Exploring Elementary Teacher’s Understanding and Classroom Practices in Fostering Students’ Emotional Intelligence in Myanmar
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58835/ijtte.v5i2.603Keywords:
Emotional intelligence, classroom practices, elementary teachers, Myanmar, social and emotional learning, qualitative study, teacher trainingAbstract
This study explores Myanmar elementary school teachers’ understanding of emotional intelligence (EI) and the classroom practices they use to foster students’ EI within the challenging educational context following the 2021 military coup, which disrupted schooling, limited resources, and created emotionally demanding environments. Employing a qualitative phenomenological design, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with twelve elementary school teachers from public, private, and community schools across six regions in Myanmar. The data were analysed using thematic analysis guided by Goleman’s (1995) five components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. The findings indicate that teachers demonstrate a partial yet practical understanding of EI and apply various classroom strategies, including integrating emotional learning into academic subjects, using positive communication, promoting cooperative learning activities, and encouraging students’ self-expression. Teachers perceived these practices as contributing to improvements in students’ behaviour, learning motivation, academic performance, and social interaction. Furthermore, EI-based approaches were reported to strengthen teacher–student relationships, improve classroom management, and enhance teachers’ job satisfaction. However, teachers also faced challenges such as limited instructional time, a lack of formal training in emotional intelligence, and contextual constraints related to political instability and scarce educational resources. Overall, the study concludes that fostering emotional intelligence in Myanmar elementary classrooms is essential for students’ holistic development and teachers’ professional effectiveness, underscoring the need for systematic teacher training and policy support to integrate emotional intelligence into everyday teaching practices.
References
Ahmad, E. P., Chalid, H., Keguruan, F., Pendidikan, I., Brigjen, J., Brig, J., Hasan
Basri, J., Utara, K. B., Banjarmasin, K., & Selatan, K. (2025). Teaching and
learning innovation ISSN 2985-5349 (Online) |. In Print) International Journal
of Curriculum Development, Teaching and Learning Innovation (Vol. 3, Issue
. https://trigin.pelnus.ac.id/index.php/Curriculum/index
Ahn, H. J. (2005). Child care teachers’ strategies in children’s socialization of
emotion. Early Child Development and Care, 175(1), 49–61.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0300443042000230320
Alimni, A., Amin, A., & Kurniawan, D. A. (2022). The role of Islamic education
teachers in fostering students’ emotional intelligence. International Journal of
Evaluation and Research in Education, 11(4), 1881–1892.
https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v11i4.22116
Ashiabi, G. S. (2000). Promoting the emotional development of preschoolers. In
Early Childhood Education Journal (Vol. 28, Issue 2).
Brackett, M. A., & Rivers, S. E. (2024). Transforming students’ lives with social
and emotional learning. To appear in the Handbook of Emotions in Education.
http://casel.org/research/sel-in-your-state/
CASEL. (2023). Advancing social and emotional learning. https://casel.org.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry research design. University of Nebraska,
Lincoln. SAGE Publication
Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., & Zinsser, K. (2012). Early childhood teachers as
socializers of young children’s emotional competence. In Early Childhood
Education Journal (Vol. 40, Issue 3, pp. 137–143).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0504-2
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K.
B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning:
A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions. Child
Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-
2010.01564.x
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence why it can matter more than IQ.
Bloomsbury Publication.
Hyson, M. C., & Zigler, E. (1994). Emotional development of young children
building an emotion-centered curriculum.
https://archive.org/details/emotionaldevelopOOOOhyso
Jones, S. M., Bouffard, S. M., & Weissbourd, R. (2013). Educators’ social and
emotional skills vital to learning.
Khoirunikmah, B., Marmoah, S., & Indriayu, M. (2022). The effect of social skills
and emotional intelligence on learning outcomes of elementary school
students. QALAMUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, Dan Agama, 14(2), 877–
https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v14i2.3779
Liau, A. K., Liau, A. W. L., Teoh, G. B. S., & Liau, M. T. L. (2003). The case for
emotional literacy: The influence of emotional intelligence on problem
behaviours in Malaysian secondary school students. Journal of Moral
Education, 32(1), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305724022000073338
Lochmiller, C. R. (2021). Conducting thematic analysis with qualitative data.
Qualitative Report, 26(6), 2029–2044. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-
/2021.5008
Lopes, P. N., Salovey, P., Côté, S., & Beers, M. (2005). Emotion regulation abilities
and the quality of social interaction. Emotion, 5(1), 113–118.
https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.5.1.113
Mayer, J. D., Roberts, R. D., & Barsade, S. G. (2008). Human abilities: Emotional
intelligence. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 507–536.
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093646
Muhammadiyah, U., Dewiyanti, N. G., Nurihsan, J., & Budiman, N. (2025). The
Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Student Success: A Literature Review
(Vol. 2).
https://www.issrestec.id/http://journal.ummat.ac.id/index.php/issrestec
Neubauer, B. E., Witkop, C. T., & Varpio, L. (2019). How phenomenology can
help us learn from the experiences of others. Perspectives on Medical
Education, 8(2), 90–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-019-0509-2
Noy, C. (2008). Sampling knowledge: The hermeneutics of snowball sampling in
qualitative research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology,
(4), 327–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645570701401305
Nuri Tok, T., Tok, S., & Doğan Dolapçioğlu, S. (2013). The relationship between
emotional intelligence and classroom management approaches of primary
school teachers *1. In Educational Research (Vol. 4, Issue 2).
http://www.interesjournals.org/ER
Person, S. M. (2024). Teachers’ perceptions implementing social and emotional
learning and the impact it has on students.
Qazi, S., Hussain, I., Nizamani, M., & Nizamani, M. (2024). Exploring the impact
of teachers’ and students’ emotional intelligence on classroom dynamics,
behaviour management, and learning outcomes. journal of policy research,
(3), 290–298. https://doi.org/10.61506/02.00345
Rohmah, E. (2021). The relationship between emotional intelligence and students
learning achievement. Thinking Skills and Creativity Journal, 4(2), 57–61.
https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/TSCJ
Sadig, Z. (2024). Fostering emotional intelligence in language learners. Journal of
Azerbaijan Language and Education Studies, 1(1), 67–76.
https://doi.org/10.69760/jales.2024.00106
Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence, imagination, cognition
and personality, 9(3), 185–211. https://doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-
CDG
Saptandari E. (2019). Understanding Indonesian primary school teachers’ socialemotional
practice.
Schmitz, B. (2024). What teachers can do to enhance students’ well-being:
Discussion. Learning and Instruction, 94.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2024.101980
Tam, H. lin, Kwok, S. Y. C. L., Hui, A. N. N., Chan, D. K. yin, Leung, C., Leung,
J., Lo, H., & Lai, S. (2021). The significance of emotional intelligence to
students’ learning motivation and academic achievement: A study in Hong
Kong with a Confucian heritage. Children and Youth Services Review, 121.
