA directly and indirectly via RES. Additionally, the study finds that consumers reported feeling more emotionally connected to the restaurant when they were satisfied with service recovery. Finally, the study identified that the connection between perceived EEC and RES increases with service failure severity.Practical implicationsThis study emphasizes enhancing EEC through organization-wide training to increase customer satisfaction and emotional attachment to the service organization. Furthermore, it underscores the need for comprehensive employee training to categorize service failure severity and formulate appropriate recovery strategies.Originality/valueThe authors believe this is the first RES study to examine perceived EEC’s effect on CEA. By combining the affect infusion and cognitive appraisal theories to examine recovery satisfaction, this study contributes to the existing body of research on service recovery by shedding light on the relationship between perceived EEC and CEA. Furthermore, the study offers preliminary findings indicating an increase in the impact of perceived EEC on RES during high failure severity (SFS).

THE ROLE OF COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL SKILLS IN TEACHERS’ SELF-REGULATION

This article examines the impact of cognitive and social skills on teachers’ self-regulation, particularly in the context of job stress and emotional control. It highlights the significance of self-determination, self-improvement, and self-actualization in pedagogical education. The findings suggest that enhancing teachers’ cognitive and emotional competencies can mitigate job-related stress and improve teaching effectiveness.

Cultivating resilience through a community of inquiry: how academic emotions impact the professional growth of pre-service teachers

ABSTRACT This research investigates the academic emotions of pre-service primary school teachers in Hong Kong and the influence of these emotions on professional resilience. It can inform the development of teacher education programmes that address holistic emotional competencies. Applying the community of inquiry (CoI) framework as a conceptual lens, we focused on the cognitive, social and teaching presence of seven first-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education students. Data were collected through reflective journals and interviews and subjected to thematic analysis. We adopted an interpretivist paradigm and used the CoI framework as a scaffold to identify themes related to cognitive, social and teaching presence. The qualitative analysis indicated that the participants’ practicum experiences were characterised by the complex interplay of the three forms of presence, which contributed to professional growth and resilience. They encountered cognitive challenges that elicited strong emotional responses, found strength in their social connections and received guidance from experienced teachers. This study provides valuable insights for teachers, policymakers and teacher educators who aim to enhance support systems and foster professional resilience among pre-service teachers.

Humanization and professional quality of life in oncohematology and radiotherapy care: A descriptive study in a university hospital

To evaluate levels of humanization, professional quality of life, resilience, communication skills, and the use of silence among healthcare professionals in these areas. Observational, cross-sectional, and descriptive study conducted in a referral hospital. Data were collected from 152 healthcare professionals through questionnaires assessing professional quality of life (ProQOL), resilience (CD-RISC), humanization (HUMAS), communication skills (EHC-PS), and the use of silence (Q-SPS). The median age of the professionals was 42 years. They showed moderate levels of compassion satisfaction and resilience (means=23.47 and 29.96) but low levels of humanization (mean=66.09). Emotional exhaustion was significant among physicians (mean=19.19, P=.022), while radiotherapy technicians excelled in empathy (mean=27.33). Significant correlations were observed between compassion satisfaction and optimism (Rho=0.2017, P=.0127), and between productive silence and communication skills (Rho=0.3131, P=.0001). Strengthening emotional and communication competencies is essential. Interventions should focus on reducing compassion fatigue and enhancing the well-being of healthcare professionals, improving care quality for oncohematology and radiotherapy patients.

Transversal education in higher education: a study on emotional competencies and emotional intelligence in Veterinary Medicine and Nursing

The research focuses on the importance of transversal education in higher education, with a particular emphasis on emotional competencies and emotional intelligence in Veterinary Medicine and Nursing students in Chile, aligning with current educational policies and accreditation standards. The objective was to analyze levels of emotional competencies and emotional intelligence, as well as their correlations. A quantitative approach was adopted using instruments such as the Adult Emotional Competencies Inventory (ICEA) and the TMMS-24 Emotional Intelligence Scale, applied to a sample of n=969 students. The results revealed significant strengths in areas such as emotional autonomy and social competencies, alongside areas for improvement in emotional awareness and emotional regulation, highlighting significant correlations between emotional competencies and key components of emotional intelligence. The strong relationship between emotional competence (CE) and clarity (CLAR) indicates that higher emotional understanding is linked to better management of emotional states. Additionally, positive correlations between emotional competence, attention (ATE), and repair (REP) suggest that individuals with higher emotional competence also exhibit better emotional regulation and repair abilities. These findings underscore the importance of integrating emotional competencies into university curricula, as their development can positively impact overall emotional intelligence. The study highlights the value of educational practices focused on emotional skills, promoting a transversal, gradual, sequential, and evaluated formative trajectory within educational programs, with specific strategies designed to enhance emotional awareness and regulation

Diseño y validación de un instrumento de evaluación de la inteligencia emocional en contextos educativos

Emotional education, which has historically been addressed mainly in the family environment, constitutes a fundamental need of human beings. However, today it is essential this emotional education also be addressed in educational centers. The comprehensive development of students is a priority in education, and can’t be fully achieved without considering their emotional education. This underlines the importance of designing and implementing educational proposals and programs aimed at the development of emotional intelligence. To carry out these initiatives. It is necessary to have evaluation tools that allow identifying the emotional needs of student, with the purpose of guiding actions towards strengthening their emotional competencies. The aim of this study has been to design and validate an instrument to assess Emotional Intelligence in educational contexts. The study has been carried out with a sample of 915 students from 5th grade to 2nd ESO. A theoretical EI model composed of nine dimensions was proposed where reliability and content validity were analyzed. Content validity was supported through the theoretical foundation and expert judgment, reliability through the calculation of Cronbach's Alpha. For all these reasons, it can be affirmed that the instrument has sufficient psychometric properties to be a valid and reliable evaluation instrument for the study of EI in educational contexts.

Beyond Good Intentions: How a Social, Emotional, and Cultural Competency Framework Leads to Improvements in Teacher Preparation

Beyond Good Intentions: How a Social, Emotional, and Cultural Competency Framework Leads to Improvements in Teacher Preparation

Can leisure reading enhance college students' social emotional competencies: A large-scale empirical study

Can leisure reading enhance college students' social emotional competencies: A large-scale empirical study

Enhancing Inpatient Care: The Impact of Therapeutic Recreation on Emotional Competence and Life Orientation

This study investigates the effects of therapeutic recreational activities on the emotional skills, competence, and life orientations of patients receiving inpatient treatment at Ankara Gülhane Training and Research Hospital. The sample consisted of 313 inpatients, 154 males, and 159 females. Data collection tools included a personal information form, the "Emotional Skills and Competence Scale (ESCQ-45)," and the "Life Orientation Test (LOT)." Statistical analyses used were descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, ANOVA, LSD post hoc tests, multiple linear regression, and Pearson correlation analyses. Internal consistency coefficients were 0.96 for the ESCQ-45 and 0.92 for the LOT. Results showed high mean scores on the ESCQ-45 (x̄ = 3.81) and low scores on the LOT (x̄ = 2.00), indicating pessimistic life orientations. Participants' therapeutic recreational activity involvement, age, education level, treatment unit, and daily treatment frequency significantly influenced these measurements. There were negative and moderate correlations between emotional skills, competence, and life orientation, with emotional skills and competence being significant predictors of life orientation. Findings suggest that participation in therapeutic recreational activities has a limited impact on emotional skills and life orientation.

Comparison of Professional Competencies of Students Preparing for the Profession of Preschool and Early Childhood Education Teacher Under Different Forms of Study

Introduction: The reform of higher education and especially of teaching faculties in recent years has introduced significant changes aimed at improving the quality of professional preparation and acquiring the necessary teaching competencies and qualifications. This article presents the results of a study on the self-assessment of professional competence, conducted among female students of different forms of study . Research Aim: The purpose of the study was to compare the self-assessment of professional competence of students preparing to practice as a teacher of preschool and early childhood education in different forms of study. Research Method: The research used the Popular Questionnaire of Emotional Intelligence (PKIE), the PROKOS Questionnaire, the Self-Evaluation of Teaching Competencies survey questionnaire and general survey questionnaire. Results: The study of female students, graduating in pedagogy and preschool and early childhood education, showed no statistically significant differences in soft skills: emotional intelligence and social competence. Statistically significant differences occurred only in two cases in self-assessment of teaching competencies (cooperation with parents and knowledge of the field of mathematics teaching). Conclusions: In order to reduce the differences in the assessment of competencies in science subjects, it is necessary to involve students/teachers more in non-formal further education activities, as well as in the framework of internships to take into account the need to develop the competence of cooperation with families, especially with full-time students.

SEL and Technology: The Role of Digital Tools in Promoting Emotional and Social Skills

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has emerged as a crucial component of education, equipping students with essential skills for personal and interpersonal success. This synthesis explores the interplay between digital tools and learning, with a focus on interactivity, emotional literacy, and the evolving nature of education. The integration of technology reshapes traditional educational paradigms by emphasizing performative and collaborative dimensions of learning. Theoretical frameworks such as social constructivism highlight the role of digital tools in fostering collective meaning-making and situated learning. Meanwhile, the transformative potential of technology in early childhood education underscores its dual role as both a challenge and a resource. Digital tools offer significant advantages in promoting SEL by providing interactive, accessible, and personalized learning experiences. The integration of AI and other advanced technologies further enhances the efficacy of these tools. Despite concerns about diminishing face-to-face interactions, intentional applications of digital tools can bolster socialemotional skills, from empathy to collaboration. Examples include interactive platforms fostering peer review, storytelling techniques, and role-play activities tailored for both graduate students and preschoolers. These innovations align with future workplace needs, emphasizing emotional intelligence, teamwork, and adaptability. This discussion advocates for a balanced integration of technology, ensuring that the human elements of education-collaboration, creativity, and social connectionremain central amidst technological advancements. This paper also explores the intersection of SEL and technology, examining how digital platforms, applications, and resources contribute to the development of emotional and social competencies.