Marshmallow Test for Faculty Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a conclusive factor in the teaching career as it determines decision-making skills, interpersonal relationship, and classroom behavioral skills of educators. The paper resurfaces a self-evaluation of EI of faculty members in the chosen educational organizations by revising the Marshmallow Test, the test which was aimed to evaluate self-regulation and delayed gratification. Although the original Marshmallow Test focused on the impulse control of children, the modified variant of the test measuring the emotional stability, patience, and professional self-control in academic environments of the current study evaluated adults. The study was based on a quantitative research approach, wherein 150 faculty members at various levels of the institution were used. The instruments used to collect the data included the Emotional Competency Inventory (ECI) and a structured demographic questionnaire. Different statistical tests were conducted to examine the correlation between EI, teaching experience, gender, and self-regulation. Results reveal that emotional competence and professional performance are strongly forecasted by self-regulation, and the faculty with experience had a higher impulse control and emotional maturity. Also, there were gendered differences, which represented subtle differences in the expression and regulation of emotions. The findings highlight the need to incorporate the EI development and self-regulation training in faculty development programmes and thus improve the effectiveness, resilience, and leadership potential of educators in educational facilities.