Emotional intelligence (EI): The impact of instruction on EI levels of undergraduate nursing students

This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test post-test research design to investigate the impact of instruction in emotional intelligence (EI) as part of an undergraduate Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program, in increasing self-reported and peer rated levels of EI. Twenty six students participated in all phases of this quantitative research study. The EI levels of student participants were measured across fourteen EI variables pre and post participation in EI instruction based upon Daniel Goleman's competency model of EI. Differences between participant students assigned to treatment and control groups are highlighted. The results of this research suggest that six hours of EI instruction does not produce statistically significant changes in the self- and peer-rated reports of the EI levels of undergraduate nursing students. Plausible explanations for these findings include insufficient time for exposure to the treatment, inflated pre-treatment mean EI assessment scores, and too brief of a post-treatment timeframe to appreciate improvements in EI skills. Recommendations for college policy include the integration of EI instruction throughout the entire course of a two year undergraduate ADN program in order to increase EI levels.