Academic achievement in middle childhood: relationships with Emotional Intelligence and Social Skills

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) and social skills (SS) have always been considered important for children’s psychological and behavioural adjustment. However, during the last century they are receiving increasing attention for its influence in the academic setting too. The objective of this study is to analyse in depth the relationship of school performance with EI and SS. Especially we examine which specific dimensions of EI and SS are more related to academic achievement in mathematics and language. One hundred eighty students between 8 and 11 years old participated in the study. We administered the BarOn EI Inventory, the Social Skills Improvement System – Rating Scales (SSIS) and a test of mathematics and linguistic competences. The results showed that there is a relationship between EI and SS and academic achievement. The Interpersonal and Adaptability components of EI, together with the Communication and Cooperation factors of SS have showed to have the strongest impact on academic achievement. These findings point out the need to consider students’ socioemotional competences in order to help them achieve all their academic and personal potential.

Key words: emotional intelligence, social skills, academic achievement, primary education, linguistic competence, mathematics competence.