Emotional Intelligence

Learner Variable · All learner variables
Evidence · 46 claims (37 show a difference, 3 mixed, 6 no difference) · 34 studies (10 review, 9 causal, 7 associational, 6 quant-synthesis, 1 qualitative, 1 theoretical), q1–q4 · 9 of 34 report an effect size · 45 claims rest on one study

Description

Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive emotions accurately, use them to support thinking, understand them and manage them. It is measured either as an ability (performance tests) or as a self-reported trait. It correlates with academic achievement, more strongly in the humanities than in STEM subjects, and overlaps with affect regulation and with social-emotional skills that programmes aim to build.

How strongly it relates to achievement

Mathematics. These are correlations across meta-analyses (Breit et al. 2025, a systematic review of 30 meta-analyses; overview [+W]): how strongly learners who differ on this characteristic differ in mathematics achievement, not how much changing it would change achievement. Many of these characteristics are correlated with one another, and the review is about mathematics only.

• Emotional intelligence r = .16 (k = 258), the weakest of the ability variables; stronger for the humanities than for STEM. Claim [+W]

Implications

Context

• Subjects about people and their motives draw more on emotional understanding.

Target Learners

• Learners who struggle with emotional and social demands of school.

Target Learning Objectives

• Achievement, social adjustment and wellbeing.

Claims

• A replication trial with 267 preschoolers found greater gains in social skills and stronger teacher-child and parent-teacher relationships than controls [+W] — instruction changes it
• Early Risers has potentially positive effects on social outcomes, driven by a significant Social Skills Composite effect in one of two studies [~M] — instruction changes it
• Early Risers shows no discernible effects on emotional/internal behavior for children at risk of emotional disturbance classification [-M] — instruction changes it
• Emotion Labeling Improves Regulation [+M] — instruction changes it
• Fast Track produced a positive, statistically significant effect on emotional/internal behavior for children at risk of emotional disturbance after one year [+M] — instruction changes it
• Four-year-olds who miss more preschool score lower on kindergarten readiness measures of math, letter recognition, and social-emotional development, even after controlling for incoming skills [+M] — instruction changes it
• Head Start shows no discernible effects on social-emotional development for 3- and 4-year-old children [-M] — instruction changes it
• In a quasi-experimental study, Too Good for Drugs and Violence produced statistically significant effects on attitudes toward violence, emotional competence, social and resistance skills, and goals and decisionmaking [+M] — instruction changes it
• In a randomized controlled trial, Too Good for Drugs and Violence produced statistically significant gains in perceptions of social and resistance skills and emotional competence [+M] — instruction changes it
• LeBlanc and Matson (1995) found a statistically significant positive effect on one social-emotional outcome but insufficient information prevented WWC verification or inclusion in the rating [+W] — instruction changes it
• Middle school social-emotional learning skills predict being off-track to graduate high school [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Pre-K Mathematics shows uncertain effects on social-emotional learning [~M] — instruction changes it
• Pre-kindergarten attendance yields small positive impacts on social-emotional development, executive functioning, and emotion recognition [+W] — instruction changes it
• Preschool PATHS increases emotion knowledge and parent- and teacher-rated social competence in Head Start children [+M] — instruction changes it
• Programs focusing on students' social-emotional development contribute most to classroom management intervention effectiveness, especially on social-emotional outcomes [+M] — an instructional effect differs with it
• RJ serves a preventative purpose by building students' social and emotional skills, not only responding to offenses [+W] — instruction changes it
• School-based SEL programs promote the development of social and emotional competencies across grade levels [+M] — instruction changes it
• SEL programs improve social emotional skills [+S] — instruction changes it
• SEL programs reduce disruptive behavior problems and emotional distress and foster prosocial behavior [+M] — instruction changes it
• Single-case evidence on FBA-based interventions for social-emotional competence does not reach the threshold for an effectiveness rating [-M] — instruction changes it
• Social and emotional competence can be enhanced through explicit instruction, teaching practices, and curriculum integration [+M] — instruction changes it
• Social and emotional learning programs promote competencies, reduce behavior problems, and improve engagement and achievement, with sustained longer-term benefits [+M] — instruction changes it
• Students' success in school and beyond is inextricably linked to healthy social and emotional development [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Successful transition from intermediate to secondary school depends on both academic preparation and social-emotional learning skills suited to a more independent environment [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Supplemental analyses show statistically significant positive Head Start effects on one social-emotional subscale and two mothers' race/ethnicity subgroup comparisons for the 3-year-old cohort [+M] — instruction changes it
• Teachers rated PATHS intervention children as less socially withdrawn than controls at year end [+M] — instruction changes it
• The Lovaas Model has no discernible effects on social-emotional development and behavior for children with disabilities [-W] — instruction changes it
• The recommendation to provide intentional, engaging social-emotional instruction carries strong evidence from five studies meeting WWC standards without reservations [+M] — instruction changes it
• Across populations, children's positive emotional expressions selectively during collaboration predicted their Theory of Mind skills [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Numerical metacognition, but not emotion metacognition, predicts children's standardized mathematics achievement [-M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• The three pattern types differed significantly on behavioural codes (Type 1 > Type 2 > Type 3 for concept mapping) and on several interactive, cognitive and regulative codes, but not on socio-emotional codes [~M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Antecedent-focused emotion regulation strategies are linked to higher-quality teacher-student interactions and better classroom management [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Cognitive reappraisal protects teachers from emotional exhaustion and burnout, while expressive suppression and surface acting are negatively linked to teaching effectiveness [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Emotion differentiation is linked to more effective emotion regulation and more accurate understanding of others' emotions [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Studies of emotional training of aspiring and practicing teachers report positive outcomes for dealing with emotions and reducing stress and burnout [+M] — instruction changes it
• Teachers' authentic emotional expression supports instructional clarity and student emotions, while concealment lowers perceived clarity [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Most studies show social and emotional competencies are positively associated with student engagement and negatively associated with disengagement across school levels and backgrounds [+W] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Some SECs show no association with engagement dimensions in individual studies, including emotion regulation with behavioural engagement and intentional self-regulation compensation [-M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Individual differences such as trait emotional intelligence and learner autonomy shape emotional experiences during language development [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Expressively oriented literary programs improved ToM, emotion understanding, and self-reported insight in children and adolescents [+M] — instruction changes it
• Global perceived-SEC is positively associated with autonomous motivation, introjected motivation, and prosocial behavior, and negatively with conduct problems [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Perceived competence for social regulation negatively predicts external motivation and conduct problems, and perceived competence for tolerance positively predicts autonomous motivation [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Achievement emotion regulation strategies are linked to students' target emotions, with reappraisal and competence development showing the most pronounced relations [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Achievement emotion regulation strategies relate to well-being, health, and academic achievement across three studies [+M] — learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• A cluster randomized trial tests the impact of a skill-targeted social and emotional learning curriculum with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon [+M] — instruction changes it

Related Learner Variables

Examples

Key Sources

• Breit, M., Schneider, M., & Preckel, F. (2025). Mathematics achievement and learner characteristics: A systematic review of meta-analyses. Learning and Individual Differences, 118, 102621. doi:10.1016/j.lindif.2024.102621

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	learner-variable
id	emotional-intelligence
title	Emotional Intelligence
description	A learner's ability to perceive, understand, use and manage emotions in themselves and others.
status	review
canonical	True
generated	by claude/unspecified on 2026-10-16
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

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