Examining the Emotional Literacy Skill Levels of High School Students1

Melek Alemdar2

Abstract

The aim of this study, which was carried out in the center of Eskişehir using the survey model of quantitative
research, is to describe the emotional literacy skill levels of the high school students and analyze them based on
different variables. The study was conducted with 1103 high school students who were selected using stratified
sampling method and as the data collection tool, “Emotional Literacy Skill Scale” developed by the researcher
was used.
The analyses of the data indicated that the high school students in the center of Eskişehir generally have
medium and high levels of emotional literacy. When the demographic variables are examined, there are
statistically significant differences in the emotional literacy skill total scores based on the gender, school type,
and GPA variables.
It is observed that female students and students with high GPAs have higher scores in many dimensions; thus,
the schools, which accept students with high scores and where the female students are the majority, have better
average in terms of emotional literacy skill. 

Keywords: Emotional Literacy, Emotional Intelligence, Social and Emotional Learning, Survey
Method, High School

1
This study was presented at Ankara University, International Congress on Education for Issues and Challenges and also was adapted from master’s
thesis.
2
Şehit Murat Tuzsuz Technical and Vocational High School, Eskişehir, [email protected]
1
 Introduction

Our society has been experiencing many changes and transformations in the race of adapting itself to

rapidly changing and improving world. In the focus of these change and transformations, the student, who is

expected to be both a promising citizen and a self-realized individual, forms the raw material of education

(Özden, 2005). It is known that students’ realizing of themselves, self-control abilities, motivation levels, social

awareness, and success in the interpersonal relations are directly proportionate to the quality of the education

they get. Behaviorist view on education, which was dominant until the recent years in Turkish education

system, regarded students as mechanisms that could be controlled and shaped (Çelik, 2007). Therefore, it

focused only on the success rate in tests and held a rote learning structure (Gedikoğlu, 2005). However, in the

recent years it has been understood that academic success is not an important factor in the real life success

(Tufan, 2011). As the time has passed, it was realized that students’ affective characteristics and thoughts are

ignored with the view of teaching is done to make the students informed (Özden, 2005); and as a result of this,

it was observed that the number individuals who are indifferent or harmful to the environment they live in has

increased (Haskan ve Yıldırım, 2012). After long years of ignorance, educators and researchers have oriented

their interests into the concept of emotion and started to think upon this issue (Goldie, 2007). One of the

concepts claimed in the international literature in terms of emotions oriented to demolishing or minimizing the

current problems is the term emotional literacy skill.

The concept of emotional literacy was first used by Steiner in 1979 (Killick, 2006). Steiner defined

emotional literacy skill as “to know your emotions in such a way to improve your personal power, quality of

other people’s and your life”. In this definition, emotional literacy skill is regarded as a source of personal

power. Emotional literacy is a term that includes an individual’s competency of being aware of and

understanding their own or others’ emotional situations and of responding other people’s emotions in order to

help (Weare, 2004; Killick, 2006; Antidote, 2003). In its simplest sense, emotional literacy emphasizes that in

the focus of the emotional problems individuals have, rather than problems related to feeling emotions, there

are problems in expressing those feelings, in other words finding the appropriate explanation for the emotion

that is felt. In order to remove these problems, knowledge and skill capacity in motivation, empathy, self-

2
awareness, social skills, and self-regulation has an utmost importance. These topics constitute the chief points

of emotional literacy, in other words, they reflect the main characteristic of it.

Emotional literacy skill in education states the sum of social, emotional and behavioral skills that are

necessary in every aspect of an individual’s family, school, and social life and emphasize getting on well with

others and effective learning. This skill is not only related to the learnings in educational process; it also

supports the possibility of students’ improvement of themselves both in cognitive and affective dimensions for

the internalization and sustainability of the things they learn. Only in this way, individuals will take

responsibility of their learning with the ease of expressing their feelings and will benefit from a curriculum

enriched in terms of emotional view. Such a curriculum will help individuals analyze their emotions and

affective features and facilitate the performing of these in the right place at the right time.

Emotional literacy skill contains a lot of factors supporting the need for bringing up individuals who can

think analytically, are independent, have the problem-solution skill, can show empathy, which are also required

for contemporary education. There is a need for realist research that can reveal the fact that individuals have the

ability to understand the emotions, expressing skills, and clear and positive emotional awareness perception. In

directing the future and making plans, individuals can be brought up with a characteristic which enable them to

make determinations and reach self-content. Thanks to the education that helps reach this content, it is

anticipated that effective communication will be developed and individual and social peace will be achieved. It

is also predicted that as well as revealing emotional awareness, empathy, motivation, and social skills, with the

emotional literacy skill which has the capacity to support these features (Weare, 2004; Antidote, 2003; Steiner,

2003), violence will be rehabilitated and emotions can be supported such as literacy types belonging to key

skills.

Based on these occasions, when the positive features that emotional literacy can provide are born in

mind, it is clearly seen that there is neither a settlement in our country that can assist the development of

emotional literacy skill nor an abundance of studies focusing on this issue in the national literature. With

reference to this lack, this study aims to identify the emotional literacy skill level of high school students and

evaluate emotional literacy components in terms of certain variables. In this study, which is considered to serve

3
as a model to describe the present situation and thus contribute to the field, answers for the following questions

will be sought:

I. How does the emotional literacy skill level of the high school students range?

II. Do the emotional literacy skill levels of the high school students differ significantly with reference to

their

a. gender,

b. GPA,

c. school type?

Method

This study was constructed using quantitative research method and techniques. The study, aiming to

describe the emotional literacy level of the high school students, used the survey method. This model is useful

in identifying special and detailed views of the characteristic structures of people towards various topics in

large types of research, getting their views and expectations, and wanting them to classify themselves (Wolfer,

2006). The population of the study consists of 35936 high school students studying in state high schools in the

center of Eskişehir. Since reaching each person in study population would be difficult for the researcher in

terms of time and costs, sampling method was used. Based on the 90% confidence interval and 0.5 margin of

error, 1103 high school students who were reached was determined to be enough. Therefore, using the stratified

sampling method, the sampling of the study consisted of high school students selected according to the number

that would be enough to represent different school types. The schools were grouped as Science High School,

Anatolian Teacher Training High School, Anatolian High School, Girls’ Vocational School, Industrial

Vocational High School, Vocational High School of Tourism, and Anatolian Technical High School. As the

research model is survey model, in the name of a possible generalization, students of each grade (9th, 10th,

11th, 12th) representing each grade level from these groups were randomly selected. Demographic information

related to the participants is presented in Table 1 below.

4
Table 1. Demographic Information Related to Student Participants

Options Group N %
Female 641 58.1
Gender Male 462 41.9
Total 1103 100.0
Low 315 .6
Intermediate 504 8.9
GPA
High 284 36.9
Total 1103 33.7
Science High School 178 16.1
Anatolian Teacher Training
93 8.4
High School
Anatolian High School 421 38.2
Girls’ Vocational School 110 10.0
Industrial Vocational High
High School Type 70 6.3
School
Vocational High School of
54 4.9
Tourism
Anatolian Technical High
177 16.0
School
Total 1103 100.0

5
 When the data regarding the students are examined, it is seen that 58.1% of them are female while

41.9% of them are male.

In terms of their GPA in the last term, it is seen that 29% of the students have low, 45% of them have

intermediate, and 26% of them have high levels of academic success.

When the table showing the distribution of students according to school types, it is observed that 16.1%

of the participants are Science High School students, 8.4% of the participants are Anatolian Teacher Training

High School students, 38.2% of the participants are Anatolian High School students, 10% of the participants are

Girls’ Vocational School students, 6.3% of the participants are Industrial Vocational High School students,

4.9% of the participants are Vocational High School of Tourism students, 16% of the participants are Anatolian

Technical High School students.

Data Collection Tool

In this study, first of all “Emotional Literacy Skill Scale” was decided to be prepared by the researcher

for the aim and scope of the research. As a first step, the relevant literature was reviewed and emotional literacy

models were examined. In these models, the most repeated characteristics that an emotional literate person

should have are “motivation, showing empathy, emotional awareness, self-regulation, and social skills” (Weare,

2004; Killick, 2006; Antidote, 2003; Steiner, 2003). Items referring to the features that belong to these

dimensions were written in five dimensions, examined one by one, and overlapping items were removed. In

order to verify the content validity, the draft form was analyzed by five faculty members who work at the

Faculty of Education with at least a Ph.D. degree. Three more items were added to the scale with the

6
suggestions of a faculty member after the reviewing process and the draft form was finalized with 23 items in

total.

Using the draft form, a pilot study was carried out with 373 students. As a result of Kaiser Meyer Oklin

= .78 and Bartlet (p< .01) test analyses gathered through the collected data, it was understood that exploratory

factor analysis could be applied to the collected data. With the exploratory factor analysis done by using

Varimax rotation method, the analysis was repeated several times by removing 2 items which loaded to more

than one factor and whose factor loads were below than .30. After the removal of the 2 items in the Self-

Regulation Dimension and realizing that the other 2 remaining items could be related to Motivation Dimension,

the scale consisted of 4 dimensions. As an explanation to this, students in the sampling are thought to associate

the valid items about the self-regulation strategies with their motivational processes. Hence, these items were

analyzed in the Motivation Dimension. The factors are named as “Motivation, Empathy, Emotional Awareness,

and Social Skills”. With its final version of 21 items, it was detected that the factor loads of the items varied

between .721 and .447. Besides, the eigenvalues of the factors vary between 1.245 and 4.037 and the total

variance that the 4 factors explained was 41%. The literature regarding education states that in the factor

analysis, if the percentage of the total variance that the factors explain over is 40%, it can be acceptable (Kline,

1994; as cited in Baloğlu and Karadağ, 2008; Kurt, 2001).

In the next step, in order to define the item discrimination, the scores were sorted in descending order

and two groups - 27% lower group and 27% upper group – were formed. As a result of the independent t-test

scores applied to these groups, the difference between upper and lower groups were found as significant (p< .

01). Therefore, the significant difference between the upper and lower score obtained from the scale shows that

the scale is discriminant in testing the targeted feature.

Finally, a reliability test was applied to the scale that consists of 4 factors and 21 items. It was found that

the Emotional Literacy Skill Scale had .78 Cronbach Alpha value. It has the condition that the reliability of an

ideal scale should be over .70 (DeVellis, 2012; Bryman, 2008). After the reliability analyses the scale

consisting of 4 factors and 21 items and prepared in 4 likert-type design was obtained.

Analysis of Data

7
 The data analysis started after confirmatory factor analysis and a repeated reliability analysis was carried

out to 1103 forms. The obtained data was found as appropriate and before analyzing the data, in order to see

whether the data distributed normally, frequency and graphic distributions were analyzed, and skewness and

kurtosis values and homogeneity tests were applied. According the results of these tests and calculations, it was

detected that the data carry an appropriate feature for parametric tests.

In the analysis of the first research question, in order to describe the general situation of all the

participants of the study, frequency and percentage calculations were used. In the analysis of the second

research question, since the variable of “gender” as a part of students’ demographic information has 2

categories, Independent Samples T-test was used. In addition, for such variables as “GPA” and “school type”

which has 3 or more categories, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. At the end of the analysis,

in the case of a significant difference, Tukey HSD multiple comparison test was applied in order to detect

which group is the source of the difference. In interpreting the results of the statistical calculations, 0.5 was

accepted as the significance level.

Results

The findings obtained as a result of the analyses carried out in association with the scope and research

questions of the study are as follows;

The Distribution of High School Students Based on Their Emotional Literacy Skill Levels

In the analysis of the distribution of the high school students based on their emotional literacy skill

levels, the scores they got from Emotional Literacy Skill Scale are examined. The emotional literacy skill

scores were summed and their distribution as “low, medium, and high” categories, which had been defined

previously, are presented as frequency and percentage in Table 2 below;

Table 2. Students’ Emotional Literacy Skill Level Frequency and Percentage Values

Emotional Literacy Skill Level Frequency (f) Percentage (%)

Low Level 7 0.6

Medium Level 481 43.6
High Level 615 55.8
Total 1.103 100.0
8
 When the table above is examined, it is seen that the majority of the high school students have a high

level of emotional literacy (55.8%). Secondly, the students have a medium level of emotional literacy with a

percentage of 43.6%. Lastly, few of the students have a low level of emotional literacy (0.6%).

The Evaluation of High School Students’ Emotional Literacy Skill Levels Based on Demographic

Variables

The high school students’ emotional literacy skill levels were examined whether they varied in terms of

the variables of gender, GPA, and school type. The values regarding this examination are as follows;

Gender

Through the research questions of the study, the results of the analysis whether the emotional literacy

skill level scores of the high school students have difference according to their gender are presented in Table 3

below.

Table 3. The Comparison Between Gender and Emotional Literacy Skill Total & Subscale Scores

Subscales Gender n X SS t P

Female 641 66.32 7.33

Emotional Literacy S. Total Score 6.508 .000
Male 462 63.35 7.67
Female 641 22.16 3.24
1- Motivation 2.347 0.19
Male 462 21.68 3.33
Female 641 20.27 2.80
2- Empathy 8.909 0.00
Male 462 18.64 3.14
Female 641 15.16 2.67
3- Emotional Awareness 4.033 0.00
Male 462 14.49 2.74
Female 641 8.72 2.24
4- Social Skills 1.426 .154
Male 462 8.52 2.22
SD= 1101

9
 When the Emotional Literacy Skill Total Scores are examined, while the female students have a high

level of emotional literacy ( X́ =66.32), male students are at medium level with their scores ( X́ =63.35). The t-test

analysis showed that there is a significant difference between the genders of the students in favor of the female

students [t(1101)= 6.508, p=.000].

In the Motivation subscale, the female students are highly motivated( X́ =22.16), whereas male students

have medium level of motivation ( X́ =20.27). In addition to this result, according to the t-test analysis, it is seen

that the female students differ significantly from male students [t(1101)= 2.347, p=.019].

When the scores of the students in the Empathy subscale are examined, it is observed that there is a

significant difference between the genders of the students in favor of the female students [t(1101)= 8.909,

p=.000]. It was also detected that the female students have a high level of empathy ( X́ =20.27), and the male

students have medium level of empathy ( X́ =18.64).

The analysis of the Emotional Awareness Scores showed that both the female students ( X́ =15.16) and

the male students are at the medium level ( X́ =14.49). When the t-test scores are examined, it is found that there

is a significant difference between the genders of the students in favor of the female students [t(1101)=4.033,

p=.000].

Based on the scores of Social Skills, it is observed that there is no significant difference between the

genders of the students [t(1101)= 1.426, p=.154]. It was also detected that both the female students ( X́ =8.72)

and the male students are at the medium level ( X́ =8.52).

GPA (Grand Point Average)

The analysis of the emotional literacy skill total and subscale scores of the high school students based on

the variable of their GPA are presented in Table 4 below.

Table 4. The Analyses of the Emotional Literacy Skill Total and Subscale Scores Based on the Variable of

GPA

10
 The Values of n, X and SS  ANOVA Results

Subscale Level N X S.D. S.V. S.S. D.F. M.S. F p

Low 315 61.80 8.23 B. Groups 12129.47 2 6064.73 128.68 0.00

1–Emotional Literacy
Medium 504 64.09 5.92 In Group 51843.19 1100 47.13
Total Score High 284 70.47 6.76 Total 63972.66 1102
Total 1103 65.08 7.62
2- Motivation Low 315 21.10 3.65 B. Groups 897.08 2 448.54 44.74 0.00
Medium 504 21.67 2.98 In Group 11028.40 1100 10.03
High 284 23.44 2.90 Total 11925.48 1102
Total 1103 21.96 3.29
3–Empathy Low 315 18.42 3.29 B. Groups 1179.26 2 589.63 70.88 0.00
Medium 504 19.42 2.74 In Group 9150.78 1100 8.32
High 284 21.20 2.64 Total 10330.04 1102
Total 1103 19.59 3.06
Low 315 14.19 2.82 B. Groups 759.09 2 379.55 56.36 0.00
4–Emotional Awareness Medium 504 14.54 2.54 In Group 7408.05 1100 6.73
High 284 16.27 2.41 Total 8167.15 1102
Total 1103 14.88 2.72
Low 315 8.09 2.27 B. Groups 352.28 2 176.14 37.61 0.00

5–Social Skills Medium 504 8.46 2.17 In Group 5151.55 1100 4.68
High 284 9.56 2.04 Total 5503.83 1102
Total 1103 8.64 2.23

In the results of ANOVA, it is seen that there is a significant difference between the GPAs of the

participants and their emotional literacy skill scores [F(2,1100) = 128.68, p=.000). According to the results of

the Tukey Test (p=0.00), which was carried out to see in which range of GPA the differences are, it was

observed that the students whose GPAs are low ( X́ =61.80) differ significantly from those whose GPAs are

medium ( X́ =64.09) and high ( X́ =70.47).

According to the results of ANOVA, there is a significant difference between the scores the participants

get from the Motivation dimension and their last term GPA [F(2, 1100) = 44.74, p=.000). The results of the

Tukey Test (p=0.00), which was applied to see in which range the differences are, indicated that students whose

GPAs are high ( X́ =23.44) differ significantly from those whose GPAs are medium ( X́ =¿21.67) and low ( X́

=21.10).

The analyses of ANOVA also showed that there is a significant difference between the scores the

participants get from the Motivation dimension and their last term GPA [F(2, 1100) = 70.88 p=.000). The

results of the Tukey Test (p=0.00), carried out to see in which range the differences are, point out that there is a
11
significant difference between the scores of the students whose GPAs are high ( X́ =21.20) and those of whose

GPAs are medium ( X́ =19.42) and low ( X́ =18.42). This result reveals that the students whose GPAs are high

use the skill of empathy more efficiently.

The scores of the participants in Emotional Awareness Dimension differ significantly based on their last

term GPA according to results of ANOVA [F(2,1100) = 56.36, p=.000). Tukey Test was applied in order to see

in which range the differences are and it indicated that there is a significant difference between students with

high GPA ( X́ = 16.27) and those with medium ( X́ =14.54) and low ( X́ =14.19) GPA. The findings demonstrate

that there is a positive correlation between academic success and emotional awareness level.

According to the results of ANOVA, a significant difference between the last term GPAs of the students

and their scores they got from social skill dimension is found. It is observed that the students whose GPAs are

low ( X́ =8.09) differ significantly from those with medium ( X́ =8.46) and high ( X́ = 9.56).

School Type

The analysis of the emotional literacy skill total and subscale scores of the high school students based on

the variable of school type are presented in Table 4 below.

Table 5. The Analyses of the Emotional Literacy Skill Total and Subscale Scores Based on the Variable of

School Type

The Values of n, X and SS  ANOVA Results

Subscale Level N X S.D. S.V. S.S. D.F. M.S. F p

1– Emotional Science H.S. 178 63.39 8.42 B. Groups 1423.51 6 237.25 4.16 0.00
Literacy Total Teacher H.S. 93 64.48 7.66 In Group 62549.14 1096 57.07
Anatolian H.S. 421 66.04 6.83 Total 63972.66 1102  
Score Girls’ Voc. H.S. 110 66.21 7.83
Industrial Voc. H.S. 70 62.87 6.50
Tourism Voc. H.S. 54 65.46 7.07
A. Technical H.S. 177 64.89 8.52
Total 1103 65.08 7.62
2- Motivation Science H.S. 178 21.39 3.77 B. Groups 133.04 6 22.17 2.06 0.55
Teacher H.S. 93 21.60 3.11 In Group 11792.43 1096 10.76
Anatolian H.S. 421 22.10 3.02 Total 11925.48 1102  
Girls’ Voc. H.S. 110 22.55 3.42
Industrial Voc. H.S. 70 21.67 2.58
Tourism Voc. H.S. 54 21.83 3.54
A. Technical H.S. 177 22.20 3.50
12
 Total 1103 21.96 3.29
3– Empathy Science H.S. 178 19.08 3.25 B. Groups 295.013 6 49.169 5.370 .000
Teacher H.S. 93 19.39 3.04 In Group 10035.025 1096 9.156
Anatolian H.S. 421 20.00 2.90 Total 10330.038 1102  
Girls’ Voc. H.S. 110 20.40 2.88
Industrial Voc. H.S. 70 18.72 2.66
Tourism Voc. H.S. 54 19.64 2.65
A. Technical H.S. 177 19.05 3.35
Total 1103 19.59 3.06
Science H.S. 178 14.63 2.87 B. Groups 60.54 6 10.09 1.36 .226
4– Emotional
Teacher H.S. 93 14.96 2.36 In Group 8106.60 1096 7.40
Awareness Anatolian H.S. 421 15.02 2.60 Total 8167.15 1102  
Girls’ Voc. H.S. 110 14.74 2.79
Industrial Voc. H.S. 70 14.23 2.66
Tourism Voc. H.S. 54 15.19 2.97
A. Technical H.S. 177 15.03 2.92
Total 1103 14.88 2.72
Science H.S. 178 8.27 2.19 B. Groups 71.429 6 11.905 2.402 0.26

5– Social Skills Teacher H.S. 93 8.52 2.23 In Group 5432.398 1096 4.957
Anatolian H.S. 421 8.91 2.26 Total 5503.828 1102
Girls’ Voc. H.S. 110 8.51 2.08
Industrial Voc. H.S. 70 8.24 2.42
Tourism Voc. H.S. 54 8.79 2.19
A. Technical H.S. 177 8.59 2.16
Total 1103 8.64 2.23

In the results of ANOVA, it is seen that there is a significant difference between the school types of the

participants and their emotional literacy skill total scores [F(6,1096) = 4.16, p=.000). According to the results of

the Tukey Test (p=0.00), which was carried out to see in which range the differences are, there are significant

differences between the students of (p=0.05);

 Science High School ( X́ =63.39) and Anatolian High School ( X́ =66.04) and Girls’ Vocational

High School ( X́ =66.21),

 Industrial Vocational High School ( X́ =62.87) and Anatolian High School ( X́ =66.21).

Similarly, there is a significant difference between the school types of the participants and their scores

they get from the empathy subscale [F(6,1096) = 5.370, p=.000). According to the results of the Tukey Test

(p=0.05), which was carried out to see in which range the differences are, indicate that

 The scores of the Science High School students ( X́ =19.08) and the scores of the students of

Anatolian High School ( X́ =20.00) and Girls’ Vocational High School ( X́ =20.40),

13
  The scores of the Anatolian High School students ( X́ =20.00)and the scores of the students of

Science High School ¿=19.08), Industrial Vocational High School ( X́ =18.72), and Anatolian

Technical High School ( X́ =19.05),

 The scores of the students of Girls’ Vocational High School ( X́ =20.40)) and the scores of the

students of Science High School students ( X́ =19.08, Industrial Vocational High School ( X́

=18.72), and Anatolian Technical High School ( X́ =19.05) differ significantly from each other.

There is also a significant difference between the students’ scores in social skills dimension and their

school type [F(6,1096) = 2.402, p=.026). The results of the Tukey Test, which was carried out to see in which

range the differences are, indicate that there is a significant difference between the scores of the Science High

School students and those of the students of Anatolian High School (p=0.05).

Another finding of the study is that there is no significant difference between the scores that the students

get from the motivation [F(6, 1096) = 2.06, p= 0.55)] and the emotional awareness F(6, 1096) = 1.36, p= .226)]

dimensions based on their school type.

Discussion, Conclusion and Suggestions

Discussion and Conclusion

This study seeks to address the emotional literacy levels of students. Emotional literacy generally refers

to utilize skills such as empathy, self-regulation, self-motivation, social skills, emotional awareness, emotional

regulation, problem-solving. Emotional literacy skill contributes positively to students’ academic achievements,

relations with others, mental health, social skills, attitudes towards school and sense of self, etc. (Kandemir ve

Dündar, 2008). The results achieved in the context of students’ emotional literacy skill levels are presented

below.

The results of the study revealed that most of the students have high levels of emotional literacy skills.

That is a critical and important result as it emphasizes that the motivation, empathy, emotional awareness and

14
social skills levels of the majority of the students participated in the study are appreciable and above

intermediate and low levels. Rae (2012) highlights that students who have successful emotional literacy skills

also have skills of sophisticated self-control, efficient listening proficiencies, active and effective engagement

in the class, using emotional vocabulary, naming his/her emotions perfectly, showing anger management skills

and having positive sense of self. It is assumed that over half of the respondents demonstrate such basic and

fundamental skills but that result need to be interpreted with caution ant attention because the students were to

answer the item individually about themselves, so they may have chosen the positive options. Also the research

was run in the central districts of a developed city, the intensity of opportunities may be one of the positive

effects in the results.

According to the comparisons made between students’ genders, there found to be statistically significant

difference between the scores in favor of girls. The results of girls’ being more motivated and having empathic

concern were expected as the girls have a natural tendency to address their feelings more than boys. Also this

result is in complete agreement with an earlier study which focused on the high school students’ levels of

showing empathy and it outlined that girls have higher points than the boys in apologizing behaviors [ CITATION

Şen12 \l 1055 ]. Similarly, in another study, Alver (2005) pointed out that girls have higher levels of empathy

skills than boys. In addition to empathy skills, in their study examining motivation skills of students, Yaman

and Dede (2007) stated that girls were more motivated than the boys in specific motivational areas. On the

other hand, Korkmaz, Şahin, Kahraman and Öztürk (2001) could not find significant differences between girls

and boys in their study of empathy.

As for the analyses made upon students’ GPA, it was determined that students with high averages

differentiated in a statistically significant way from those who got medium and low averages. This result has

strengthened the hypothesis that emotional literacy skill is directly proportionate to the success. Remarkably,

this result is related to the motivation and self-efficacy of the students. This fits well with the work of Gumora

ve Arsenio (2002) on emotionality and school performance emphasizing that emotional regulation affines with

students’ GPA. Other works on relationship between emotional intelligence and school success demonstrated

that the students with higher emotional intelligence capacity succeed in their school subjects academically

(Agnoli et al, 2012; Yazıcı, Seyis ve Altun, 2011). Besides, these results differ slightly from those who inserted
15
that there was not a connection between academic success and emotions (Newsome, Day and Catano, 2000;

Reiff et al, 2001).

In terms of the comparisons made according to students’ school types, Girls’ Vocational High School

and Anatolian High School have differentiated statistically from other school types and got higher levels of

emotional literacy skills. Given that two schools have girl students predominantly, it is assumed that gender has

effected this result of the study in a way. However, in social skills dimension the highest point average belongs

to Anatolian High school and the lowest point average belongs to Industrial Vocational High School. That

result supports that success associates positively with social skills of the students.

Suggestions

It is necessary to place themes oriented to improve emotional literacy skill in the curricula and this is

highly recommended. It is considered that some support programs developed based on motivation, empathy,

emotional awareness, and social skills will contribute to use of the skills in terms of the components of

emotional literacy in real life and to transfer them to the school life. Training the administrators, teachers, and

the general staff in schools through support programs will reinforce the sense of setting that is enriched in terms

of emotional environment.

In the activities, which will be prepared regarding the psychological and physiological changes in the

high school era, the needs and interests of the male students should be considered and they must be encouraged

to reach the aforementioned skills. Besides, in such schools as Technical High School and Industrial Vocational

High School where the majority of the students is male, the skills related to emotional literacy should be placed

in formal and hidden curricula.

Bearing the fact that emotional literacy and the school performance are directly related, it is suggested

that performance activities that improve students’ productivity processes and support their exchange of

emotions must be placed in the classrooms.

It is important that the emotional literacy skill education expands not only individually but also in all the

aspects of the social life of the learning process with all its components; thus, it is of utmost necessity that

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parents should be a part of the curricula. Through the special programs developed for the families of the

students, a step to reach a healthier and more productive adult model will be provided.

This study is limited to the self-evaluations of the students’ emotional literacy skill levels. Further

studies, which include teacher-student and parent-teacher evaluations, might result in achieving richer findings.

Besides, this study is based on quantitative data. It is considered that in the further studies, using

qualitative methods such as observing the behavior or studies that provide long term and detailed results (e.g.

observation, case study, interviews) will be effective.

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