THE ROLE OF ANCIENT GREEK ETHICAL VALUES IN THE FORMATION OF STUDENTS’ MORAL IDENTITY IN CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION

Abstract

The teacher-student relationship has been acknowledged for a long time as a critical element in the learning process, but the spotlight has recently been turned on emotional intelligence (EI) among other factors to determine the quality of the relationship. Emotional intelligence which is characterized as the capacity to sense, interpret, and manage emotions in oneself and in others, has very much to do with the manner in which a teacher communicates, provides support, and meets the needs of his/her students. The study aims at interlinking the contributing aspects of emotional intelligence with the promotion of more effective learning environments by focusing on empathy, respectful communication, and positive classroom climate. By the use of data from current scientific literature and semi-structured interviews with secondary school teachers in Spain and Greece, the research methodology collects both qualitative and quantitative data simultaneously (Bracket, 2019). Besides literature review (Hagenauer, Ivanova, & Muhlbacher, 2023), emotional attunement is one of the most powerful attributes which teachers display when playing a role in positively determining the child's behavior, reducing the child's anxiety, and generating the conditions for the child to be intrinsically motivated. Confirmatory of these insights are the interview results: teachers who deliberately engage in emotional reflection and empathetic listening practice have fewer classroom conflicts and more students. Moreover, students of teachers with emotional intelligence describe themselves as feeling “heard,” “respected,” and “safe to express ideas,” which is congruent with the finding that emotional support enhances academic curiosity and participation (Pekrun, 2021). The research also highlights the fact that teacher education programs barely offer any formal EI training. A lot of teachers went on record saying that even though they appreciate emotional sensitivity, they still got very little formal training to develop it professionally. This gap, more often than not, leads to different communication styles between teachers and students that could result in misunderstandings or emotional overload in the classroom, particularly in places where people from different cultural backgrounds are learning. Researches have recently asserted that the incorporation of emotional skills in curriculum and teacher training corresponds not only to great learning outcomes but also to better classroom atmosphere (García-Sancho, Salguero, & Fernández-Berroca, 2017). The research in light of these findings suggests that EI development should be systematically included in the training of teachers, with the use of reflective teaching exercises, supervision groups, and classroom dialogues that promote mutual respect and active listening as the methods. It is also recommended that schools should follow the practice of collaborative learning models that would create room for emotional expression and speak-up for students.