Emotional Intelligence in Secondary Education Students in Multicultural Contexts

Abstract

Introduction. This study analyzes the level of development in emotional intelligence of Sec-ondary Education students. It also checks for statistically significant differences in education-al level between Spanish and immigrant students, under the integration program "Intercultural Open Classrooms". Method. 94 students of Secondary Education in the province of Jaen (Spain) have been in-volved; data was collected through a self-report questionnaire on emotional education (Emo-tional Quotient Inventory: Young Version, EQ-iL: YV). Results. Outcomes show very high scores for each scale; “Stress management” and “Interper-sonal” scales yielded the lowest scores. Similarly, there are statistically significant differences in the assessments of Secondary Education students according to their origin; Spanish stu-dents show the greatest skill in understanding and controlling their own emotions and com-municating them to others. The analysis of variance reveals statistically significant differences between students by educational level; younger students show more positive assessments re-lated to “Intrapersonal” and “Stress management” scales. Discussion and conclusion. It is vital to implement programs that develop emotional intelli-gence with teenagers in multicultural contexts. Thus, through the development of these skills, a more humane and just society can be achieved, establishing conflict-free coexistence.