The thesis summarizes the results of the theoretical analysis and experimental study of the conditions for the development of emotional intelligence of IT students, describes its structural and procedural components, and establishes the relationship between emotional intelligence and socio-psychological adaptation and emotional burnout. In the thesis an emotional intelligence development program for IT students is established and tested.
The own theoretical model of structural-substantive components and processes of emotional intelligence is proposed. The structural and substantive components are: emotional, cognitive and behavioral; processes that underlie emotional intelligence are: awareness and self-regulation.
Emotional intelligence is of key importance for the development and formation of professional consciousness, because professional research activities coupled with emotional experiences of the results of these activities are the basis of professional reflection and introspection. Emotional intelligence acts as a regulator of emotions and mind, gives the opportunity to feel responsible for one’s life and decisions, to understand one’s own needs and motivations. The corrective function of emotional intelligence expands the choices of life strategies and professional styles (including changing or completely abandoning previous decisions).
Individuals who choose their education and activities in the IT field have certain emotional features. In addition, the profession makes demands on personal characteristics (including emotional ones) through the organization of work and the specificity of working requirements. To date, there is a discrepancy in the way that learning is done with an emphasis on cognitive development, that is, intellectual ability and search activity. While activities are organized in a command-type manner, that is, lead to social interaction, emotional and communicative competence. Emotional intelligence can be one of the mechanisms that bridge this gap and help to organize the adaptation of individuals to professional IT activities. The presented program of empirical research on emotional intelligence in students of IT specialties included three stages: preparatory, which carried out planning, selection and testing of methods, search for subjects; the main stage, which involved determining the indicators of the components of emotional intelligence: cognitive, emotional (affective) and behavioral.
A system of psychological and pedagogical conditions for the development of emotional intelligence has been formed, which includes on the one hand a psychological block of conditions: psychological trainings, workshops, psychotherapeutic thematic groups and individual psychological counseling (or psychotherapy); on the other - a psychological and pedagogical block of conditions: conversations, educational lectures, practical or scientific-practical conferences, thematic extracurricular activities.
Checking the effectiveness of the developed program showed its positive impact on the development of the components of emotional intelligence in students of IT specialties: positive dynamics were noted in all structural and content components of emotional intelligence.
Recommendations are offered for psychologists and psychological services of higher education institutions to implement the emotional intelligence development program or its individual elements into the work to intensification the outlined conditions, taking into account the specifics of students of IT specialties. The effectiveness of involving psychologists with information technology experience in such a program is substantiated. Information from such professionals was perceived as more reliable and this could enhance efficiency at all stages of the process.
