ENHANCING LEARNER TRANSFORMATION THROUGH HOLISTIC QUALITY EDUCATION BY INTEGRATING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN CURRICULUM IN LEARNING INSTITUTIONS IN KENYA

Since the coining of the term emotional intelligence (EI) in the late 1990s by Goleman with a claim that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ, educators and researchers have realized the need to develop students' emotional intelligence (EI), and this has increased interest in studying the concept in relation to its impact on education. EI is considered to be one of the key components of emotional adjustment, personal well-being, life success, and interpersonal relationships in different contexts of everyday life. However, although research supports the relevance of EI to indicators for personal and school success such as interpersonal relationships, academic achievement, and personal and social adjustment, the findings on promoting EI in schools have been inconsistent. In addition, education across the globe has until the end the 20^th century emphasised intellectual and academic aspects of students and neglected emotional and social aspects. The 21^st century education emphasizes the need to develop students with skills that enhance their personal and professional skills. Developing students with these components could transform them into empowered ethical citizens who are capable of contributing to the welfare of the society. This study reviews literature on EI with a view to making recommendations on how learning institutions in Kenya could integrate EI in the curriculum in order to enhance students’ emotional health and well‐being, academic achievement, and other adaptive outcomes.