Mindset and emotional intelligence in pre-service teachers

TL;DR

This study explores how beliefs about the malleability of emotional intelligence affect pre-service teachers' emotional intelligence scores.

Contribution

The study reveals that incremental beliefs about emotional intelligence predict higher emotional intelligence scores in pre-service teachers.

Findings

Incremental EI theories are linked to higher self-report and ability EI scores.

Being an incremental theorist of EI explains 11% and 20% of the variance in global EI and managing ability EI, respectively.

EI mindset training could improve emotional intelligence in pre-service teachers.

Abstract

Pre-service teachers must confront emotionally demanding situations associated with the profession, and they must be prepared for it. Previous literature has shown that two variables are important for managing mental health in this population: emotional intelligence (EI) and mindset. EI is the ability to perceive, facilitate, understand, and manage emotions, while mindset refers to beliefs about the malleability of various life domains. According to their mindsets, those who believe that attributes are malleable are called incremental theorists, and those who believe attributes are fixed are entity theorists.

This study aimed to explore the influence of intelligence and EI mindset on self-report and ability EI in a sample of 224 female pre-school pre-service teachers (M= 21.27, SD = 4.72).

Participants completed a questionnaire battery, including intelligence mindset, EI mindset, the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, the Trait Meta-Mood scale, and paternal and maternal educational status.

The results showed that incremental EI theories — but not intelligence — were related to higher scores on self-report and ability EI. Specifically, being an incremental theorist of EI predicted 11% and 20% of the variance in global EI and the managing branch of ability EI, respectively

These results suggest that EI mindset training programs could be implemented and evaluated to explore their impact on the EI of female pre-service teachers

None Declared