Emotional intelligence and university teacher training: A narrative literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47865/igob.vol9.n34.2026.476Keywords:
emotional intelligence, teacher education, higher education, socioemotional competencies, narrative reviewAbstract
Emotional intelligence is a key competency in the comprehensive training of future teachers, as it directly influences personal well-being, occupational health, and professional performance. The objective of this research was to analyze the scientific evidence on emotional intelligence within the context of university-level teacher education through a narrative literature review. The final search was conducted in the ScienceDirect database using terms related to emotional intelligence, emotional competencies, and teacher education in higher education, identifying 676 records in the first phase; Using inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as filters for publication period (2022–2026), open access, social sciences, and document type, 12 studies were selected for the final analysis. The results show that emotional intelligence helps foster resilience, self-efficacy, psychological well-being, and the prevention of professional burnout. Likewise, strategies such as creative drama, forum theater, mindfulness, and case studies help develop social-emotional competencies during initial teacher training. In conclusion, emotional intelligence should be explicitly incorporated across all aspects of teacher education at the university level to help strengthen professional preparation and meet the demands of today’s educational system.
Downloads
References
Barreto, D. M. (2025). Teacher training course for a pedagogy of meaning in life: Effects on professional development. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, 101682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101682
Brackett, M. A., Mayer, J. D., & Warner, R. M. (2004). Emotional intelligence and its relation to everyday behaviour. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(6), 1387–1402. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(03)00236-8
Braun, S. S., & Hooper, A. L. (2024). Social and emotional competencies predict pre-service teachers' occupational health and personal well-being. Teaching and Teacher Education, 147, 104654. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104654
Briones, E., Gallego, T., & Palomera, R. (2022). Creative drama and forum theatre in initial teacher education: Fostering students’ empathy and awareness of professional conflicts. Teaching and Teacher Education, 117, 103825.
Cihan, M. Ö., & Dilekmen, M. (2024). Emotional intelligence training for pre-service primary school teachers: A mixed methods research. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1326082. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1326082
Del Rosal, I., Moreno-Manso, J. M., & Bermejo, M. L. (2018). Inteligencia emocional y rendimiento académico en futuros maestros de la Universidad de Extremadura. Profesorado. Revista de Currículum y Formación del Profesorado, 22(1), 257–275. https://doi.org/10.30827/profesorado.v22i1.9928
García-Martínez, I., Pérez-Navío, E., Pérez-Ferra, M., & Quijano-López, R. (2021). Relationship between emotional intelligence, educational achievement and academic stress of pre-service teachers. Behavioral Sciences, 11(7), 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11070095
Geraci, A., D'Amico, A., Fernandez-Berrocal, P., & Cabello, R. (2026). The relationship among burnout, emotional intelligence, and self-efficacy in school teachers: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Research, 137, 102972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2026.102972
Gilar-Corbi, R., Pozo-Rico, T., & Sanchez, B. (2018). Emotional intelligence training intervention among trainee teachers: A quasi-experimental study. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 31, 33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41155-018-0112-1
Izquierdo, A., Gilar-Corbí, R., Pozo-Rico, T., & Castejón, J. L. (2023). Pre-service teachers’ personal traits and emotional skills: A structural model of general mental ability. Sage Open, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231204179
Lehtinen, A., Kostiainen, E., & Näykki, P. (2025). Crossing boundaries–pre-service teachers' situated and imagined views of socioemotional competence and dialogicality. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 50, 100880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2024.100880
Liu, H., Liu, B., & Wang, X. (2025). Relationship between emotional intelligence and emotion regulation in pre-service teachers' teaching practicum: A quantitative longitudinal study. European Journal of Education, 60(4), e70239. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.70239
Nelis, D., Quoidbach, J., Mikolajczak, M., & Hansenne, M. (2009). Increasing emotional intelligence: (How) is it possible? Personality and Individual Differences, 47(1), 36–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.01.046
Relihan, M. C., & O’Donovan, R. (2026). Introducing the MEL framework scales: Measuring the emotional labour involved in mentoring pre-service teachers. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 15(2), 227–246. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-05-2025-0048
Rosa, B. (2024). In pursuit of social emotional learning in a Swedish pre-service teacher education programme: A qualitative study of intended curriculum. Teaching and Teacher Education, 142, 104527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104527
Sierra-Sánchez, V., Rodríguez-Martínez, A., & Cortés-Pascual, A. (2026). Shyness in future teachers and its implication in academic and social development. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 13, 103078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2026.103078
Squires, V., Walker, K., & Spurr, S. (2022). Understanding self perceptions of wellbeing and resilience of preservice teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 118, 103828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103828
Varis, S., Tolvanen, A., Kyriazopoulou, M., Laine, A., Waltzer, K., Widlund, A., Kim, L. E., Klassen, R., & Metsäpelto, R.-L. (2025). The role of emotional intelligence in shaping pre-service teachers’ cultural beliefs. PLoS One, 20(9), e0331282. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0331282
Yin, H., & Wang, X. (2026). Culture matters for teachers' emotion regulation and its relations to their well-being: A three-level meta-analytic review. Educational Research Review, 51, 100781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2026.100781
Yuste-Hidalgo, F., Stefanelli, F., Menesini, E., & Llorent, V. J. (2026). Longitudinal association between teachers' social, emotional, and moral competencies and their teaching of social, emotional, and moral competencies: The mediating role of perceived importance and teaching planning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 171, 105340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105340
Zammit, J., & Farrugia Caruana, L. (2026). Heartfelt pedagogy across borders: Emotional experiences of language teachers in multilingual educational contexts with insights from Malta. Teaching and Teacher Education, 176, 105481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2026.105481
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0.
