Emotional intelligence and scholastic achievement in Australian adolescents

The current study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and scholastic achievement in Australian adolescents. Two hundred and nine secondary school students (86 males and 123 females) each completed the Adolescent Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test (SUEIT) and academic achievement data was collected for all subjects from year seven to eleven. Academic success was found to be associated with higher levels of total EI, via assessment of the EI of different academic levels (80th percentile, 20th percentile, and middle groups). Regression analyses also revealed that dimensions of the Adolescent SUEIT differentially predicted secondary school subject grades: Emotional Management and Control was found to significantly predict Maths (r(2)=0.06) and Science (r(2)=0.04); the Understanding Emotions sub-scale significantly predicted scores for Art (r(2)=0.12) and Geography (r(2)=0.08). It was concluded that the development of EI may offer educators significant opportunities to improve scholastic performance and emotional competencies.