Office of the
Executive Vice President and Provost

2007-2008 University Distinguished Lecture Series

Title:Emotions are Academic: Promoting Children's Academic and Life Success through Social and Emotional Learning

Jan N. Hughes, Ph.D.
Professor of Educational Psychology
Texas A&M University

November 6, 2007, 7:30 p.m.
Auditorium, Annenberg Presidential Conference Center
Texas A&M University

About the Speaker

Dr. Jan N. Hughes is Professor of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. A Distinguished Research Fellow in the College of Education and Human Development, her research focuses on the development, assessment, and treatment of children's social, emotional, and behavioral disorders and on the prevention of conduct problems in youth. Her published work appears in the most prestigious journals in child and school psychology, and her research has received funding from The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Drug Abuse, and the U.S. Department of Education, among others.  She serves on numerous editorial boards in child and school psychology. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a licensed psychologist, she has served in many national leadership roles including President of the American Psychological Association Division of School Psychology. She is one of three individuals to ever receive the Division of School Psychology's highest awards for outstanding contributions in both service and research to school psychology. Recent University leadership roles include Executive Associate Dean for the College of Education and Human Development, Associate Vice President for Research for the University, and Chair of the Children, Youth, and Families Interdisciplinary Research Program. She and her husband Jim enjoy playing with their three grandchildren and backpacking, birding, and cycling.

Abstract

Since the publication of Golemans 1995 book entitled Emotional Intelligence, parents and educators have increasingly embraced the idea that children's abilities to understand and to manage their own and others emotions play a critical role in their success in school and, ultimately, in life. In response, publishers have targeted numerous books and programs on emotional learning to parents and schools. Indeed, the explosion of information on the topic makes it difficult to separate the hype from the facts. Drawing from her own and others research and her experience as a school and child psychologist, Dr. Hughes clarifies distinct aspects of emotional intelligence and explains how both nature and nurture contribute to individual differences in social and emotional competence. She translates research findings into practical recommendations for parents and schools for promoting children's social and emotional competencies. She presents evidence that goodness of fit models that recognize the importance of the match between a child temperament and the child's environment in equipping children with the knowledge and skills they need to make good decisions, get along with others, behave ethically and responsibility, and successful navigate the many challenges of adolescence and beyond. She concludes that when schools achieve a balance in academic and social and emotional learning, all children are better prepared to live abundant and constructive lives.

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