Social status and its link with personality dimensions, trait emotional intelligence, and scholastic achievement in children and early adolescents

Peer acceptance and rejection during secondary school: Do associations with subsequent educational outcomes vary by socioeconomic background?

Research shows that peer relationships are associated with students' school adjustment. However, the importance of advantageous and disadvantageous factors for students' educational outcomes may vary by socioeconomic positioning. Drawing on sociometric and register data from a nationally representative sample of Swedish youth (n = 4996, girls 50%; migration background 19%), this study asks if family socioeconomic status moderates associations between youth's peer relationships and their subsequent educational outcomes. Based on preregistered analyses, associations that peer acceptance and rejection at age 14-15 years share with school grades at ~16 years and completion of upper secondary school at ~20 years were tested. The findings showed that positive and adverse peer relationships are most consequential for the educational outcomes of socioeconomically disadvantaged youth.

Emotional Intelligence and School Bullying Victimization in Children and Youth Students: A Meta-Analysis

School victimization among children and youth is a global public health issue that has long-term adverse effects on the victims' mental health and behavioral development. Theories and research suggest that emotional intelligence may operate as a buffer against school bullying victimization. However, the strength of the association between emotional intelligence and bullying victimization is controversial. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the exact association between Emotional intelligence and school bullying victimization. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from inception to March 2022 for relevant studies that examine the association between emotional intelligence and school bullying victimization without a language limit. Twenty-four articles were included in our meta-analysis (n = 27,438). There was a small, negative, and significant association between emotional intelligence and school victimization among children and youth students. Sex and emotional intelligence measurement tools were variables that significantly moderated the link between emotional intelligence and bullying victimization. The findings indicated that improving students' emotional intelligence could be a crucial strategy to lower the students' risk of being bullied in school and online. It would be more effective among male students.

The Relationship between Children’s Trait Emotional Intelligence and the Big Five, Big Two and Big One Personality Traits

The irrefutable repercussions of personality and socio-emotional development on children’s learning and psychological well-being justify the relevance for the educational context of delving into the relationship between those two constructs. Therefore, the research presented in this article investigates the link between trait EI and the B5, B2, and B1 (or GFP) personality traits in children between 9 and 13 years of age. We used the Spanish adaptation of the BFQ-NA (Big Five Personality Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents) and the CDE_9-13 (Emotional Development Questionnaire for primary education) with a sample of 259 primary school students. The results showed correlations between the two Big personality factors (B2) and the Big One personality factor (B1) with trait EI. However, the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and the Big Five personality model (B5) was not very high; only two of the five personality traits significantly predicted trait EI. Thus, our results differ from studies conducted with adults, but instead, it is similar to studies conducted with children. Finally, this study reinforces the thesis that trait EI can be considered a synonym of the GFP (General Factor Personality). Consequently, it implies designing and implementing learning and socioemotional development programs during the school years to promote adaptability and social efficacy.

Predicting Academic Alienation From Emotion Dysregulation, Social Competence, and Peer Relationships in School-Attending Girls: A Multiple-Regression Approach

School alienation (SA) refers to a collection of negative attitudes toward the social and academic realms of schooling consisting of cognitive and affective components. The current study was designed to examine whether emotion dysregulation, social competence, and peer problems predict school alienation. In this vein, 300 school-attending adolescents in Sarab were recruited and completed difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS), academic alienation questionnaire (AAQ), social competence test (SCT), and index of peer relations (IPR) measures, but 280 (M age = 16.35; SD = 0.82; 46% girls) completed data were gathered. The results of hierarchical multiple regression indicated that school alienation was significantly predicted by emotion dysregulation, social competency, and peer problems. In conclusion, our findings suggest that school psychologists and other clinicians design interventions to improve the students’ shortcomings in emotion regulations, social competency, and peer relationships domains.

Association between subjective degree of influence in class and thinness among adolescents in Japan

Social status in school, measured by subjective degree of influence in class (DOI), may influence thinness among adolescents. This study examined the association between subjective degree of influence in class and thinness among Japanese adolescents. Data were obtained from the Kochi Child Health Impact of Living Difficulty (K-CHILD) study in 2016, which Was a population-based study targeting 5th, 8th and 11th grade adolescents living in Kochi Prefecture, Japan (N = 9,998). DOI was assessed by adolescents via questionnaire. Weight and height were given by caregivers for 5th grade adolescents, whilst they were self-reported for 8th and 11th grade adolescents. Collected data on weight and height were used to calculate body mass index z-scores of WHO standards. Models included grade, gender, number of friends, household income, location of school and depressive symptoms as covariates. The results showed that both high and low DOI were positively associated with thinness after adjustment for other individual covariates (high DOI, OR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.05-2.43; low DOI, OR = 2.04, 95% CI 1.36-3.06). Further stratification by gender revealed that low DOI was positively associated with thinness (OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.34-3.44) among boys, but there was no association among girls. Both high and low DOI were associated with the risk of being thin in adolescents. Focusing on DOI for adolescents may be important to address thinness among adolescents. Further studies are needed to examine the causality between DOI and thinness in adolescents.

The Role of Emotional and Meta-Emotional Intelligence in Pre-adolescents' Well-Being and Sociometric Status

The study examined the relationships among emotional and meta-emotional intelligence, well-being, and sociometric status in 105 pre-adolescents. Emotional and meta-emotional intelligence were measured using the Intelligenza Emotiva: Abilità, Credenze e Concetto di Sé Meta-Emotivo (IE-ACCME) test (D’Amico, 2013), allowing to measure ability emotional intelligence (EI), emotional self-concept, meta-emotional knowledge, meta-emotional ability in self-evaluation, and meta-emotional beliefs. Meta-emotional dimensions refer to the awareness of individuals about their emotional abilities and to their beliefs about the functioning of emotions in everyday life. Eudemonic well-being and sociometric status were, respectively, measured using the well-known Psychological Well-Being (PWB) scale by Ryff’s (1989) and registering the levels of acceptance/rejection from peers (Moreno, 1960). Results demonstrated that: pre-adolescents’ meta-emotional beliefs are positively associated to eudemonic well-being: pre-adolescents with higher levels of ability EI, meta-emotional knowledge and meta-emotional self-evaluation are more accepted by others while those that overestimate their emotional abilities are more refused by peers. These results evidence that meta-emotional variables may play a crucial role in well-being and sociometric status, encouraging future studies on this issue.

Big Five personality traits and academic performance: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE AND METHOD

This meta-analysis reports the most comprehensive assessment to date of the strength of the relationships between the Big Five personality traits and academic performance by synthesizing 267 independent samples (N = 413,074) in 228 unique studies. It also examined the incremental validity of personality traits above and beyond cognitive ability in predicting academic performance.

RESULTS

The combined effect of cognitive ability and personality traits explained 27.8% of the variance in academic performance. Cognitive ability was the most important predictor with a relative importance of 64%. Conscientiousness emerged as a strong and robust predictor of performance, even when controlling for cognitive ability, and accounted for 28% of the explained variance in academic performance. A significant moderating effect of education level was observed. The relationship of academic performance with openness, extraversion, and agreeableness demonstrated significantly larger effect sizes at the elementary/middle school level compared to the subsequent levels. Openness, despite its weak overall relative importance, was found to be an important determinant of student performance in the early years of school.

CONCLUSION

These findings reaffirm the critical role of personality traits in explaining academic performance through the most comprehensive assessment yet of these relationships.

Peer network Status and Depressive Symptoms Among Early Adolescents: Testing the Mediating Effects of Metaperception and Loneliness

Previous research shows that deficits in social relationships increase the risk of depression. This study tests the hypothesis that among early adolescents, their status in their peer network (likeability/dislikeability) will be associated with depressive symptoms but only indirectly, through the subjective perception of this status (positive/negative metaperception) and loneliness (feeling of social isolation). Data were collected using sociometric methods and self-report scales from 388 students aged 12–13. Path analysis was applied to verify the hypothesized relationships between the study variables. The findings indicate that: (1) status in the peer network and its perception affect depressive symptoms only indirectly, through loneliness; (2) depressive symptoms depend directly on loneliness alone; (3) status in the peer network does not directly translate into loneliness—its effect is mediated by metaperception; (4) the negative dimension of the peer network status indirectly affects both loneliness and depressive symptoms more strongly than the positive one. The main limitation of the research is its cross-sectional design, which precludes definite conclusions about the direction of the relationships observed. The results obtained help to clarify the complex mechanisms through which objective status in the peer network, its subjective perception and feelings of loneliness contribute to the severity of depressive symptoms among early adolescents. On the practical side, the findings highlight the importance of developing and implementing interventions targeting both the objective and subjective aspects of social relations for the prevention of depression in this age group.

Effectiveness of an Emotional Intelligence Intervention and Its Impact on Academic Performance in Spanish Pre-Adolescent Elementary Students: Results from the EDI Program

There is clear agreement about the importance of promoting emotional intelligence in school through programs integrated in the academic curriculum. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of the EDI program on the emotional intelligence trait and on general academic performance, as well as mathematics and language performance. The participants were 5th grade elementary school students between 10 and 11 years old. A quasi-experimental repeated-measures design was used, with a comparison group and four assessment points. The results showed, on the one hand, the effectiveness of a two-year intervention in improving emotional intelligence and, on the other hand, its positive influence on academic performance in general, and specifically on mathematics and language performance. In the non-intervention group, general academic performance and language performance declined. The results are discussed, and recommendations are made for future interventions.

Trait Emotional Intelligence and Classroom Emotions: A Positive Psychology Investigation and Intervention Among Chinese EFL Learners

The link between emotional intelligence (EI) and negative emotions, especially anxiety, has been investigated in different educational contexts including second/foreign language (L2) learning contexts. However, the link between EI and positive emotions remains underexplored, despite the growing interest of second language acquisition (SLA) researchers in positive emotions, motivated by the Positive Psychology (PP) movement. Grounded on PP theories, a correlational and experimental investigation was conducted on EI and two typical L2 classroom emotions, namely Foreign Language Enjoyment (FLE) and Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA). For the correlational study, questionnaires were administered to 1,718 English learners from three high schools in China. Statistical results showed medium correlations among students' EI, FLE, and FLA. In the intervention study, a pre-test, treatment and post-test design was adopted. A six-week PP-based EI intervention ("ARGUER" training model in class and the "three activities" of PP in diary) was conducted in the experiment class of 56 students, while not in the control class of 52 students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five students in the experimental class and their English teacher. ANCOVA test results and qualitative findings indicated that the EI intervention was effective in improving EI, boosting more positive classroom emotions and alleviating negative classroom emotions. The findings in both the correlational and intervention studies are discussed in combination with previous studies. We also further address their theoretical and practical implications for L2 education.

The relative contribution of parenting practices in predicting trait emotional intelligence in an Italian adolescent sample

This study examines the relationship between trait emotional intelligence (trait EI), support, and parental psychological control practices. Three hundred adolescents, between 11 and 13 years old, took part in the study (163 were males and 137 were females). Participants completed the Perceptions of Parents Scales for the parental support, the Dependency (DPC)- and Achievement (APC)-oriented Psychological Control Scales for the parental psychological control, and the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Child Form for the child's trait EI. Trait EI was related to parenting variables, and also, parental practices (both support and psychological control) predicted global trait EI in adolescents. Some gender-specific differences were found: both APC and DPC were negative predictors of trait EI in males, whereas only APC significantly predicted trait EI in females. Future longitudinal studies are needed to examine these results and to shed light on the processes involved in the development of trait EI. STATEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION: What is already known on the subject? There exists strong evidence of the interaction between parenting practices and emotional development in children and adolescents. Therefore, parental psychological control is negatively correlated with peer support and self-esteem, and positively related to anxiety and aggressive behaviour in children. However, there is paucity on research examining the relationship between parenting and trait EI in children. What does this study adds? This study extends earlier work in this field and investigates whether there is a relationship between trait EI and parenting practices (parental support and psychological control) and whether it depends on child and parent gender. This study, therefore, aims to investigate, for the first time, parental factors that may, in addition to those constitutional, be related to trait EI in children. Specifically, the objective of the present study was to investigate whether parenting practices would predict adolescents' trait EI and whether these relations depend on the gender.

The Relationship Between Trait Emotional Intelligence, Cognition, and Emotional Awareness: An Interpretative Model

Emotional awareness (EA) has been defined as the cognitive skill devoted to the identification and description of one’s own and others’ emotional experiences, an ability that has usually been conceptualized along with the development of cognitive intelligence. Despite this, EA has also been deemed a central constituent of Emotional Intelligence (EI), a construct that captures individual differences in how we perceive, communicate, regulate, and understand our own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. The overlap between the cognitive and the emotional domain in the definition of the EA construct has created several difficulties in both its understanding and its usage, so much so that several questions regarding its nature and structure remain unanswered. The aim of the present work was to test in a unique model the explanatory role of both trait EI and fluid nonverbal intelligence on EA variability in children, controlling for the effect of age, a variable strictly related to cognitive development, as well as gender, which is highly associated with trait EI during childhood. Four hundred and eighty-eight pupils (258 females and 230 males) ranging from 8 to 12 years old completed the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale for Children, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – Child Form, and a measure of pure non-verbal reasoning ability, the Raven’s Progressive Matrices. The results of a structural equation model showed a positive explanatory power of both Raven and TEIQue scores on EA, revealing that both cognitive intelligence and trait EI significantly explained EA. The same model also showed an indirect effect of age, via intelligence scores, on EA, suggesting that the increase of EA with age could be partially imputed to the development of intelligence. Finally, a relation between gender and TEIQue scores confirmed higher trait EI scores in girls than in boys. The implications emerging from this model are discussed.

Pathways Into Psychosocial Adjustment in Children: Modeling the Effects of Trait Emotional Intelligence, Social-Emotional Problems, and Gender

Trait Emotional intelligence (Trait EI) can be understood as a personality trait related to individual differences in recognition, processing, and the regulation of emotionally charged information. Trait EI has been considered a variable of great importance in determining psychosocial adjustment. However, most research on Trait EI has focused on adult and adolescent populations, while very few studies have explored its influence on children. The aim of this study was to analyze possible pathways into psychosocial adjustment in children by examining the combined effects of Trait EI and emotional and social problems. It also aimed to assess the possible mediating role of gender in this relationship. A total of 268 Spanish children participated in this study, ranging in age from 8 to 12 years (mean age = 10.09, SD = 1.32, 45.10% male). Selected measures were applied through a web-based survey called DetectaWeb. The regression and mediation/moderation analyses confirmed that psychosocial adjustment in children was determined by Trait EI directly and by emotional and social problems in an indirect way. Together, the three variables explained 46% of the variance in psychosocial adjustment, although Trait EI was the most powerful predictor (44%), demonstrating incremental validity over and above social and emotional problems. In addition, gender was shown to be a moderating variable between Trait EI and psychosocial adjustment; for girls specifically, lower Trait EI scores were a determinant of lower levels of psychosocial adjustment, regardless of emotional and social problems. It can be concluded that the identified pathways provide keys for emotional education interventions aimed at promoting psychosocial adjustment, well-being, and good mental health among children. Our findings support the buffer role of Trait EI against maladjustment risk in children, but more clearly in girls.

How Does Social Behavior Relate to Both Grades and Achievement Scores?

Prosocial behavior and peer problems are an important correlate of academic development; however, these effects vary by achievement measures and social behaviors. In this paper, we examined data from the German National Education Panel Study (NEPS), and we use structural equation modeling (SEM) to model the effects of prosocial behavior and peer problems on grades and competencies for both math (n = 3,310) and reading (n = 3,308) in grades 5 and 7. Our models account for the moderating effect of both gender and socioeconomic status (SES) as determined by parental education. We conclude that social behaviors relate to grades more strongly than competencies, that peer problems relate more strongly to achievement than prosocial behavior, and that the relationship is weaker in later grades. We discuss the implication that grades and achievement tests are not interchangeable measures for educators and researchers.

The Psychometric Properties of the French Version of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Child Short Form

The psychometric properties of the French version of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Child Short Form (TEIQue-CSF) were investigated in a sample of 556 children 9 to 13 years of age. The internal consistency and temporal stability were satisfactory. A significant difference for gender, but not for age, was observed. With regard to the factor structure, the best fit was found for a two-factor solution, emotion control and socioemotionality. Regarding convergent validity, positive correlations were found with the total and all except one-factor scores of the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire score (EAQ30). Evidences of concurrent validity were demonstrated, with negative correlations with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC) and childhood anxiety sensitivity index (CASI). Results also showed a positive correlation with Children’s Social Desirability Scale (CSD). In conclusion, these findings provide additional support for the use of the TEIQue-CSF for researchers and practitioners who want to assess emotion-related constructs in children.

Brief report: Trait emotional intelligence, peer nominations, and scholastic achievement in adolescence

Current research on trait EI in adolescents suggests that the construct impacts on several important domains of youths' psychological functioning, including school adjustment and achievement. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of trait EI and of its subcomponents, on adolescent's academic achievement. Data were collected from 321 Italian adolescents (162 female; Mage = 15.5, SD = 1.86; aged 13-18 years) recruited from secondary schools. The effects of perceived and actual peer nominations, gender, personality dimensions, and non-verbal cognitive abilities were also controlled. Results highlight that trait EI as assessed by means of the TEIQue impacts Italian but not math's grades, while trait EI's factors predicted both academic subjects, with significant contributions of Self-Control and Sociability. Limitations and implications are discussed.