Impact of an Emotional Intelligence Program in Early Childhood Education: Quasi-experimental Analysis of the Influence of Gender on Emotional Recognition

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v18i36.8359

Keywords:

Gender, Early Childhood, Educational Interaction, Emocional recognition, Emocional Intelligence

Abstract

The objective of this research is to analyze how participation in an annual emotional intelligence program influences the ability to recognize one's own and others' emotions, considering the gender variable to improve social interactions in the classroom. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used with a non-equivalent control group. The sample included 180 5-year-old students from Murcia (Spain), distributed in an experimental group (n=90, 29 boys and 61 girls) and a control group (n=90, 36 boys and 54 girls). The experimental group participated in the Annual Emotional Intelligence Program "EMOTI" (Hurtado y Salas, 2019). The assessment instrument used was the Scale for the observation and evaluation of recognition, perception and awareness of emotions (Salas, 2022). For data analysis, SPSS software (version 25) and Chi-square and Fisher's statistical tests were used to identify significant differences between the groups. The results indicate that, After the intervention, girls have a greater ability to identify, perceive and become emotionally aware in relation to the emotions of Fear, Sadness, Anger and Joy compared to boys, highlighting significant differences in the gender variable.

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Author Biographies

Margarita Alcaide Risoto, Universidad Camilo José Cela, España

Doctorate in Psychopedagogy (University of Jaén, 2008), DEA (University of Jaén, 2005), Degree in Psychopedagogy (University of Jaén, 1993), Diploma in Primary Education (University of Castilla-La Mancha, 1999). My professional career began as a teacher at the Cristo Rey school in Jaén, the Sagrado Corazón school in Linares, and as a teacher at the Red Cross. Since 2009, I have been working as a university lecturer at Camilo José Cela University in Madrid, with extensive teaching experience (5,740 hours) in doctoral/master's/bachelor's/diploma/graduate courses in early childhood and primary education, having taught at the University of Jaén, the International Ibero-American University and Pablo de Olavide University, with positive evaluations in teaching quality. With regard to my experience in university positions, I served as Academic Secretary of the Faculty of Education (UCJC, 2013/14), Co-Director of the Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood and Primary Education (UCJC, 2014/15), Director of the Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education (UCJC, 2015/16), Internship Coordinator (UCJC, 2010/13) and member of the Doctoral Committee (UCJC, 2020 to present).

Noelia Salas Román, Colegio Pérez de Hita, Murcia, España

Doctor of Education Sciences. In 2025, she received the first prize for Best Teacher in Spain in the Early Childhood Education category from the Abanca Foundation. A qualified Early Childhood Education teacher with more than 20 years of teaching experience at different stages of the education system. Specialist in emotional intelligence, with several research projects on emotional intelligence and publications in scientific journals. Author of the Leemociónate collection: stories and tales, which includes the publication of three books, Las emociones de Sara (Sara's Emotions); Filip el perrito feliz (Filip the Happy Dog) and El niño y el globo (The Boy and the Balloon).

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PORTADA_VOLUMEN 18, NÚMERO 36

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Published

2025-10-22

How to Cite

Alcaide Risoto, M., & Salas Román, N. (2025). Impact of an Emotional Intelligence Program in Early Childhood Education: Quasi-experimental Analysis of the Influence of Gender on Emotional Recognition . Journal of Learning Styles, 18(36), 204–214. https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v18i36.8359

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 36 (2025): Universal Design for Learning as a measure of attention to diversity

Section

SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES OPEN

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