Parviz Alavinia, Hassan Mollahossein

Transcription

1 International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences 2012 Available online at ISSN X / Vol, 3 (11): Science Explorer Publications The Predictive Power of Emotional Intelligence Subscales for Iranian Academic EFL Learners Use of Listening Metacognitive Strategies: What Part Does Gender Have to Play? Parviz Alavinia, Hassan Mollahossein 1. PhD, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Letters, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran 2. MA, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Letters, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran * Corresponding author s pevinia2006@yahoo.com, Learners bring with them different backgrounds and individual differences. The salience of such unique traits and characteristics becomes even more eye-catching as one enters the prickly realm of second/foreign language learning. One of the most litigious and debatable individual differences in pedagogical domains is learners' intelligence. Traditionally conceptualized as a crystallized, static trait in individuals, the notion of intelligence has recently been conferred a totally different status, mainly through the attempts by some avantgarde psychologists such as Gardner (1983), Goleman (1995a/b), and Bar-On (1997). The so-called dynamic and non-unitary conceptualization of intelligence was first introduced through Gardner's renowned theory of multiple intelligences, and then via Salovey and Mayer's (1990) attempts toward the popularization of the notion of emotional intelligence, which was later opted and expanded by their two distinguished successors, i.e. Goleman (1995a/b) and Bar-On (1997). Though various frameworks, taxonomies and measurement scales have, thus far, been put forth for the construct of emotional intelligence, Bar-On's (1997/2000) emotional intelligence model is thought to be the most efficient and workable categorization for individuals' emotional competencies and potentials. Since most of the discussion in the present study draws on Bar-On's conception of EI, the way in which his main scales and subscales are categorized is presented below: 1. Intrapersonal skills (self-regard, emotional self-awareness, assertiveness, independence, and selfactualization) 2. Interpersonal skills (empathy, social responsibility, and interpersonal relationships) 3. Adaptability (reality testing, flexibility, and problem solving) 4. Stress management (stress tolerance and impulse control) 5. General mood (optimism and happiness) ABSTRACT: The main preoccupation of the researchers in the current study was exploring the predictive validity of different subscales of Bar-On's emotional intelligence construct in relation to the use of listening metacognitive strategies. To conduct the study, one hundred and twenty male and female Iranian academic learners were selected from Urmia state and Azad universities and Salmas Azad University. Data collection phase commenced by asking the participants to sit the listening comprehension part of the TOEFL, which acted as the homogeneity test in the current study. Subsequent to this introductory stage, Bar-On's emotional intelligence test, and listening metacognitive strategies questionnaire were administered to the remaining 112 learners. The analysis of data via running regression and t-test analysis (using SPSS 18) revealed that Interpersonal and Adaptability scales of Bar-On's questionnaire had the greatest predictive power for the use of listening metacognitive strategies. Finally, based on the obtained results, gender was reported to have no effect on the relationship between emotional intelligence and use of metacognitive strategies in listening. Key Words: emotional intelligence, Iranian academic EFL learners, listening metacognitive strategies INTRODUCTION

2 Nowadays, the role of input in language learning has been and is being given growing heed on the part of educationalists, researchers and practitioners. One of the principal channels through which input is gained and internalized by the students is listening. Oral input has commenced to play a greater part in the modern era, particularly owing to the advent of novel technological breakthroughs which are gradually dominating our current educational practice. Yet, the main challenge the instructors in any pedagogical arena are faced with is the fact that only a small fraction of the input provided to learners can win their attention, and be changed to intake. According to Corder (1967) input is what goes in not what is available for going in, and we may reasonably suppose that it is the learner who controls this input, or more properly his intake (p. 165). Consequently, finding better ways for optimizing the process of converting input to intake is a touchy issue in foreign language teaching. As the key to the process of input internalization, learning strategies are said to prove beneficial in this respect. Second language acquisition has been viewed as a complex cognitive process by cognitive psychologists as the learners implement some cognitive strategies during this process. As the studies show, not only do learners use cognitive strategies, but also they monitor and control their own mental processes (Pintrich, 1999). This latter category of strategies is known as metacognitive strategies and is involved in learning and using language. Regarding the fact that learners have individual differences such as emotional intelligence and their dominant emotional intelligence scales are different, they may be different in using metacognitive strategies in listening comprehension or in a listening task. The present study is an endeavor to denote those scales of emotional intelligence that have more predictive power in using metacognitive strategies in listening. In so doing, the potential role of gender in tampering with the relationship between emotional intelligence and metacognitive strategy use is going to be investigated, as well. Thus, in line with the orientation of the current research the following research questions were formulated: Q1: Which of the scales of emotional intelligence predicts the use of metacognitive strategies in listening? Q2: Does gender affect the relationship between EQ and the use of metacognitive strategies in listening? LITERATURE REVIEW Defined as "an array of noncognitive capabilities, competencies, and skills that influence one's ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures" (Bar-On, 1997, p.14), the concept of emotional intelligence has been approached from a multitude of perspectives and probed by manifold interdisciplinary researchers. Though not quite long after its emergence did the notion of EI enter the realm of didactics, the major outburst in the EQ-oriented educational research seems to have mainly occurred throughout the last decade. Faced with the vast body of prevalent literature on different instructional/academic gains resulting from emotional intelligence, the researchers deem it quite burdensome and unmanageable to go about a comprehensive coverage of the studies in this regard. Thus, in this section of the study, the researchers aim at providing the readers with a laconic account of the most recent pedagogic probes into emotional intelligence. The Latest Probes into Emotional Intelligence Rastegar and Memarpour (2009), among others, were after finding the would-be linkages between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy. The participants of their study were 72 English teachers and the scales utilized to gather data were Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) (Schutte et al., 1998) and Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). The partakers' gender, age, and teaching experience also acted as the moderator variables in this study. Based on the gained upshots a significant amount of correlation was reported between the teachers' emotional intelligence and their self-efficacy. Nevertheless, no significant difference was found among EFL teachers in terms of their age, gender and teaching experience. In another probe into the relationship between emotional intelligence and language learners' reading comprehension and structural ability, Motallebzadeh (2009) organized a project with 170 Iranian EFL learners. Using Bar-On's emotional intelligence test, he held "that except for social responsibility and empathy as interpersonal categories, there was a strong relationship between Emotional Intelligence and EFL learners reading comprehension and structural ability" (p. 39). In a later research on the correlation between language institute teachers emotional intelligence and their pedagogical success, Ghanizadeh and Moafian (2010) selected 89 EFL teachers from a number of English language institutes. The participants were then required to fill Bar-On's EQ-i. Moreover, to appraise the teachers' performance, another questionnaire entitled 'Characteristics of successful EFL teachers' was administered to the students taught by each teacher in their study. The analysis of the obtained data in this study "revealed that there is a significant relationship between teachers success and EQ. Furthermore, significant correlations were found between teachers EQ, their teaching experience, and their age" (p. 424).

3 Labbaf, Ansari and Masoudi (2011), on the other hand, were after finding the potential effect of emotional intelligence on different dimensions of learning organization. To conduct the study, they randomly selected 86 respondents (education officials and Library assistants). Following the likert-type questionnaire analysis and using regression for the final analysis of data, they concluded that "EI had significant positive impact on dimensions of Learning Organization, clarity of mission and vision, effective transfer of knowledge and teamwork and group problem solving" (p. 536). In their search for the possible effect of emotional intelligence and self-efficacy beliefs on high school students' achievement, Yazici, Seyis and Altun (2011) used a sample of 407 participants (236 female and 171 male high school learners). Successive to the analysis of data gained through emotional intelligence and self efficacy questionnaires, these researchers found that gender, age and self efficacy acted as the major predictors of learners' academic achievement. Their study further came up with the existence of an interaction effect between academic achievement and the learners' socio-economic status. Moreover, females academic achievement was reported to be significantly higher than that of male participants. In a fairly recent probe into the viability of emotional intelligence enhancement, Alavinia (2012) strived to find the possible impact of schooling with a particular major on the learners' emotional betterment. The participants of this study were 371 male and female Iranian academic EFL learners who studied in five different majors, and the main instrument utilized for data collection was Bar-On's EQ-i. Making use of two-way ANOVA, Post Hoc analysis (Scheffe test), as well as simple and repeated contrast tests, the researcher claimed that though a few areas of emotional intelligence were found to be affected by differences in learners' majors, none were influenced by differences in their grades of study. Finally, in an attempt organized to find the potential relationship between Iranian EFL learners' emotional intelligence and their writing performance in terms of lexico-semantic errors, Alavinia and Behyar (2012) worked with 100 academic learners. The required data were tapped through administering Bar-On's EQ-i and drawing on the learners' written paragraphs. As the results of the study helped reveal, a significant amount of correlation existed between the learners' emotional intelligence and their lexico-semantic errors. Yet, the participants' gender didn't have any significant role to play in this regard. Furthermore, all subscales of Bar-On's questionnaire were found to have a high predictive value with respect to the learners' errors, with the scale of happiness having the highest degree of predictive value. Probes into Listening Metacognitive Strategies Metacognitive strategies do not only assist learners in learning in general but also have a lot to offer to listening skill specifically. Awareness of strategies in learning can have improving impacts on students listening development (Victori & Lockhart, 1995; Wilson, 2003). Vandergrift (1997) indicates that metacognitive strategies contrast between a skilled and less skilled listener. Goh (2008) enumerates some positive effects of metacognitive strategy training on listening comprehension and states that it decreases learners anxiety while listening and increases students self-confidence. In a study, Goh (2000) used a self-report questionnaire to elicit students strategy use and strategy knowledge in listening comprehension task and found that skilled listeners were more aware of their listening problems and strategies. Vandergrift (2003) conducted a study on teen-age learners of French. The results showed that skilled listeners used twice as many metacognitive strategies as the less skilled ones. Some studies in this field have been carried out on the effect of teaching metacognitive strategies on listening comprehension performance. Thompson and Rubin (1996), for instance, tested the effect of teaching cognitive and metacognitive strategies of listening comprehension on American university students' learning of Russian. They found that in listening to video-recorded texts, learners who had received strategy instruction significantly surpassed those who had not received any instruction. Ultimately, Chang and Read (2008) investigated the effect of providing support such as giving information about the topics of the texts they were going to listen to and vocabulary instruction, on listening performance of the English learners. They found that providing support enhanced the metacognitive strategies use. Probes into the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Use of Strategies As the concept of emotional intelligence is a partially novel and flourishing notion in relation to pedagogical attempts, studies dealing with the myriad implications of this construct for instructional arenas still appear to be infrequent. Among such educational issues which have received scant attention in the light of emotional intelligence lies the would-be relationship between learners' emotional intelligence and their use of metacognitive strategies. Among the very few studies in this regard, one can refer to Aghasafari's probe (2006) in which she found a significant correlation between overall emotional intelligence measure and language learning strategies. In another study dealing with the interrelatedness of emotional intelligence and learning strategies, Hasanzadeh and Shahmohamadi (2011) launched a research project with 100 university learners majoring in

4 different fields. Then, administering Bar-On's EQ-i and Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, they encountered a significant relationship between the learners' emotional intelligence and their learning strategies. Yet, in terms of the correlation between the learners' majors and their emotional intelligence and learning strategies no significant results were reported in this study. Participants METHOD The original sample of the study composed of 120 BA students from Urmia state and Azad Universities as well as Salmas Islamic Azad University. The participants majored in English translation, TEFL and English literature in the said universities. Successive to the administration of homogeneity test, i.e. TOFEL listening comprehension test, the researchers came up with a slight shrinkage in the number of participants and hence the size of homogenized sample was reduced to 112 (72 females and 40 males). In terms of age variation, the participants' age ranged between 18 and 26. Instrumentation and Data Collection Procedure At the outset of the study, a metacognitive strategies questionnaire was adapted from Ishler s (2010) questionnaire which was, in turn, adapted from Oxford s SILL (Strategy Inventory for Language Learners) and used for extracting information about listening strategies used by Tunisian EFL learners. It was translated to Farsi by the researchers and its reliability was confirmed by conducting a pilot study. The reliability coefficient obtained through the pilot study equaled.8. The other two instruments employed in the present study were TOEFL listening test and Bar-On's EQ-i. To set about collecting the data, primarily the listening part of TOEFL test was administered to learners. The test comprised of fifty questions in multiple choice format and time for answering it was about 30 minutes. This was done in order to rule out the possible variation among learners in terms of general language proficiency. Then, the metacognitive strategies questionnaire was given to the participants. After filling the questionnaire, a Farsi version of Bar-On's emotional intelligence questionnaire was given to the participants. The reliability of this latter questionnaire was calculated by Samouei (2003, cited in Alavinia, 2011) and equaled.93. Data Analysis After collecting the data and scoring the listening comprehension test and the two study questionnaires, One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test was used to investigate the normality of the listening scores, metacognitive strategies use scores, and EI scales scores. Afterwards, regression and t-test analyses were run to find the predictive power of five scales of EI regarding the use of listening metacognitive strategies, and to be able to explore the possible effect of gender on the gained upshots. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Test of Normality In order to investigate the normality of the listening scores, One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test was calculated. As is seen in Table 1, the significance level of the test is.122 that is greater than.05, which means that the distribution of the data is normal. Table1.One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test for Listening Scores listening score N 112 Normal Parameters Mean Std. Deviation Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed).122 Findings for Research Question One With regard to the significance level (p <.05), it is observed in Table 2 that Intrapersonal skills, Interpersonal skills, Adaptability, and General mood have a significant relationship with metacognitive strategies of listening.

5 Correlations Table 2. Correlation Results between EI Scales and Metacognitive Strategy Use General mood Stress management Adaptability Interpersonal skills Intrapersonal skills Metacognitive Strategies Pearson Correlation ** p<.05 Metacognitive Strategies 1.00 Intrapersonal skills.23** 1.00 Interpersonal skills.35**.41** 1.00 Adaptability.29**.71**.30** 1.00 Stress management.13.51**.18**.64** 1.00 General mood.26**.69**.43**.56**.60** 1.00 For determining predictive power of EI scales which had significant relationship with metacognitive strategies use in listening, Standardized and non-standardized coefficients table has been drawn (Table 3). The absolute value of standard Beta shows the predictive power of each of the EI scales as to metacognitive strategies use, the summary of which has been provided below: Intrapersonal Skills %10 Interpersonal skills %30 Adaptability %23 General mood %8 It is clear from the results that the scale of Interpersonal skills had the greatest power for predicting metacognitive strategies use. Next, it was the Adaptability scale which had the second greatest power of predicting. Table3. Standardized and Non-standardized Coefficients for Metacognitive Strategies Coefficients Model Non-standardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. B Std. Error Beta 1 (Constant) Intrapersonal skills Interpersonal skills Adaptability General mood Table 4 shows that % 17 of the variance of the metacognitive strategies is determined by EI scales. Durbin-Watson test result (the value is 1.87 which is between1.5 and 2.5) shows that the distribution of the errors is normal. Also, ANOVA shows the significance of.00 (p <.05). These two results show that regression of EI scales for predicting using metacognitive strategies is appropriate. Table 4. Durbin-Watson and ANOVA Analysis for Metacognitive Strategies Model R R Square Std. Error of the Estimate Durbin-Watson ANOVA Metacognitive Strategies Enter F 4.48 Sig..00 Findings for Research Question Two Table 5 shows the results of Levene's Test for Equality of Variances and T-test for metacognitive strategy use for both sexes. With regard to the result of Levene's Test for Equality of Variances, the significance level is.49 which is greater than.05 (p >.05). It means that the variances of the two groups are almost equal. The mean score of metacognitive strategies use is for females and it is for males. With regard to the data briefed in this table, the calculated significance of the test is.95 which is greater than

6 .05 (p >.05). Thus, the results of these two tests show no significant difference between males and females in using metacognitive strategies in listening. Table 5. Difference between Males and Females in Listening Metacognitive Strategies Use gender N Mean Std. Deviation Levene's Test for t-test for Equality of Means Equality of Variances F Sig. t df Sig. Strategies Female Male Table 6 shows the difference of EQ between females and males. Levene's Test for Equality of Variances shows significance of.54 that is greater than.05 (p >.05). It means that the variances of the two groups are almost equal. The T-test result shows the significance of.53 which is greater than.05 (p >.05). The two tests results show that there is not a significant difference between the EQ level of learners in terms of their gender. Table 6. EQ Difference between Males and Females gender N Mean Std. Deviation Levene's Test for Equality of t-test for Equality of Means Variances F Sig. t df Sig. Emotional intelligence Female Male In line with the results depicted in Tables 5 and 6, we can conclude that gender does not affect the relationship between EQ and using metacognitive strategies in listening. Thus, the second null hypothesis of the study is confirmed. DISCUSSION According to the findings of the study, all the scales of EI except 'Stress management' predicted the use of metacognitive strategies in listening. The strongest predictors of using metacognitive strategies were Interpersonal skills and Adaptability. To the researchers, this result seems partly explainable, since people who are skilled in social and interpersonal relations are good listeners, and good listening entails good management of listening process. Consequently, they are good users of listening strategies. Similarly, people who are adaptable to new situations, handle the situations more skillfully and with more flexibility. Listening task is a new situation that has to be handled elaborately. Thus, adaptable people can handle the listening task better and as a result they are good users of metacognitive strategies. Considering metacognitive strategies as a beneficial factor in foreign language learning and educational success, the findings of the present study are in line with Fahim and Pishghadam s (2007) study which showed that intrapersonal skills, general mood and stress management scales have positive correlations with educational success. The two studies show common results considering Intrapersonal skills and General mood scales. The results of Hasanzadeh and Shahmohamadi s (2011) study further showed a positive correlation between language achievement and General mood and Intrapersonal intelligence. The results correspond with the findings of this study with regard to the positive relationship found between these two scales of EI and metacognitive strategies. In the current study, it was found that gender does not affect the relationship between EI and using metacognitive strategies of listening. In this regard, the gained upshots of this study contradict those obtained by Hasanzadeh and Shahmohamadi s (2011) who came up with a significant difference between males and females both in EQ and in using learning strategies. This contradiction may be related to the point that the two studies have been carried out in different educational contexts in Iran. Furthermore, their study took into consideration all the learning strategies of four skills, whereas the present study investigated the effect of EI just on metacognitive strategies of listening. However, the results of the study are in line with the findings of Ehrman and Oxford (1990), who didn t find any significant difference in using learning strategies between male and female learners.

7 CONCLUSION The aim of the present study was to find the predictive power of EI scales for using metacognitive strategies. Based on the findings, some EI scales were found to have predictive power in using metacognitive strategies. The results of the current scrutiny may have some pedagogical implications for language teachers, learners and researchers. The goal of educational system is to prepare learners for life, for stressful and challenging situations. Emotionally intelligent people deal more effectively in these situations. This can be true about listening tasks. The more emotionally intelligent the learners are, the better and more strategies they use before, during and after the task. The results of this study confirmed this idea. Since the gained upshots in this probe revealed that compared with other scales of EI, Interpersonal skills and Adaptability are more powerful predictors of metacognitive strategy use in listening tasks, the teachers might be advised to train learners to be more social in classroom and adaptable to new listening tasks. This may help them use more appropriate metacognitive strategies in listening, which, in turn, results in having a more productive and supportive learning environment. REFERENCES Aghasafari M On the relationship between emotional intelligence and language learning strategies. Unpublished master's thesis. Allameh Tabataba'i University, Iran. Alavinia P Emotional engineering through the application of fuzzy logic: Enhancing emotional intelligence by raising awareness of emotions. Germany: VDM Verlag. Alavinia P A Probe into the would-be effect(s) of schooling on the enhancement of emotional intelligence. American Journal of Scientific Research, 66: Alavinia P, Behyar N On the feasible linkages between Iranian academic EFL learners' emotional intelligence level and their lexicosemantic errors in writing. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(6): Bar-On R Emotional quotient inventory: Technical manual. Toronto: Multi Health Systems. Bar-On R Emotional and social intelligence.insights from the emotional quotient inventory (EQ-i). In: Bar-On, R. & Parker, J. D. (Eds.), The handbook of emotional intelligence (pp ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Chang ACS, Read J Reducing listening test anxiety through various forms of listening support. TESL-EJ, 12. Corder SP, The significance of learner s errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 5: Ehrman M, Oxford R, Adult language learning styles and strategies in an intensive training setting. The modern language journal, 74(3): Fahim M, Pishghadam R On the role of emotional, psychometric, and verbal intelligences in the academic achievement of university students majoring in English Language. Asian EFL Journal, 9(4): Gardner H Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books. Ghanizadeh A, Moafian F The role of EFL teachers' emotional intelligence in their success. ELT Journal, 64(4): Goh C A cognitive perspective on language learners listening comprehension problems. System, 28: Goh C Metacognitive instruction for second language listening development: Theory, practice and research implications. Regional Language Centre Journal, 39(2): Goleman D. 1995a. Emotional intelligence. Bantman: New York. Goleman D. 1995b. Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. London: Bloombury. Hasanzadeh R, Shahmohamadi F Study of emotional intelligence and learning strategies. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29: Ishler JM The listening strategies of Tunisian university EFL learners: A strategy based approach to listening to oral English texts. Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved from Labbaf H, Ansari ME, Masoudi M The impact of the emotional intelligence on dimensions of learning organization: The case of Isfahan University. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 3(5): Motallebzadeh K The relationship between the emotional intelligence of Iranian EFL learners and their reading comprehension and structural ability. Journal of Teaching English as a Foreign Language and Literature, 1(4): Pintrich PR The role of motivation in promoting and sustaining self-regulated learning. International Journal of Educational Research, 31: Rastegar M, Memarpour S The relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy among Iranian EFL teachers. System, 37: Retrieved from Salovey P, Mayer J Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3): Samouei R Azmoune houshe hayajani (Bar-On's EQ-i). Tehran: Moasseseye Tahghighatie Olume Raftarie Sina. Thompson I, Rubin J Can strategy instruction improve listening comprehension? Foreign Language Annals, 29: Vandergrift L The strategies of second language (French) listeners: A descriptive study. Foreign Language Annals, 30: Vandergrift L From prediction through reflection: Guiding students through the process of L2 listening. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 59(3): Victori M, Lockhart W Enhancing metacognition in self-directedlanguage learning. System, 23: Wilson M Discovery listening: Improving perceptual processing. ELT Journal, 57: Yazici H, Seyis S, Altun F Emotional intelligence and self-efficacy beliefs as predictors of academic achievement among high school students. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 15: