Building friendships can help students perform better

Psychology tutors at Edge Hill University are using their research to help their students bond to improve academic progress.

Dr Debbie Pope, Programme Leader for the University's Psychology degree programme, has been looking at emotional intelligence and the effects on learning in both children and adults.

Her study, The influence of emotional intelligence on academic progress and achievement in UK university students, investigates the emotional intelligence levels of individuals and why some students perform better than others.

She explained: "Previous research has found relationships between higher levels of emotional intelligence and academic success in both adolescents and adults. My results showed that there were no differences in overall emotional intelligence levels in those students who graduated compared to those who failed. However, more specific emotional intelligence competencies such as building bonds, networking and building/maintaining relationships, empathy, adaptability such as flexibility in handling change, conscientiousness and organisational awareness, for example, understanding the relationships in one's own group or organisation, were related to retention, progression and academic performance."

A total of 135 full-time first year undergraduate psychology students took part in the study and completed questionnaires to assess four main areas of emotional intelligence - self-awareness, social awareness, self-management and relationship management.  This information was compared to retention figures and final average percentage marks.

Dr Pope said: "The research indicates that overall measures of emotional intelligence do not predict academic performance. However, the measurement of individual key competencies is a better predictor of progression. In particular, students who have good social awareness skills are more able to access social support and integrate socially, and therefore experience less stress and are less likely to withdraw from their studies. Therefore, it may be more beneficial and cost-effective for educators to concentrate on skills related to the improvement of social awareness and self-management skills rather than more general and less easily defined factors."

As a result of the findings, Edge Hill University's Psychology Department has revamped the Freshers' Week experience for first year students. They host social trips out, hold smaller group sessions to allow students to develop friendships more quickly and also make the initial meetings with staff more personal to allow them to build better relationships with students. 

Higher emotional intelligence levels have has also been linked to better employability.  Within an interactive teaching session, second year students have an opportunity to measure and assess their own emotional intelligence levels and receive advice and a workbook specifically designed by educators to show how emotional intelligence competencies can be developed by students.

She said: "I feel that all this work is having a positive impact within the department and we are seeing better performance than ever before. In the latest National Student Survey (NSS) our Psychology degree was ranked top in the north-west for student satisfaction levels, which shows our students value what we do here."

Dr Pope is editor of the Psychology of Education Review (PER), a committee member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) Education Section and has achieved Chartered Psychology Status in Teaching and Learning.