Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 31 (2012) 95 99

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

1877-0428 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Prof. Hseyin Uzunboylu.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.022


Procedia
Social and
Behavioral
Sciences
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 00 (2011) 000000
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

WCLTA 2011
Examining the relationship between emotional intelligence and
learning styles
Badri Shatalebi
a
*, Saeed Sharifi
b
, Narges Saeedian
c
,Hasan Javadi
d

Department of Educational sciences, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Department of Educational sciences, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Department of Educational sciences, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Department of theology, Mohajer Branch .Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
Learning is a very complicated variable which is being affected by multiple factors such as intelligence, incentive, adequate
environment, family and social parameters, quality of school and education, educator and etc. some type of intelligence e.g.
emotional intelligence is one of the variables which is related to the learning style of individuals. Emotional intelligence has been
described as skill, knowledge, and understanding which can guide our incentives to make us success in our life. On the other
hand, learning style involves individual methods for processing information in learning new concepts. The main goal of this
study includes explanation of the relationship between these two variables. It has been conducted on 320 B.A., M.A., and PhD.
students. Its methodology is descriptive-correlational. For this propose, two emotional intelligence questionnaires Bar On with 15
components and Colb learning style questionnaire with four learning styles have been utilized. Data analysis was done according
to descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings imply that among 15 components of emotional intelligence, only 3 components
including intrapersonal relationships, impulse control, and happiness have been compatible with learning style. There was no
relationship between other components of emotional intelligence and learning styles involve Divergent, Convergent, Adaptive,
and Attractive. In a general explanation it can be said that emotional intelligence indicates individuals' ability where as learning
style indicates individual preferences. So lack of relationship between these two variables can be justified.

Keywords: intelligence, emotional intelligence, learning, learning style, students
1. Introduction
In todays world, the swift variations in the area of science, communication and information technology, besides the
emergence of new outlooks about social, political, economical and cultural issues have caused a substantial change
in instructional and educational systems. The successful compatibility in the information era and the burst of science
and technology need a person to have enough skills to be capable of searching for information, analyzing and
applying them.

The recent studies show that in order to do this important task, not only cognitive intelligence and talents are
needed, but the excitement peculiarities, specially the excitement intelligence and social skills bear a great
importance. (Sharifi ,2007)According to the Gardners idea, all people enjoy different levels of intelligence, so in a
learning process they interact and complete one another.


* Badri Shatalebi. Tel:+989131268471
E-mail address: b_shahtalebi2005@yahoo.com
96 Badri Shatalebi et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 31 (2012) 95 99
Badri Shatalebi/ Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 00 (2011) 000000
2
The important factor in organizing a learning process, the group learning of social skills is a special new learning
view point so it holds a special stand and manifests itself in excitement intelligence. Gardner (1989), Wong law
(2004) believe that the excitement intelligence is the ability of a person in knowledge and expressing self and others
moods, as well as, controlling the excitements and enforcing them in their daily activities.

Mayer and his colleagues (2002) believe that the excitement intelligence is the last transition in understanding the
connection between logic and thrill. They also believe that people are different in understanding abilities, expressing
their excitements and realizing the excitement information management. (Warwick and Nettelbeck 2004)Mayer,
Salovey and Karso believe that the excitement intelligence refers to the ability of identification, recognition of the
meanings of excitement, their inter relations, reasoning about their needs, as well as solving the problems.
Excitement intelligence includes the ability of receiving excitement, coordinating between excitements and relevant
feeling, conceiving information relative to excitement, as well as the excitement management. (Mokhtari poor,
Seyadat &Amiri, 2006)

Many models of intelligence excitement have so far been offered. The presented models of Mayer and Salovey
(1997), Golman, bar-on and Steve Heinz are among the well known models in this regard. Mayer and Salvys
(1997) primary definition of intelligence excitement is shown and developed by a four branched model (Day ,
Newsom and victor ,2002).According to Stys and Brown (2004), the first branch is the feeling of an excitement
including; self conscious ability of excitements and its necessities and the right way of expressing them to others.
The second branch, inner-directed (introversive) excitement is about the ability of a person in distinguishing various
excitements. The third branch is excitement understanding which means diagnosis of intricate excitements like;
sudden feeling and excitement interactions between two people and finally; the forth branch is the excitement
management that is about the power of excitement connection or disconnection based on its function in a specific
condition.

Another pattern that was brought up in excitement intelligence and is considered as our research foundation is the
Bar-on pattern. According to this method the excitement intelligence includes 15 indexes.

a- Individual Inner Index that determines the abilities of a person in controlling the awareness of excitements
and includes; excitement self conscious, courage, self esteem, self blooming and independence.
b- Individual Mid Index that includes the abilities of a person in interacting with others and social skills,
consisting; mutual relations, social commitment and sympathy.
c- Adaptation Indexes including; flexibility, realism and ability of solving problems.
d- Stress Control Indexes that determine the ability of controlling tension and shock.
e- General Humour Index, indicating the persons optimism and joy and includes happiness and good will.

Beside other cognitive abilities, the intelligence excitement prepares a ground for many activities like, multilateral
environmental assessment, the power of compassionate communication, acquiring social skills and providing
sentimental grounds and necessary connection for major and various activities like learning. Different people use
different ways for learning, which is known as the learning method.

Bennet (1990) believes that the style of learning is a steady pattern in behaviour and action through which a person
acquires the necessary experiences. In fact, training method is a mixture of the cognitive characteristic attitudes,
sentimental and physiological elements that act as rather steady components in this regard and causes a learner to
realize its environment and react and interact to it.Nassp (2000) believes that the learning methods are psychological
behaviours, sentimental and cognitive means to show that to what extent the learner has realized the subjects and
reacted toward the learning environment.

Pask, (2000) believes the method of learning is adopting a specific strategic process. According to the Drapers idea
(2003) the methods of learning are mental orderly attitudes and strategies that are established based on individual
potentials and used as a habitual manner .Mascazine (2001) has the best known definition of learning style. He
97 Badri Shatalebi et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 31 (2012) 95 99
Badri Shatalebi/ Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 00 (2011) 000000
3
believes that the learning is a unique method through which the person understands and processes the new
challenging information in the learning environments. Different models have been presented as the learning models.
One of them is the Kolb method of learning.
colb has recognized four learning methods:

1- Divergent Method, that consists of combining objective experiences and speculative observation.
2- Convergent Method as a mixture of abstractive thought and active experimental.
3- Attractive Learning Methods that combines both abstractive thought and speculative observation.
4- Adaptive Method which is a method of mixing objective experiences and active experiments.

Learning methods are affected by various variants like sex, character, race and method of teaching.Excitement
intelligence is also related to variants such as; security, job progress and sex, Meanwhile some researches have been
studying about determining the relationship between excitement intelligence and the method of learning, among
which we can name the studies of;Smith (1996), Migliett & Strange (1998), Busato (1999), Sosik & Magerian
(1999), Pask & Scott (2000), Dawda & Hart (2000), Barlling & colleagues (2000), Dunn & colleagues (2004),
Giadenaka (2008), Suliman (2010) and Fong & Yeo (2007).

As mentioned before, the present research is about analyzing the relation between the
excitement intelligence based on Bar on dimensions and Colbs four-branched learning method. The main
question is, weather there is a relation among the students about fifteen branched excitement intelligence dimensions
and Colb four branch learning methods?

2. Method of Research, society, sample and research tools

Since this research is a survey about the relationship between the dimensions of excitement intelligence and the
methods of learning, therefore it is a definition of a kind of solidarity. The students of Khorasgan University
constituted the statistical community of this research. Primarily four courses including; nursing, management,
engineering and law were selected via adopting the random sampling method among the available courses, then
based on the volume of the community in each course, some samples suitable with the capacity of each course in
bachelors, maters and doctorate levels were chosen. The measuring tool in present research is a Bar-on excitement
intelligence questionnaire with 90 questions in form of 15 indexes. The Colbs learning method questionnaire
contains 25 questions. The stability coefficient in questionnaires is calculated using the chronbach Alpha coefficient.
The coefficient for the sentimental intelligence questionnaire is 91% and for learning methods is equal to 97%
which indicates the high credit of both measuring tools. In order to determine the permissiveness of the
questionnaires, the nominal and content permissive is used, for this means, the questionnaires were handed over to
some experts in psychology and education courses and they confirmed them.

3. Discussion and result
The results obtained from the overall analysis indicate that among 15 components of excitement intelligence
including (excitement self conscious, courage, self esteem, self blooming, independence, inner-individual relations,
social commitment, empathy, solving a problem, reality test, flexibility, tolerance, shock control, joy and optimism),
there are only weak relations among;
The inner-individual relations and adaptive learning method component,
The shock control and adaptive learning method component, and
The joy and adaptive learning method component

Based on coefficients

5.4% for inner-individual relations and adaptive learning method
4.9% for shock control and adaptive learning method and
6.6% for joy and adaptive learning method
98 Badri Shatalebi et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 31 (2012) 95 99
Badri Shatalebi/ Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 00 (2011) 000000
4

Among other 13 exciting intelligence components and the rest of the learning methods, no specific relations were
found. The adaptive method of learning is a style in which, the objective experience and active experiments are
combined. These people enjoy the most by engaging themselves with new experiences and prefer to act than
analyze. The way these people use such method is computerized simulation and taking a role. By determining the
question about the research, we can say that concerning the adaptive method of learning characteristics, it seems that
there is a closer relation between the feeling of joy, shock control and the inner-relations with this method of
learning. Normally the people, who are happier, can easier control their antagonizing attitudes therefore they are
more capable of establishing inner-individual connections. According to the above mentioned characteristics for the
adaptive learning method, It seems that people enjoy a better condition regarding this method of learning with three
component dimensions of excitement intelligence including; (inner-individual relations, shock control and
joy).There was no relation between the other excitement intelligence components and methods of learning. The
results of present research with Giadenakads (2008) are the same, because in present research too, there are only
weak relations among three excitement intelligence and learning method components.

Also, the outcomes of this research with Sulimans (2010) are at the same level .Suliman has not reported any
connections between colbs four branched learning methods and Bar- ons excitement intelligence components and
has reached to a conclusion that the excitement intelligence may more be related to factors such as Cultural and
professional values. But the result of the present research with Fong yeos (2007) has conformity with three learning
methods of; divergence, convergence and adaptive, because these two researchers in their studied have mentioned
the connection between these methods of learning with excitement intelligence, whereas, in attractive method of
learning, the present research is conformed with Fong and yeos study, since these two researchers have not found a
relation between the attractive method of learning and excitement intelligence either.

In an overall view, we can say that the excitement intelligence shows the individuals ability, while a learning
method indicates the personal preferences but not the abilities. So there is a disconnection between the peoples
abilities and their preferences. On the other side, the results showed that there was not a meaningful difference
between the degree of excitement intelligence of the answerers regarding their sex and age. The results of present
research showed that there were differences between the excitement intelligence of the answerers concerning their
fields, in a way that the nursing students comparing with the students of law, engineering and management enjoyed
a higher rate of excitement intelligence.

The definite interpretation is that the students of nursing had higher abilities in excitement intelligence components
such as; shock control, commitment and encouragements due to their special insights and peculiarities, therefore the
excitement intelligence components are all, kinds of abilities that people acquire in real and objective circumstances.
The results also showed that the degree of the excitement intelligence in students of doctorate level, in comparison
with the students of BA and MA is higher. Apparently, the ability increases as the age, studies and encountering
objective circumstances increase. So, since the doctorate students have hierarchy in age and environmental
experiences, therefore they have gained higher scores in excitement intelligence.
References
Barlling J, Slater F, Kelloway EK .2000. Transformational Leadership & Emotional Intelligence. Leadership & Organization Development
Journal, 21(3), Available from http://www.Emeraldinsight.com.
Bennet A . 1990. Teaching Style and Instructional Strategy. Now yard.
Busato VV, Prins .1999.The relation between learning styles, the big five personaliy traits and achievement motivation in higher education.
Dawda D, Hart S. 2000. Assessing emotional intelligence: reliability and validity of the Bar-on Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) in
university student. Personality & Individuale Difference, from http: // www .Elsevier.com.
Day A , Newsom S , victor M . 2002. Emotional Intelligence leadership .prepared for : Canadian forces leadership Institute .
Dunn R , Dunn R.2004 .Dunn & Dunn Learning Style Modle ,available in : http:www.Learning style.net/2004/1-125-model.
Fong OP, Yeo R .2007. Influence of emotional intelligence on learning styles: an exploratory study on management undergraduate in Malaysia
and Saudi. Arabia .Available from: Ong.irene@taylors.edu.my
Gardner H.1989.Multipli Intelligent Go to School Educational Implicit of Theory of multiple Intelligent. Educational Research.18 (8).
99 Badri Shatalebi et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 31 (2012) 95 99
Badri Shatalebi/ Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 00 (2011) 000000
5
Gia denaka J.2008. Learning styles and emotional intelligence of the adult learner. Available at :Proquest LLC.
Mascazine JR. 2001. Twin Learning Style :the Osu Study. Education Research Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education
,vol.13,1.pp50-62.
Migliett C ,Strange Cc.1998. Learning Style ,Class roomPreferences , Teaching Style and Remedial Course Out comes,Medical Teacher Journal ,
vol.26,1.pp1-19.
Mokhtaripoor SH.Seyadat SA,Amiri, Sh.(2006).The relationship between emotional intelligence and human resource management .Journal of
studies of management .No 52
Nassp T. 2000.Understanding the Learning Style of Student Implication for Educators.vol 20.No 11/12.
Pask J. 1999.Teachnical Specifications:Learning Style Inventory ,Version 3. http://WWW.Learning from experience.com//Assessment-
Tools.htm.
Pask,G.& Scott,B.C.E.(2000).Learning Strategies Individual Competence. Inj . M.Whitehead (ed);Personality & Learning I ; LondonHodder &
Stoughton.
Sharifi Daramadi,P(2007).Emotional education .Journal of education .No :90
Smith E. 1996 . Learning Styles Aholistic Approach. Journal of European Industrial Training, vol 20 .No 29-35.
Sosik J , Magerian LE . 1999.Understanding leader emotional intelligence and performance group & organization management. 2(3), 367-390.
Stys Y , Brown SL . 2004 . A Review of Emotional Intelligence literature and Implication for correction . Research Baranch correctional service
of canada , Available from : http : // www. Cscscc.gc .www.parsei.com .
Suliman WA . 2010. The realationship between learning style,emotional intelligence and academic success of undergraduate nursing stydent .
Journal of Nursing Research.vol 18 .
Warwick J , Nettelbeck T . 2004 . Emotional Intelligence is ? personality and Individual Differences ,Vol. 37 , No.05 ,pp: 1091 -1100.
Wong law . 2004 . The in fluence of Emotion on perceptions of job satisfaction . a mang community collge Administrators viginia