Emotional intelligence as the key to effective learning - educational psychology

In education, academic performance does not depend solely on intellectual ability or individual effort. More and more studies highlight that emotional intelligence (EI) plays a decisive role in the teaching and learning processes. Understanding emotions, managing them appropriately, and developing empathy and self-regulation are essential skills for achieving a comprehensive education.

Educational psychology has integrated the concept of emotional intelligence as a key tool for enhancing both individual learning and group dynamics in the classroom. This skill not only improves academic performance, but also self-esteem, social relationships, and resilience in the face of academic and personal challenges.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Daniel Goleman popularized the term emotional intelligence in the mid-1990s, describing it as the ability to perceive, understand, regulate, and use one's own and others' emotions constructively. This intelligence does not replace logical intelligence, but rather complements it, promoting more conscious decision-making, healthier social relationships, and a greater capacity for adaptation.

The five pillars of emotional intelligence are:

• Self-awareness: recognizing one's own emotions and how they affect thoughts and behaviors.
• Self-regulation: managing impulses, controlling emotions, and adapting to circumstances.
• Motivation: using emotions to achieve goals and maintain effort in the face of difficulty.
• Empathy: understanding the emotions of others and acting with social sensitivity.
• Social skills: establishing connections, communicating effectively, and resolving conflicts in a healthy way.

Emotional Intelligence and Learning

The classroom is not just a space for transmitting knowledge. It is also a setting for constant emotional interaction. Students who feel understood, valued, and emotionally secure show a greater willingness to learn. In contrast, those who experience anxiety, fear of failure, or emotional insecurity tend to become blocked, distracted, or demotivated.

In this sense, emotional intelligence becomes an invisible but essential foundation for effective learning. Some of the direct benefits offered by the development of EI in educational contexts are:

• Better stress management during evaluations or presentations.
• Greater concentration and impulse control.
• More positive relationships with peers and teachers.
• Reduction in bullying and interpersonal conflicts.
• Increased self-esteem and perception of self-efficacy.
• More cooperative and supportive attitudes.

The Teacher's Emotional Intelligence

The role of the teacher is decisive in the emotional development of the students. An emotionally competent teacher is able to recognize their own emotions, manage them, and respond to classroom challenges in an empathetic and balanced manner.

Teachers with high emotional intelligence tend to:

• Create more positive and receptive classroom climates.
• Foster mutual respect and open communication.
• Manage conflicts constructively and not punitively.
• Identify early signs of anxiety, depression, or isolation in their students.
• Model emotionally healthy behaviors for their students.

Conversely, a teacher with low emotional control may respond in a reactive, authoritarian, or inconsistent manner, creating a negative and demotivating learning environment.

Educational Programs Based on Emotional Intelligence

Over the past few decades, numerous emotional education programs have been implemented in schools around the world, with encouraging results. Among the best known are:

• RULER Program (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence): teaches how to recognize, understand, name, express, and regulate emotions.
• CASEL Program (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): promotes the integration of social-emotional skills into the school curriculum.
• KIVA Program: designed to prevent bullying by promoting empathy and emotional responsibility.

These programs have shown that students who develop emotional skills tend to improve their academic performance, reduce disruptive behavior, and show greater overall well-being.

Practical Proposals for the Classroom

Emotional intelligence is not taught exclusively from theory. It is built through experience, support, and practice. Some strategies that teachers can implement in their classrooms to work on EI are:

• Emotional diary: Allow students to write and share how they feel daily, encouraging self-awareness.
• Calm corners: Spaces where students can manage intense emotions through breathing techniques or creative expression.
• Reading stories or movies: Analyzing characters and their emotions to promote empathy and emotional debate.
• Conflict resolution with mediation: Teach how to dialogue, express emotions without aggression, and reach agreements.
• Conversation circles: Weekly spaces to talk about experiences, emotions, and strengthen group bonds.

Emotional Education as a Right

Emotional education is not a complement, but a right of the child, recognized even by international organizations such as UNESCO and UNICEF. A truly inclusive education system must guarantee not only the teaching of academic content, but also the comprehensive development of the student as a person.

From this perspective, emotional education must be part of the school curriculum in a transversal and systematic manner, integrated into all subjects, educational levels, and institutional policies.

Conclusion

Developing emotional intelligence in the educational field is a long-term investment that positively impacts coexistence, academic performance, and general well-being. School, as the space for socialization par excellence, must become an environment where students learn not only to think, but also to feel, express, empathize, and coexist.

Integrating emotional psychology into education not only creates more capable students, but also more aware, balanced, and humane people.