Abstract:
Language learning is emotionally driven. The emotions can optimize the learning
experience and contribute to the awareness of learners about their needs, goals and
others’ emotions. The speaking skill is considered as one of the most challenging
skills by language learners. Sometime, students are reluctant to cooperate and actively
engage in English speaking activities. Thus, it is the responsibility of teachers to
recognize learners’ real emotions and how they affect their ability to speak in the
classroom. The objective of this study is to find out whether Emotional Intelligence
(EI) of the students affects their attitudes in terms of active involvement in speaking
in the classroom. The design of the study is descriptive and quantitative where the
researcher presented data in numerical and descriptive form. In order to achieve this
goal, twenty-three ESL social science students from Faculty of Arts, University of
Jaffna are randomly selected. The data are collected using EI questionnaire, journal
writing and structured interview. The questionnaire focuses on key dimensions of
EI: emotional perception, emotional comprehension and emotional regulation.
Krashan’s monitor hypothesis is used for the analysis. The findings reported in this
study highlight that students with low EI constantly compare themselves with their
peers and feel shy to express themselves because of mistakes they may make while
speaking. And pair works and group works are preferred by the students with low EI
to share their ideas, offer alternative suggestions and linguistic feedback. It is
observed that the usage of their mother tongue is also an adding factor occasionally
to increase their EI in the second language classroom. The implications of the findings
may encourage teachers to focus on the activities which will enhance the emotional
intelligence of the students.
