EQ and success

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Summary

Abstract for some subscales such as self-actualization, self-regard, optimism, happiness, and stress-management. T-test analysis confirmed that participants having higher EQ abilities achieved higher

Article

, 2007)

), and independence (7 items), empathy (8 items), interpersonal relationship (11 items), and social responsibility (10 items), problem solving (8 items), reality testing (10 items), and flexibility (8 items) stress management EQ (18 items), which is divided into stress tolerance (9 items) and impulse control (9 items), Happiness (9 items) and optimism (8 items) (Bar-On, 1997, pp. 43–45). To help the participant better understand and to avoid any misconception of content of the questionnaire for lower-level pupils, the participants were provided with Persian version, which was administered in Iran. Dehsiri (2003) stated that this test and its components have reliability and validity in Iranian culture. Dehshiri analyzed the test onto 250 university students in Tehran. He stated that the questionnaire has good internal consistency, test retest reliability, and construct validity. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found to be 0.76 and the results of the factor analysis provided some support for the inventory hypothesized structure ( Dehshiri 2003).

Participants answer on a 5-point Likert type scale continuum from “Very seldom or Not true of me” to “Very often or True of me.”The average time to complete the test is 20–50 minutes. The total reliability of the questionnaire was measured via alpha Cronbach in this study which in turn showed an estimation of 0.80.

The research investigation was administered in both boys and girls schools from different parts of the city (Babol) in August 2010. Since the researcher, as an English teacher in educational department, has been teaching in many schools for 19 years, he has received warm and beneficial cooperation from the staffs of the schools. Therefore there was a possibility for the researcher to attend all classrooms and to give directions whenever it was necessary. Also to motivate the pupils to answer the questions attentively and carefully, they were promised to be informed of their level of emotional intelligence, if they like.

According to the instructions of EQ questionnaires, the answer sheets were scored, and then the total EQ scores were computed. To further explore the role of the components of EQ in foreign language learning, the correlations of subscales and GPA were analyzed as well. . As far as concerned for GPA score, the pupils’ scores in English course were obtained from registrar of schools. Since there was no need to transform the raw scores into standard ones, the raw scores were used in this study. Data adopted from administrations was analyzed through inferential and descriptive statistics via Spss software.

To determine the normal distribution of the data, descriptive statistics of EQ and its subscales and GPA of the participants were analyzed (See table 1).

To study the role of EQ in foreign language achievement and to find its relationships with GPA, person product- moment correlation was conducted to data (See table2).

A descriptive gender analysis was employed to show the number, mean standard deviation and standard error of mean for both male and female participants (See table3).

In order to explore the effect of gender on competency of emotionality, an independent sample t-test was conducted on EQ variable in different groups; male and female (See table4).

To investigate whether those who are successful in foreign language learning have a higher level of emotional intelligence, the pupils from both genders were divided into two successful and unsuccessful groups. This classification has pedagogical conception at schools. Academically, successful pupils are defined as those with a grade-point-average for the academic year of above 50%. And on the other hand those who achieve below 50% of grade-point-average are considered to be unsuccessful. Needless to say for the present study these values are obviously significant. Pupils in successful group are allowed to continue the study while the unsuccessful ones have to repeat the course if their GPA remains less than 50%. A descriptive statistics of successful and unsuccessful groups were displayed for all participants. (See Table 5)

To maintain the effect of EQ on high level of GPA in foreign language learning an independent sample t-test was carried out(See table 6).