DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS OF FUTURE PROFESSIONALS FOR RESILIENT AND ADAPTIVE EDUCATION DURING WAR AND POST-WAR RECOVERY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31110/EduEdge-2.3Keywords:
emotional intelligence, social-emotional skills, learners, crisis education, post-war recovery, culture of professional communication, infomedia literacy, digital support practices, resilience of educationAbstract
The article examines the development of social-emotional skills and emotional intelligence of future professionals as a condition for the resilience of education during war and post-war recovery. Theoretical analysis shows that social and emotional learning is closely linked to young people’s adaptation to prolonged stress, maintaining academic achievement, and preventing psycho-emotional maladjustment. Emotional intelligence is defined as a resource that combines awareness of one’s own experiences, emotional regulation, empathy, and the capacity to develop constructive behavioral strategies in crisis situations. The importance of preparing university teachers to work with the emotional challenges of learners and to manage their own emotional vulnerability is emphasized.
Drawing on two empirical cases, the article generalizes the experience of integrating social and emotional learning into language and professional training. The first case describes a system of communicative tasks in a language course designed to develop emotional intelligence by analyzing the emotions of characters, engaging in role-play, and participating in inquiry-based situations, as well as through reflective writing and safe group discussions. It is demonstrated that the systematic use of such tasks is associated with increased levels of emotional awareness, empathy, self-regulation, and self-motivation among learners, even in conditions of war-related stress. The second case reveals the relationship between the culture of professional communication of future economists and their level of emotional intelligence, highlighting the role of values, ethical guidelines, and speech strategies in shaping responsible attitudes towards partners, clients, and communities.
Educational practices of support and recovery that have emerged in Ukrainian higher education institutions during the full-scale war are described separately, including reflective writing, training in empathic listening, modeling professional situations, the use of digital emotion diaries, online discussions, and blended forms of interaction. It is demonstrated that integrating such practices into the educational process, rather than using them as one-off interventions, promotes the formation of sustainable forms of mutual support, the development of information and media literacy, and prepares future professionals for ethical leadership in the post-war reconstruction process. Recommendations are formulated regarding the inclusion of social and emotional learning modules in educational programs, the improvement of professional development systems for university teachers, and the institutional anchoring of care for emotional well-being as a component of higher education quality.
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