This thesis takes the form of an auto-ethnographic case study and aims to investigate the potential role of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in enhancing the five key behavioral attributes of emotional intelligence among higher-education students. Given that work is an indispensable and integral component of our lives, through which we fulfill our financial, emotional, social, and psychological needs, I considered it beneficial to conduct further investigations in this research area, as gaps have been identified.

In recent years, globalization, technological development, and increasing stress levels have begun to affect our daily routines and productivity, impacting our cognitive processes and expected outcomes at work. It is for this reason that an increasing number of employers have begun to look for other essential skills that go beyond technical competencies, smartness, or job experience, turning their attention toward the employee himself and his capacity to understand himself and manage his emotions in a changing society so that it beneficially carries on his responsibilities for the workplace itself.

Incorporating evidence from transcripts used in a real-life WIL project called Global Classroom for Democratic Innovation, and personal logbook entries as an intern by doing a thematic analysis, this thesis seeks to find out if WIL can enhance behavioral attributes such as self-awareness, self-management, motivation, empathy, and the development of needed social skills that come with emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence predicts positive results in social environments and workplaces as it is a set of interrelated skills that help people process emotionally relevant information efficiently and accurately.