Developing Emotional Intelligence through the SMILE Learning Model of Grade 8 Students at Nakhamwittaya School

Abstract

            This study aimed to: 1. Develop a learning management model for enhancing the emotional intelligence of Grade 8 students at Nakham Wittaya School using the SMILE learning model; and 2. Study the effectiveness of the SMILE learning model in developing the emotional intelligence of Grade 8 students at Nakham Wittaya School. The sample group consisted of one Grade 8 classroom selected using purposive sampling, divided into two groups: 21 students receiving the SMILE learning model and 39 students receiving traditional instruction. The experiment lasted 11 weeks, two days a week, 50 minutes per day. The research instruments used were the SMILE learning model and an emotional intelligence assessment form for Grade 8 students. 2. Nakham Wittaya School, with a reliability coefficient calculated using α equal to .89. Basic statistics included mean, standard deviation, statistics used to determine the quality of the research instrument, content validity, and statistics used for comparison.

            Results of the study: 1. A SMILE learning management model was developed for improving the emotional intelligence of Grade 8 students at Nakham Wittaya School. The learning management is divided into 5 steps: 1. Self-construction of knowledge (S), 2. Motivation building (M), 3. Question-based learning (I), 4. Collaborative learning (L), and 5. Evaluation (E).The evaluation found the model to be highly appropriate, with an overall mean appropriateness of 4.69 and a standard deviation of 0.31. 2. The study examined the impact of the SMILE learning management model on improving the emotional intelligence of Grade 8 students at Nakham Wittaya School. After receiving SMILE learning management, the students showed a significant improvement in all aspects of emotional intelligence, including intrinsic emotional intelligence. In terms of emotional intelligence in interacting with others and overall, both before (t = -.24) and after receiving instruction, the group receiving instruction using the SMILE model showed significantly higher development in emotional intelligence than the group receiving traditional instruction, both in each individual aspect and overall (t = 17.60). This demonstrates that the SMILE instructional model is suitable and can be confidently used to develop the emotional intelligence of Grade 8 students at Nakham Wittaya School.