An investigation into the impact of emotional intelligence coaching on university lecturers’ stress and work self-efficacy
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN36575053 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN36575053 |
- Submission date
- 02/02/2021
- Registration date
- 10/02/2021
- Last edited
- 19/10/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Lecturing is a job that requires emotional labour therefore making emotional intelligence (EI) an important factor in the work of lecturers. It is possible to improve EI through EI coaching. EI has also shown to be an effective means of tackling stress in certain contexts, as it may act as a stress buffer. It has also been shown to have a relationship with work self-efficacy which in turn impacts upon teaching practices. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of EI coaching on university lecturers’ stress and work self-efficacy. If successful the EI coaching may offer a way for lecturers to manage their stress and improve their work self-efficacy, potentially leading to improved teaching practices.
Who can participate?
Lecturers at Technological University Dublin City Campus
What does the study involve?
Participants will be required to complete a range of pre-tests before being randomly allocated into either the intervention group or the wait-list control group. Those designated to the intervention group will receive the emotional intelligence coaching intervention (four group coaching sessions and two individual sessions) before completing tests. Those designated to the wait-list will also complete the tests but they will not have received the coaching intervention, which will be offered to them at a later date.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The main possible benefit is that participants could increase their level of EI. This could help participants manage and cope with stresses as well as improving their work self-efficacy, thus benefiting their teaching practice.
The main possible risk is the psychological risk associated with the nature of the coaching process and the introspection that comes with it. Participants will be given details of the University’s Employee Assistance Programme which is a confidential service that provides free 24-hour counselling and information for staff should it be required.
Where is the study run from?
Technological University Dublin Blanchardstown Campus (Ireland)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
April 2018 to May 2021
Who is funding the study?
ITB (now TU Dublin Blanchardstown) Postgraduate Scholarship Initiative (Ireland)
Who is the main contact?
Eoghan Guiry
eoghan.p.guiry@mytudublin.ie
Contact information
Public
The LINC
TU Dublin- Blanchardstown Campus
Blanchardstown Rd N
Blanchardstown
Dublin
D15 VPT3
Ireland
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-3766-9819 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +353 (0)87 7705396 |
| eoghan.p.guiry@mytudublin.ie |
Study information
| Study design | Single-centre interventional randomized wait-list controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Internet/virtual |
| Study type | Quality of life |
| Participant information sheet | ISRCTN36575053_PIS.pdf |
| Scientific title | A mixed-methods randomised wait-list controlled trial investigating the impact of emotional intelligence coaching on university lecturers’ stress and work self-efficacy |
| Study objectives | Hypothesis 1a: If university level lecturers receive emotional intelligence coaching then their level of perceived stress will be reduced compared to those on a wait-list. Hypothesis 1b: If university level lecturers receive emotional intelligence coaching then their level of work-related stress will be reduced compared to those on a wait-list. Hypothesis 2. If university level lecturers receive emotional intelligence coaching, then their level of work self-efficacy will increase compared to those on a wait-list. Qualitative research questions What are the experiences of university lecturing staff who receive EI coaching? 1. How do lecturers believe their teaching practices were impacted by the EI coaching? 2. What are the perceived benefits and issues for lecturers who receive EI coaching? 3. How did the coaching fit into the context of the time in which it was conducted? |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 05/12/2018, Technological University Dublin Blanchardstown Campus (formerly Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown) Ethics Committee (Blanchardstown Road North, D15 YV78, Republic Of Ireland; +353 (0)1 8851068; pat.oconnor@tudublin.ie), ref: not applicable |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Stress and work self-efficacy |
| Intervention | An emotional intelligence coaching intervention will be administered to the intervention group. There will be a wait-list control used to act as a benchmark of comparison for the intervention group. Blocked randomisation with stratification will be used to divide participants between the intervention and control groups while also stratifying for gender. The intervention will consist of 6 coaching sessions (4 group sessions and 2 one-on-one sessions). These sessions will be spread out over a period of approximately 6-8 weeks with roughly one per week. All sessions will take place virtually through Microsoft Teams. Each session will last approximately 1 hour. The group sessions will focus on; understanding emotions and their role in the work of lecturers, identifying emotion, using emotion and managing emotion. The individual sessions will allow for one-on-one coaching, the first of which will be a feedback session for participants based on their Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) scores and will also allow for the exploration of personal goals in relation to emotional intelligence. The second individual coaching session will be towards the end of the intervention and will act as a reflection and further discussion on what the participant can continue to change and develop to enhance their emotional intelligence. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Perceived stress measured using the Perceived Stress Scale at baseline and post-intervention 2. Work stress measured using the Effort Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERI-Q) at baseline and post-intervention 3. Work self-efficacy measured using a slightly adapted Teachers Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) at baseline and post-intervention 4. The experience of participants partaking in the intervention measured using a qualitative questionnaire at post-intervention |
| Secondary outcome measures | Emotional intelligence measured using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) at baseline and post-intervention |
| Overall study start date | 17/04/2018 |
| Completion date | 19/05/2021 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 60 |
| Total final enrolment | 40 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Lecturer at Technological University Dublin City Campus |
| Key exclusion criteria | Lecturer at Technological University Blanchardstown Campus |
| Date of first enrolment | 17/02/2021 |
| Date of final enrolment | 05/03/2021 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Ireland
Study participating centre
Dublin
D07 EWV4
Ireland
Sponsor information
University/education
Blanchardstown Road North
Dublin
D15 YV78
Ireland
| Phone | +353 (0) 1 885 1372 |
|---|---|
| researchadmin@tudublin.ie | |
| Website | https://www.tudublin.ie/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/04t0qbt32 |
Funders
Funder type
University/education
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/07/2022 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in one or more high-impact peer-reviewed journal while some results may also be presented at one or more international conference. |
| IPD sharing plan | To ensure FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) data, it is planned that the raw anonymised data will be published by Arrow at Technological University Dublin (https://arrow.tudublin.ie/) once it has been analysed for this research. The repository is a service of the Technological University Dublin Library Services and is publicly available. Publishing the data of the research allows for subsequent data and knowledge integration and reuse by the research community. Consent for this will be sought from the participants as part of the enrollment stage of the research. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | 10/02/2021 | No | Yes | ||
| Protocol file | 10/02/2021 | No | No |
Additional files
- ISRCTN36575053_PROTOCOL.pdf
- Uploaded 10/02/2021
- ISRCTN36575053_PIS.pdf
- Uploaded 10/02/2021
Editorial Notes
19/10/2022: Internal review.
18/05/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. The overall trial end date has been changed from 30/04/2021 to 19/05/2021 and the plain English summary has been updated accordingly.
2. The intention to publish date has been changed from 01/04/2022 to 01/07/2022.
24/03/2021: The following changes have been made:
1. The recruitment start date has been changed from 15/02/2021 to 17/02/2021.
2. The recruitment end date has been changed from 07/03/2021 to 05/03/2021.
3. The total final enrolment number has been added.
10/02/2021: Uploaded protocol (not peer reviewed). The participant information sheet has been uploaded.
10/02/2021: Trial's existence confirmed by Technological University Dublin Blanchardstown Campus.
