Emotional Intelligence and its Relationship to Academic Performance Among Saudi EFL Undergraduates

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to describe the emotional intelligence level of Saudi EFL undergraduate students, as well as to examine the effect of emotional intelligence on success in foreign language learning. A total of 80 Saudi undergraduate students from the English Department at King Khalid University participated in this study. Data was collected by means of Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT), and by an English achievement test. SSEIT questionnaire data was matched with the students’ academic scores in the English language achievement test, and was analysed using SPSS. The findings indicated that Saudi EFL students scored a high level of emotional intelligence. The most popular intelligence subscales they used were “Utilization of Emotion” followed by “Management of Others Emotion” and “Management of Self Emotion” and finally, “Perception of Emotion”. Another finding indicated that two of the four subscales, “Utilization of Emotion and “Management of Others Emotion” were significantly associated with their English achievement level. The implications of the value of emotional intelligence in fostering academic achievement were considerable for both EFL teachers and academic policymakers.