The impact of Emotional Intelligence on academic achievement: A longitudinal study in Portuguese secondary school

Abstract

This study examines the predictive validity of Emotional Intelligence (EI), assessed by a self-report and a performance ability-based measure, over students' academic achievement in Portuguese secondary school. Within a 3-wave longitudinal design, 380 students (Mage=15.4; SD=.71) completed both Emotional Skills and Competence Questionnaire (42 items) and Vocabulary of Emotions Test (35 items). Students' GPA, Portuguese and Mathematics grades were collected at the end of each academic level. Path analysis results showed that although both types of EI can predict students' academic achievement, they exert a higher influence in the prediction of 10th grade students' achievement. Moreover, the performance measure exhibited higher predictive power over the self-report one. Multi-group analyses indicated that some paths in the GPA model differ by gender while those in the Mathematics model differ by type of school. These findings suggested the importance of fostering students' EI in the academic context as a strategy of enhancing academic success.