ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Education
This article is part of the Research TopicReimagining Education to Improve Metacognitive and Socioemotional Skills for the 21st CenturyView all 7 articles
Effect of the Meta-Emotions Program on Enhancing Emotional and Meta-Emotional Intelligence in Teachers: A Pilot Study
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Psychological, Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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Introduction: This pilot study examines the effects of the Meta-Emotions Program, a structured training designed to enhance emotional intelligence and meta-emotional intelligence in teachers. Meta-emotional intelligence is a multidimensional construct, grounded in meta-cognition theory and EI theory, which takes into account beliefs about emotions, self-perceptions and self-evaluations about one's own emotional functioning. Method: Based on the ability EI model and the SEL framework, the program consists of seven sessions (21 hours total) integrating theoretical discussions, experiential learning, and reflective practices. A key feature of the intervention is the meta-emotional diary, a digital tool that facilitates continuous self-monitoring of emotional experiences. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed, involving 46 teachers, who were divided into an intervention group (n = 24) and a control group (n = 22). Emotional abilities were assessed using the MSCEIT, while meta-emotional dimensions were measured through the IE-ACCME Test scales. Results: Results revealed no significant improvements in emotional abilities; however, meta-emotional intelligence significantly increased, with notable changes in meta-emotional beliefs and meta-emotional self-evaluation. Participants in the intervention group exhibited a reduction in the discrepancy between self-perceived and actual emotional abilities, indicating enhanced self-awareness. Additionally, teachers demonstrated a reduced tendency to underestimate their emotional abilities. Discussion: These findings suggest that short-term, targeted interventions for teachers may effectively improve meta-emotional dimensions but might not be sufficient to enhance emotional intelligence abilities.
Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, metacognition, Meta-Emotional Intelligence, SEL program, Social-emotional learning, teachers, training
Received: 17 Nov 2025; Accepted: 10 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Geraci and D'Amico. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Alessandro Geraci
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