Exploring The Relationship Between Study Abroad And Emotional Intelligence

140 Pages·2015·1.22 MB·English

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
STUDY ABROAD AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

by

MICHAEL JOSHUA CARTER

LOUCRECIA COLLINS, COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR
KEITH GURLEY, COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR
DAVID SCHWEBEL
LOURDES SANCHEZ-LOPEZ
DAVID VANCE

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to the graduate faculty of The University of Alabama at Birmingham,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

2015
Copyright by
Michael Joshua Carter
2015
EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
STUDY ABROAD AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

MICHAEL JOSHUA CARTER

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

ABSTRACT

Given the increased interest in the academic and behavioral impact of university
study abroad programs, the possible relationship between study abroad and emotional
intelligence was evaluated. A paper-based survey packet consisting of a researcher-
developed demographic questionnaire and the Bar-On EQ-i: 2.0 Emotional Intelligence
Quotient Inventory (EQi) was administered to a convenience sample of 144
undergraduate students, ages 19-25, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The
total sample consisted of two groups: (1) a sample group of undergraduate students who
participated in the university study abroad program and (2) a sample group of
undergraduate students who did not participate in the university study abroad program.
The hypotheses tested were: (1) Study abroad participants will score higher on the Bar-
On EQ-i: 2.0 Emotional Intelligence Quotient Inventory (EQi) than those students who
do not study abroad, (2) Study abroad participation can be predicted by EQ as measured
by EQi scores, and (3) Study abroad participants will score higher on the EQi
administered after the study abroad experience as compared to their EQi baseline scores
collected prior to participating in the study abroad program. Data analysis failed to affirm
these hypotheses. No significant difference between study abroad and non-study abroad
participant EQi scores was observed. No significant difference in pre- and post-study
abroad EQi scores was observed. Though this study did not identify total EQi scores as a
possible means of identifying students who would be more likely to study abroad, student
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socioeconomic status was found to be a significant predictor of study abroad
participation. Additionally, EQi total score approached significance as a predictor of
study abroad participation, and exploratory analyses identified EQi subscale scores
related to emotional self-awareness and flexibility as statistically significant predictive
indicators of student likelihood to study abroad. Implications of findings for educational
leaders are discussed along with suggestions for future research in the field of study
abroad.

Keywords: college and university students, emotional intelligence, emotional self-
awareness, flexibility, study abroad
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DEDICATION
This tome is dedicated to my best friend and partner. You have sacrificed much
over these last several years as I have worked to complete this monumental, personal
achievement. Thank you for putting up with me throughout this process—one that has
taken nearly half as many years as we have been together! Your guidance, counsel, and
love kept me sane, and your unwavering desire to see me succeed motivated me to push
forward to completion even amidst so many other, more delightful distractions that could
have gotten in the way. Countless times you helped me find my way again when I was
utterly lost.
In these pages I have written about emotional intelligence and study abroad. In
my darkest hours, you helped me regain my own emotional self-control and certainly
kept me from leaving the country never to come back. Though I know I vilified you for it
more often than I would like to admit, your logic was (and always will be) the perfect foil
to my emotional nature throughout this process (and throughout life in general). You are
the sine to my cosine. Can we get married now?

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
If you have somehow found yourself reading this dissertation because you are
actually interested in what I have to say, are considering writing your own, or—scarier
still—are in the midst of writing your own, there is one very important thing you should
know before proceeding: Writing a dissertation is not about you. It is about the process,
and more importantly, about the amazing people you will meet along the way. You will
get to know these people very well—and, yes, you will probably hate them at times. Put
your ego aside and trust them. Listen to them. You, too, will one day be better for having
done so and will be able to thank them for their presence in your life.
For my part, I especially wish to thank my committee chair, Dr. Loucrecia
Collins. From Birmingham, to Italy, and back again, you have always been a source of
inspiration to me. You always knew what I was capable of and wouldn’t let me give up
on myself. Now that you got me this far, where shall we go next?
Of course, I cannot forget, and likely will not adequately convey my tremendous
thanks to my committee members. Thank you, Dr. Keith Gurley, for very gently and
diplomatically breaking the news to me that the “good” writer I used to be could be a lot
better—talk about a blow to the ego! I am a better writer thanks to you. I also thank Dr.
David Vance for helping me—someone who normally avoids mathematics at all costs—
to actually understand and make sense of statistical analyses. To Dr. David Schwebel, I
say thank you for your always calm demeanor and your always insightful advice. Dr.
Lourdes Sanchez-Lopez, I still remember that day we met nearly 13 years ago when I
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first moved here from Oklahoma, and you hired me to teach. You changed my life that
day. It has been an honor for me to have you on my committee. Thank you for always
cheering me on.
Also, though it seems impossible to have any semblance of a life whilst writing a
dissertation, it is essential to remember that there is a life outside of the process. Many
thanks to the many friends and family members who have cheered me on and, when I
needed it the most, helped to drag me out from under the proverbial rock to put the
writing aside for a moment to breathe and regroup. I could not have survived this
particular journey without the cohortito. You know who you are, and I cannot wait until
the next gathering.
Finally, none of this would have been possible without my mom and dad. Of
course, biologically speaking, I wouldn’t be here writing this if it hadn’t been for them.
More importantly, however, if I hadn’t had the tremendous good fortune to have been
nurtured by these two amazing individuals, I never would have become who I am today.
Thank you for teaching me how to love, how to laugh, and how to learn.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iii
DEDICATION ............................................................................................................v
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................ vi
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... xi
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ xiii
CHAPTER
1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................2
Purpose of the Study .............................................................................................3
Hypotheses ............................................................................................................4
Significance of the Study ......................................................................................4
Delimitations and Limitations ...............................................................................6
Potential Biases .....................................................................................................6
Theoretical Framework .........................................................................................7
Definition of Terms.............................................................................................12
Emotional Intelligence ..................................................................................12
Study Abroad ................................................................................................12
Organization of the Study ...................................................................................12

2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................................................14

General Emotion in Study Abroad: Anecdotal Evidence ...................................14
Human Social and Emotional Development .......................................................15
Temperament ................................................................................................16
Emotion .........................................................................................................20
Concept of Self .............................................................................................22
Social Learning ...................................................................................................23
Summary of Human Social and Emotional Development ..................................25
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) ...............................................................................25
EQ and Academic Success............................................................................26
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Study Abroad and Academic Success.................................................................27
Language Acquisition ...................................................................................27
Personal Growth and Development ..............................................................28
Intercultural Competence ..............................................................................28
Study Abroad and EQ .........................................................................................29
Other Out-of-Classroom Experiences and EQ ....................................................30
Chapter Summary ...............................................................................................30

3 RESEARCH METHODS ......................................................................................32

Purpose of the Study ...........................................................................................32
Research Design and Hypotheses .......................................................................32
Study Population .................................................................................................33
Participant Selection and Sampling Strategies ...................................................35
Methodological Procedures ................................................................................36
Instruments ....................................................................................................36
Study Abroad Sample Group Recruitment and Data Collection
Procedures .....................................................................................................40
Non-Study Abroad Sample Group Recruitment and Data Collection
Procedures .....................................................................................................42
Data Management Procedures ......................................................................44
Data Analysis Techniques...................................................................................45
Data Analysis for Hypothesis 1 ....................................................................47
Data Analysis for Hypothesis 2 ....................................................................48
Data Analysis for Hypothesis 3 ....................................................................48
Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................49
Delimitations and Limitations .............................................................................50
Chapter Summary ...............................................................................................51

4 RESULTS ..............................................................................................................52

Characteristics of the Total Study Sample ..........................................................52
Study Abroad Sample Group ........................................................................54
Non-Study Abroad Sample Group ................................................................54
Summary Statistics for the EQi Instrument ........................................................56
Testing of Hypotheses.........................................................................................56
Hypothesis 1..................................................................................................57
Hypothesis 2..................................................................................................60
Hypothesis 3..................................................................................................62
Exploratory Analyses ..........................................................................................63
Chapter Summary ...............................................................................................68

5 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................70

Rationale for the Study .......................................................................................70
Research Goals....................................................................................................72
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Research Methodology .......................................................................................73
Sample Description .............................................................................................74
Discussion of Hypothesis 1 .................................................................................75
Discussion of Hypothesis 2 .................................................................................75
Discussion of Hypothesis 3 .................................................................................76
Discussion of Exploratory Statistical Analyses ..................................................77
Implications for Educational Leaders .................................................................78
Suggestions for Future Research ........................................................................81
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................84

LIST OF REFERENCES ..........................................................................................86

APPENDICES ........................................................................................................103

A COPYRIGHT PERMISSION LETTER TO USE THE BAR-ON
EQ-i: 2.0 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT INVENTORY
MATERIALS ..............................................................................................105

B CONSENT FORMS....................................................................................108

C DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE ......................................................121

D BAR-ON EQ-i: 2.0 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT
INVENTORY (EQi) ...................................................................................123

E IRB APPROVAL ........................................................................................125

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