A Quantitative Analysis of the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Foreign Language Learning

The major aim of this study was to examine the role of emotional intelligence in second language learning. At the end of the academic year, 508 second year students at four universities in Iran were asked to complete the Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EQ-i). EQ-i data were matched with the students’ academic records, scores in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Predicting second language learning success from emotional intelligence variables produced divergent results, depending on how the variables were operationalized. When EQ-i variables were compared in groups (successful vs. unsuccessful) who had achieved very different levels of academic success and scores in different skills, second language learning was strongly associated with several dimensions of emotional intelligence. Results are discussed in the context of the importance of emotional intelligence in second language learning.