Effects of emotional intelligence instruction on English communication apprehension and oral skills among Malay ESL learners

Many graduates today face difficulties to secure jobs upon graduation due to poor English language proficiency and communication skills. The Malaysian Education Blueprint specifies that tertiary institutions need to address these shortcomings. These institutions are also expected to mould the future workforce into holistic individuals not only intellectually but also ethically and spiritually to meet market demands. This study explores the concept of emotional intelligence as a means to achieve this vision as emotional intelligence (EI) is viewed as a greater measure of overall success in life than mental capacities. The main objective of the study was to explore the effects of emotional intelligence instruction on communicative behaviour specifically among Malay tertiary learners and determine the impact of socio-cultural influence on their communicative behaviour. This quasi-experimental study involved two intact groups of forty students each enrolled in an English for Occupational Purpose (EOP) class. The intervention for the experimental group was based on the Emotional Learning System proposed by Nelson and Low (2011) while the control group continued with the conventional EOP lessons. A correlation design was also utilised within the study to explore the strength of the relationship between the main variables. The results indicate a significant negative relationship between emotional intelligence and communication apprehension with the domains of intrapersonal skills having the strongest impact followed by leadership and self-management skills. The same three domains of EI have a positive correlation with communication skills but the leadership domain had the greatest influence. The results of the paired-sample test indicate a reduction in communication apprehension for only the experimental group. For communication skills, both groups improved in the oral discussion test but only the experimental group improved in public speaking. This means that EI intervention can assist learners to overcome their oral anxiety and increase their confidence in public speaking contexts. The evidence from the interview indicates that exposure to the language, cultural identity, socio-economic background and religious practices influence Malay learners’ communicative behaviour. The study provides optimistic findings on the potential benefits of an EI curriculum for students at all levels. Adopting EI within the language curriculum will allow learners to delve into their inner-selves and proceed through a journey of self-discovery to emotionally intelligent behaviour. The ability to use both their emotional and cognitive intelligences to regulate their behavior will benefit them not only academically but also professionally.

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