The impact of teachers' emotional intelligence skills on students' motivation to learn

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study is to encourage high school graduates to voice on the impact past teachers had on their motivation to learn, and to determine if this impact has affected their post high school lives. Through a focus group strategy, 21 high school alumni participated in three separate focus groups. Participants discussed their former teachers' emotional intelligence skills that influenced their motivation to learn. On the review, teachers were identified as a major factor in a student's motivation to learn. This research was guided by Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory of Motivation (1986) and constructs related to learning and motivation from Carl Rogers' Humanistic Views of Personality (1961), and from Brain Based Learning perspectives with a major focus on the area of Emotional Intelligence. Findings revealed that the majority of participants identified teachers who most motivated them to learn and who demonstrated skills associated with emotional intelligence. An important and disturbing finding was that some of the participants had negative experiences. Further work is recommended to expand this research in a post secondary education study to gain insight into the long-term benefits attributable to experiencing positive teachers and the negative impact teachers have on students' motivation to learn, specifically on student anxiety and learned helplessness.