Coping mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and academic achievement

• Published in: Contemporary educational psychology Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 60 - 70
• Main Authors: MacCann, Carolyn, Fogarty, Gerard J., Zeidner, Moshe, Roberts, Richard D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego Elsevier Inc 2011; Elsevier; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Cognitive style; College Students; Community Colleges; Coping; Coping strategies; Educational Objectives; Educational psychology; Emotional development; Emotional Intelligence; Emotions; Grade Point Average; Intelligence Tests; Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT); Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test; Measures (Individuals); Middle School Students; Outcomes of Education; Problem Solving; Psychological patterns; Self Control; Situational Test of Emotion Management for Youths (STEM-Y); Situational test of emotional management; Situational Tests; Test results; Academic achievement; Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test; Situational test of emotional management; Coping; Emotional intelligence
• ISSN: 0361-476X; 1090-2384
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.11.002

► MSCEIT emotion management predicts community college GPA ( r = .44). ► This is partly mediated by coping: Problem-focused coping is a significant mediator. ► STEM-Y emotion management predicts eighth-grade students’ grades ( r = .28). ► This is fully mediated by coping: Problem-focused coping is a significant mediator. Research examining the relationships between performance measures of emotional intelligence (EI), coping styles, and academic achievement is sparse. Two studies were designed to redress this imbalance. In each of these studies, both EI and coping styles were significantly related to academic achievement. In Study 1, 159 community college students completed the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) and problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping scales. Collectively, the coping variables significantly mediated the relationship between EI and grade point average (GPA) for Emotion Perception, Emotion Facilitation of Thought and Emotion Management (but not for Emotional Understanding). Problem-focused coping was the only single significant mediator, mediating the relationship between emotion management and GPA (but not other branches and GPA). In Study 2, 293 middle school students completed the Situational Test of Emotion Management for Youths (STEM-Y) and scales measuring the same three coping strategies. In this study, the coping variables again significantly mediated the relationship between emotion management and GPA. Once again, problem-focused coping was a significant mediator. Collectively, these results suggest that better educational outcomes might be achieved by targeting skills relating to emotion management and problem-focused coping.