Emotional Intelligence and Its Relationship with Emotional Well-Being and Academic Performance: The Vision of High School Students.

María Dolores Toscano-Hermoso,Macarena Romero-Martín,Juan Gómez-Salgado,Juan Jesús García-Iglesias,Carlos Ruiz-Frutos,Javier Fagundo-Rivera

doi:10.3390/children7120310

Abstract

Emotional intelligence skills in students may be related with physical and mental health, within and outside the academic field. Strengthening these skills can lead to greater overall well-being, lower use of substances, and improved academic performance, as well as reduced aggressive behaviours. The objective of this study was to analyse the levels of emotional intelligence (differentiating between the dimensions: emotional Attention, Clarity, and Repair) among high school students and examine its relationship with academic performance and emotional well-being, considering if there are differences between boys and girls and between different grades. A cross-sectional descriptive study was developed on a sample of 333 High School students using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS) and KIDSCREEN-10 Index tools. Differences in emotional intelligence were observed between boys and girls for the three dimensions, and a relationship between emotional intelligence and student well-being was appreciated. No relationships were found between emotional intelligence and academic performance, nor have any differences been observed between the different courses analysed. It cannot be concluded that academic performance is related to emotional intelligence, but a relationship between well-being and emotional intelligence is found.

Highlights

Adolescence is a stage in which a series of developmental changes occur that may threaten development and emotional well-being
It is noted that the most participating students are placed above the adequate levels in the emotional Attention, Clarity, and Repair dimensions, it is true that the percentages associated with the category rated “To improve” are high in absolute terms (44.71%, 39.9% and 24.3% for attention, clarity and repair, respectively)
Considering the study of the relationship between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and academic performance, our findings do not support the existence of a relationship between them. These results differ from those observed by other researchers who did find statistically significant positive correlations between emotional intelligence and academic performance, with different effects as compared to the results found in this study [13,14,41]

Summary

Introduction

Adolescence is a stage in which a series of developmental changes occur that may threaten development and emotional well-being. This stage is especially characterised by certain instability, where the search for and consolidation of identity and the achievement of autonomy on the part of the adolescent is an important and necessary element of their lives [1]. It becomes essential to encourage the development of emotional intelligence and encourage adolescents to observe and examine the feelings and emotions they experience [2]. In the early 1990s, the importance of emotional, personal and social aspects that could predict adaptation and success skills in life began to be emphasised, claiming a more global intelligence perspective, that is, emotional intelligence, defined as the ability to perceive, value, and express emotions accurately to access and/or generate feelings that facilitate thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to regulate emotions by promoting emotional and intellectual growth

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