> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.silofreelearning.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Research Recap: EQ and Youth Educational Outcomes - URL: https://www.silofreelearning.com/research-recap-eq-and-youth-educational-outcomes/ - Published: 2026-10-18T13:30:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-18T13:30:58.000Z - Description: Does emotional intelligence go hand-in-hand with education? If it does, should that change how we teach? - Author: Jamie VanderLinden - Tags: There's Research on That ## The big picture This recap is for the paper: *Gkintoni, Dimakos & Nikolaou (2025) ยท Cognitive Insights from Emotional Intelligence: A Systematic Review of EI Models in Educational Achievement* The paper reviews 64 peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2023 examining the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic achievement. The authors explore how emotional intelligence relates to students' academic performance, motivation, engagement, behavior, emotional regulation, and relationships with teachers and peers. The central finding is that emotional intelligence is positively associated with academic success. Students' emotional skills are connected to how they manage stress, approach challenges, engage in learning, solve problems, and interact with others. [Cognitive Insights from Emotional IntelligenceDownload and Read the Paperpaper\_9493b97de9f4557eaef03d55d65ab065.pdf2 MBdownload-circle](https://www.silofreelearning.com/content/files/2026/10/paper%5F9493b97de9f4557eaef03d55d65ab065.pdf "Download") ## Key findings in everyday language ### 1\. Emotions affect how students learn. Emotions and thinking are connected. When students experience anger, boredom, or other difficult emotions, learning can become more challenging. Enjoyment of learning is associated with better academic performance, while anger and boredom are associated with poorer performance. **What this means:** Understanding emotions is relevant to the learning process itself, not just to students' behavior. ### 2\. Managing emotions can help students handle academic stress. Students who can **recognize** and **manage** their emotions may be better equipped to cope with pressure, setbacks, and demanding schoolwork. The review connects emotional intelligence with stress management, resilience, and lower academic burnout. **What this means:** Students need opportunities to learn how to respond to frustration and stress, not simply be expected to handle them. ### 3\. Emotional skills are connected to motivation and engagement. The review describes associations between emotional intelligence, motivation, persistence, classroom participation, and academic achievement. Students' emotional experiences can influence how willing they are to participate and keep working toward a goal. **What this means:** Learning involves more than understanding the material. It also involves staying engaged when the work becomes difficult. ### 4\. Emotional intelligence is connected to relationships. Recognizing emotions, understanding other people's perspectives, communicating effectively, and managing reactions can support relationships with teachers and peers. The review links emotional intelligence with social skills, classroom interactions, and classroom management. **What this means:** Emotional skills have relevance to how students participate in groups, navigate disagreements, and experience their school environment. ### 5\. Emotional skills can be developed. Some of the reviewed interventions improved specific emotional skills, including self-awareness and relationship management. Other interventions had limited or no measurable effects on the outcomes studied. **What this means:** Emotional skills can be addressed through intentional learning experiences, although the results depend on the intervention and the skills being measured. ### 6\. Teachers and the learning environment matter! The paper describes connections between **teachers'** emotional intelligence, teacher-student relationships, classroom dynamics, and student engagement. It also discusses emotional skills in relation to teachers' stress and well-being. **What this means:** Students learn within a social environment. The emotional skills of the adults in that environment are relevant as well. ## The takeaway Emotional intelligence is associated with several aspects of young people's educational experiences, including learning, engagement, motivation, managing stress, solving problems, and relationships, but as always, more research is needed. *Association does not equal causation, as you already know.* And in many ways, this is logical to our humanity. - Of course we need to be able to regulate our emotions to learn. - Of course teachers need to regulate their emotions to teach. - And obviously, we can't regulate an emotion that we can't recognize and name. Yet, in many cultures, discussing emotions is still rarely mentioned in education. Emotional learning is relevant because students encounter emotions while doing the everyday work of being human. They experience frustration when learning something difficult, stress around assessments, conflict with peers, uncertainty about their abilities, and satisfaction when mastering something new. This review brings together research examining how emotional intelligence relates to those experiences and how some emotional skills may be developed through educational interventions. ## Wanna learn more about EQ (Emotional Intelligence)? ### Book Recommendation: Check out [The New Emotional Intelligence ](https://www.amazon.com/New-Emotional-Intelligence-Travis-Bradberry/dp/B0DVRGB979/ref=sr%5F1%5F2%5Fsspa?crid=2NGICBP3QGJQG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PAIfTOvfAE2fj2Qe5AWlW-7JvxNb46iO5dU4gGtnS9iYTiU%5F-wzqWhou12Mn8JqQ2UcNDmIaPAUDC09dUgTEZyb5eWwRODw0JIwAfUZhCyfvmz7bwxmzLXjHEdvgX1ZKMXSfg-SlQquBTaLYIsVAMP8g4X1yiZ2WFx9eHgoIwo8JL-d9xHYM01N40CYHjmXadO3U8II%5FFTHteaUdb9flwkeX6Jn3E%5FDKTrF117ADsYw.dTu-7rDAbFB0wp3HVjwUkDVAkfPd9IMTM04AKcD6IdU&dib%5Ftag=se&keywords=emotional+intelligence+2.0&qid=1792329436&sprefix=emotional+intell%2Caps%2C261&sr=8-2-spons&sp%5Fcsd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1)by Travis Bradberry.