The Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence in Academic Performance: Theoretical Overview and Empirical Update

Abstract

Considerable debate still exists among scholars over the role of trait emotional intelligence (TEI) in academic performance. The dominant theoretical position is that TEI should be orthogonal or only weakly related to achievement; yet, there are strong theoretical reasons to believe that TEI plays a key role in performance. The purpose of the current paper is to provide (a) an overview of the possible theoretical mechanisms linking TEI with achievement and (b) an update on empirical research examining this relationship. To elucidate these theoretical mechanisms, the overview draws on multiple theories of emotion and regulation, including TEI theory, social-functional accounts of emotion, and expectancy-value and psychobiological model of emotion and regulation. Although these theoretical accounts variously emphasize different variables as focal constructs, when taken together, they provide a comprehensive picture of the possible mechanisms linking TEI with achievement. In this regard, the paper redresses the problem of vaguely specified theoretical links currently hampering progress in the field. The paper closes with a consideration of directions for future research.Keywords: academic performance; achievement; emotional intelligence; emotions; trait EI 3 Does TEI play a part in educational achievement? This seemingly straightforward question has evoked considerable debate in the psychological literature over the past two decades. A tenet of TEI theory is that TEI is expected to be unrelated or only weakly related to achievement (Mavroveli & Sánchez-Ruiz, 2011;Petrides, 2011). However, evidence in the psychological literature has been largely inconsistent with respect to this tenet, suggesting a need for greater attention to the specific theoretical mechanisms linking TEI and achievement. Indeed, most research with TEI has done little in the way of offering theoretical explanations for expected or observed associations with achievement (Perera & DiGiacomo, 2013). This lack of theoretical clarity has hindered progress in understanding the ways in which affective personality traits contribute to educational achievement.The present review is formulated in light of these shortcomings in the extant TEI literature. The review begins with a brief consideration of academic performance and the theoretical grounding of TEI. Next, the review turns to an overview of the possible theoretical mechanisms linking TEI and achievement, including a discussion of potential negative effects. Following this theoretical overview, recent research investigating the TEIachievement relationship is briefly reviewed. The article closes with a consideration of directions for future research. Academic Performance

Papel da Inteligência Emocional, Felicidade e Flow no Desempenho Académico e Bem-Estar Subjetivo em Contexto Universitário

“…Globalmente, os resultados evidenciaram correlações positivas, de magnitude média a forte, entre as variáveis positivas e os resultados académicos e bem-estar, corroborando os resultados da literatura (Asakawa, 2004;Bukhari & Khanam, 2017;Di Fabio & Kenny, 2016;Lyubomirsky et al, Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluacióne Avaliação Psicológica. RIDEP · Nº52 · Vol.3 · 99-114 · 2019 2005; Perera, 2016;Sumaya & Darling, 2018). Esta associação foi mais elevada entre as variáveis positivas e o desempenho académico subjetivo (bem-estar subjetivo, seguido de desempenho subjetivo), o que reforça a importância, já retratada na literatura, de competências cognitivoemocionais na perceção de bem-estar dos estudantes (Di Fabio & Kenny, 2016;Koydemir & Schütz, 2012;Sánchez-Álvarez et al, 2016;Steele & Fullagar, 2009;Wang et al, 2018).…”

“…Mais ainda, enquanto todas as dimensões de IE, felicidade e flow (à exceção da dimensão da transformação do sentido de tempo) se correlacionaram com as perceções dos estudantes (quer de bem-estar quer de desempenho académico), apenas algumas demonstraram correlacionar-se com o desempenho objetivo (i.e., média das notas). Em particular, o autocontrolo e o bem-estar correlacionaram-se com o desempenho académico objetivo, corroborando a literatura que sustenta a associação entre IE e rendimento académico (Bukhari & Khanam, 2016;Costa & Faria, 2014O'Boyle et al, 2011;Perera, 2016). Também a felicidade, através das dimensões de bem-estar físico, eficácia pessoal, perspetiva positiva, satisfação com a vida e sociabilidade/empatia, se associou positivamente com o desempenho académico, tal como foi evidenciado em estudos anteriores (Bukhari & Khanam, 2017;Lyubomirsky et al, 2005).…”

“…Ainda, os níveis de envolvimento e comprometimento do estudante estarão associados à sua maior capacidade de concentração e trabalho académico. Neste estudo, contrariamente à literatura (Bukhari & Khanam, 2016;Costa & Faria, 2014O'Boyle et al, 2011;Perera, 2016), a IE não demonstrou capacidade de predizer o rendimento académico dos estudantes.…”

“…No contexto académico, Perera (2016), numa revisão da literatura sobre a relação entre a IEtraço e o desempenho académico, concluiu que a primeira poderá prever o segundo de forma positiva, através de processos cognitivos, motivacionais e interpessoais. Considerando o modelo de competência de IE, a literatura tem evidenciado de forma similar a associação positiva e a capacidade preditiva da IE sobre o rendimento académico dos estudantes (Costa & Faria, 2014.…”

Do Trait Emotional Intelligence and Dispositional Mindfulness Have a Complementary Effect on the Children’s and Adolescents’ Emotional States?

“…Therefore, everything that favors an adjustment in the adolescents' affective sphere is of interest to be included in their training processes (Gross and John, 2003). According to the accumulated empirical evidence, two factors seem to have positive impacts on the emotional states at the beginning of adolescence: emotional intelligence (f. i., Mavroveli et al, 2008;Laborde et al, 2014;Perera, 2016) and dispositional mindfulness (f. i., Cullen, 2011;Hinterman et al, 2012;MacBeth and Gumley, 2012).…”