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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND AT-RISK STUDENTS LEE PHAIK GAIK Super Skill Senior Lecturer Jabatan Ilmu Pendidikan IPG Kampus Ilmu Khas

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Introduction

Delinquency and conduct disorder are considered as externalizing problems; because they present an acting out of problems, whereas emotional difficulties are regarded as internalizing, because problems are turned inward. Such problems as depression, suicide, stress and eating disorders are examples of internalizing reactions that increase during adolescence. It is believed that the early stage of delinquent behaviour has the potential to cause school failure, impairments in socio-emotional development, peer rejection, delinquency, and adult crime (Moffitt, 1993). This is later supported by Loeber & Farrington, 2000, whereby in their research showed that early onset of delinquency significantly increases the risk of serious, violent, and chronic offending in later years.

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Emotional Intelligence (EI)

According to Goleman (1995), EI refers to a framework for abilities across five domains. Competencies in these domains are necessary for gaining EI skills including knowing ones emotions, managing emotions, self-motivation or motivating oneself, recognizing emotions of others, and effectively handling relationships or interacting with others. These skills are the building blocks of EI. Emotional intelligence (EI) also enable individual to obtain positive results in utilizing their emotions to regulate their behavior (Cecen & Inanc,2005;Weisinger, 1998). As such, EI could be an important factor to provide protection against delinquent behaviour patterns. It includes the ability to be flexible during periods of change in school or work schedule, having effective and efficient communication skills, the ability to use humor in deescalating negative situations, and the use of a wide range of social skills (Benard, 1995; Dobbin & Gatowski, 1996).

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Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Delinquent Students

Various researchers have argued that the emotional intelligence is vital to the healthy psychosocial development of children (Goleman 1995). Conversely, the lack of emotional intelligence in students could be associated with a variety of internalizing and externalizing problem behaviours. For example, lower levels of emotional intelligence have been found to be associated with lower levels of empathy and the inability to manage moods (Ciarrochi et al., 2000). This was supported by some preliminary findings, that lower

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is related to involvement in self-destructive behaviours such as involvement in physical fights and vandalism (Brackett & Mayer, 2003; Rubin, 1999; Trinidad & Johnson, 2001).

This was further supported by the research by Bracket, Warner and Mayer (2004), whereby lower EI reported having poor quality peer relations and may have trouble establishing meaningful social interactions. Furthermore, male with lower EI demonstrated significantly more involvement in potentially harmful behaviour such as using illegal drugs, excessively drinking alcohol and engaging in more deviant behaviour than females. Moreover, students with delinquent behaviour often struggle with difficult personal and emotional problems.

In line with that, a study of 15 male adolescent sex offenders (15-17 years old) revealed that sex offenders have difficulty in identifying their own and others' feelings, namely the two important elements of emotional intelligence (Moriarty, Stough, Tidmarsh, Eger, & Dennison, 2001). This evidence suggests that those at risk students paid less attention to emotions or feelings. Moreover, they also appeared to have less clarity of feelings, and less insight of their own emotional states. On top of all these findings, delinquent behaviour students lack the motivation to learn and have limited ability to focus and maintain a positive sense of self-worth while confronted by daily school challenges.

Similarly, Liau et al. (2003) have found that Malaysia secondary schools students who show lower levels of EI have higher scores on stress, depression and somatic complaints. These would lead to higher levels of aggressive conducts and delinquent behaviours. Therefore, in connection with what has been examined so far, students with lower levels of EI can be expected to present higher levels of impulsivity and inferior interpersonal and social skills that would link to delinquent behaviour.

Moreover, it is believed that young people who are lacking in social and emotional competence might end up becoming self-centered and unable to empathize and relate to others. As such, lower capacity for empathy would affect the ways the adolescents in making possible interpretations (examples include hostile beliefs regarding the efficacy and rightness of aggression) and emotions such as anger), which makes delinquent behaviour more likely happen. Robinson et.al (2007), in his research found that delinquent students responded with empathy less often to particular persons in particular situations than non-delinquent students. In addition, he found that less empathically responsive was a stronger predictor of delinquency.

Self-regulation (also known as self control) is one of the most important skills in the prevention of delinquent behaviour. A longitudinal study conducted by Fortin et al. (2002), showed that delinquent students are lacking in self control. This causes them to react negatively to criticism and make them unable to accept others opinion. Besides, they are lack of control over their moods, which leads them into conflicts with other students and adults. Their emotions would erupt and act out more hostile responses to anger compared to other children. It seems that people with low self-control profile respond to anger-evoking situations with significantly greater outward aggression compared to people high in selfcontrol.

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Conclusion

In human nature, human is described as social and emotional creature. In fact, human beings already have these perspectives in them. A decline in the level of the social competence by the aggressive students has become an issue in the school discipline. So, in order to succeed in school, family, friendships and society, adolescents need a full range of skills such as social and emotional skills apart from academic skills. It is the emotional intelligence that plays an important role to answer how these delinquent behaviour students regulate their emotion in the aspect of personal and social competencies. It is obvious that these psychological factors (EI) need to be taken into consideration in order to provide due guide for the risk students against development of delinquent and violent behaviours.

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