The relationship of trait emotional intelligence with academic performance: A meta-analytic review

By Harsha N. Perera, Michelle DiGiacomo. 2013

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This article reports results of a meta-analysis that aimed to assess the validity of trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) for predicting academic performance. Seventy-four effect sizes were drawn from 48 independent samples with a cumulative sample size of 10,292. A meta-analysis with random-effects weights yielded a modest-to-moderate, favourable validity coefficient for trait EI (r =.20, 95% CI =.16–.24). Homogeneity analysis revealed substantial heterogeneity in the effects, indicating that within-study error alone could not sufficiently explain the variability in effect size estimates. Tests of moderation showed that the summary effect increased as a function of decreasing age and academic level. The finding of favourable validity for trait EI suggests that researchers should reconsider the theoretical bases on which extant postulations on the role of trait EI in academic performance are based. Possible explanations for moderator effects, limitations of this study, future directions and implications for education are discussed.

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/0c6cd48a48c449d46d96f266fe4c208c70f56eb7

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In Clinical Psychology

In Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

In Social Psychology

Citations in the corpus

Developments in Trait Emotional Intelligence Research (2016, background): “A recent metaanalysis revealed that high trait EI may confer a performance advantage, of variable strength, in primary, secondary, and tertiary education (Perera & DiGiacomo, 2013; see also Sanchez-Ruiz, Mavroveli, & Poullis, 2013).”
Graduate students as academic writers: writing anxiety, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence (2017, background): “EI also plays a role in students’ successful performance at the university level (Perera & DiGiacomo, 2013).”
The influence of emotional intelligence, cognitive test anxiety, and coping strategies on undergraduate academic performance (2017, background): “…(e.g., standardized test scores, grade point average, graduation; Fernández, Salamonson, & Griffiths, 2012; Hogan et al., 2010; Jaeger & Eagan, 2007; Keefer, Parker, & Wood, 2012; MacCann et al., 2011; Mayer et al., 2008; Mestre, Guil, Lopes, Salovey, & Gil-Olarte, 2006; Perera & Digiacomo, 2013).”
How Efficient Are Emotional Intelligence Trainings: A Meta-Analysis (2018, background): “It has been also associated with academic (Perera & DiGiacomo, 2013) and work performance (Joseph, Jin, Newman, & O’Boyle, 2015).”
Emotional Intelligence as Personality: Measurement and Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence in Educational Contexts (2018, background): “To date, the results across child and adolescent samples suggest the presence of a moderate positive effect of trait EI on academic performance (Perera & DiGiacomo, 2013).”
L2 grit: Passion and perseverance for second-language learning (2020, background): “…factors, such as study habits and study skills (Credé & Kuncel, 2008), test anxiety (Seipp, 1991), adjustment (Credé & Niehorster, 2012), emotional intelligence (Perera & DiGiacomo, 2013), learning strategies (Credé & Phillips, 2011; Richardson, Abraham, & Bond, 2012), and academic performance.”
Much Ado About Grit: A Meta-Analytic Synthesis of the Grit Literature (2017, background): “.20 with academic performance include (a) specific learning strategies (Credé & Phillips, 2011), (b) emotional intelligence (Perera & DiGiacomo, 2013), (c) conscientiousness (Porapat, 2009), and (d) test anxiety (Hembree, 1988).”
Engaging students emotionally: the role of emotional intelligence in predicting cognitive and affective engagement in higher education (2017, methodology): “…are beginning to recognise the role that TEI plays in academic performance (Parker, Summerfeldt, Hogan, & Majeski, 2004; Saklofske, Austin, Mastoras, Beaton, & Osborne, 2012; Sanchez-Ruiz et al., 2013), the specific mechanism for explaining this relation remains unclear (Perera & DiGiacomo, 2013).”