Emotional literacy in EFL classes: The relationship between teachers' trait
emotional intelligence level and the use of emotional literacy strategies
Ekaterina Kliueva and Dina Tsagari
Kliueva, E. and D. Tsagari (2018). ‘Emotional literacy in EFL classes: The relationship between teachers’
trait emotional intelligence level and the use of emotional literacy strategies’. System: An International
Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, 78, 38-53
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.07.006
This study investigates the relationship between the levels of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI)
of teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and the teaching strategies they use in the
classroom to develop students’ emotional literacy (EL). It also examines the influence of factors
such as teaching experience and class size on teachers’ choice of EL strategies. The study used a
mixed methods design, first administering questionnaires to EFL teachers (N=102) within Cyprus
and locations outside the country, followed by in-depth interviews with a smaller number of
respondents (N=11). Overall, the questionnaire results indicated a correlation between teachers’
trait EI and teaching practices. Furthermore, the content analysis of the interviews, showed that
the level of educational sector (school vs university) plays a significant role in the use of these
strategies and identified areas for improvement. The results form the basis for recommendations
for an EL training program targeting the promotion of EL in the EFL classroom.
1. Introduction
Learning a foreign language is accompanied by various emotions, such as enjoyment,
anxiety, boredom, anger, hope and pride (Pishghadam et al., 2016). The extent to which students
manage such a wide spectrum of emotions is often determined by the classroom environment
(Arnold, 2011). Moreover, the literature showed that if students are provided with the chance to
reflect on their emotional experience in the classroom, they can channel these experiences into
productive learning (Lopez & Gardenas, 2014; Aragao, 2011). Therefore, teachers as facilitators
© 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/