The success profiler personal skills map

The Relationship of Emotional Intelligence

to Academic Achievement Donna M. Rice

Abstract: Higher levels of emotional intelligence built through electives like Army JROTC are

predictive of higher levels of academic achievement. This quantitative correlational study was

conducted to explore the relationship of the grade point averages of a random sample of 486 Army

Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps high school cadets to levels of emotional intelligence as

measured by The Personal Skills Map ® . Research findings were that 10 of 11 emotional intelligence

skills were significantly correlated with higher grade point averages. Dewey’s pragmatism and Plato’s

idealism, which support the premise of the need for programs that help students interact with their

environment and bring out their best, served as the theoretical framework for the study. Implications

for education are that elective programs that support personal growth and learning life skills are as

important as academic skills.

About the Author: Donna Rice is the former Chief of Education for Army JROTC. She is currently

a business owner and author of a character/leadership middle school curriculum, a Certified

Advanced Facilitator, Dissertation Chair, and Committee Member at the University of Phoenix and

holds similar positions at Northcentral University

Keywords: emotional intelligence, academic achievement, personal growth, character education,

leadership, life skills

Rice, Donna M. (2018). The relationship of emotional intelligence to academic achievement.

National Teacher Education Journal, 11(1), 27-32.

Introduction

Despite laws designed to improve

the quality of education such as the No Child

Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and the

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015,

academic achievement remains elusive.

Though most would agree covering content

will not solve the problem, they do not agree

on what will. Whereas some administrators

require advanced and remedial classes at the

expense of electives, others believe that

electives, like the Junior Reserve Officers’

Training Corps (JROTC), keep students in

school, and these administrators are less

inclined to remove opportunities for students

to be involved in them (Blake, 2016).

Despite research that indicates a positive

climate contributes to academic achievement

(Berkowitz, Moore, Astor, Benbenishty, &

Benbenishty, 2017), the pressure caused by

high-stakes testing makes scheduling

decisions difficult for administrators.

Paradoxically, raising requirements at the

national and state level in core subjects

(Tampio, 2017) and eliminating classes that

support the prosocial aspects of student

development can reduce the effectiveness of

education (Corrigan, Higgins-D'Alessandro,

& Brown, 2013). Schools should be places

where teachers help students develop not

only academically but also as humans

(Tomlinson, 2015). In this study, the

relationship between emotional intelligence

(EQ) with academic achievement is

examined. Emotional intelligence

encompasses personal and human

development built through prosocial

activities, such as teamwork, in JROTC.

Since the study occurs within the

context of Army JROTC, it is important to

provide information to better understand the

program. Established by the National

Defense Act of 1916, JROTC was designed

to teach high school students the value of

citizenship, responsibility, a sense of

accomplishment, and service to the United

States (Junior Reserve Officers’ Training

Corps Act of 1964, 2008) while instilling in

them decision-making skills that promote

their social, emotional, and physical health

(“U.S. Army JROTC,” 2018). The mission

statement, To Motivate Young People to be

Better Citizens, reflects the program’s post-

graduate focus. Approximately 314,000

Army JROTC cadets and over 4,000

instructors work and learn together in over

1700 schools. When adding other service

JROTC units, those numbers nearly double.

Many JROTC units are located in high

schools in inner cities and rural areas where

students are underserved (Perma & Mehay,

2009), and a large number are unmotivated

to learn when they first join. According to

annual surveys, grades, and test scores;

however, JROTC cadets excel academically

when compared to other students in the high

school (“U.S. Army JROTC,” 2018). A

majority of cadets learn how to be

successful not only in improving their

emotional competence, but also in academic

achievement largely due to the program

structure, the experience and character of the

instructors, and a state-of-the-art 21 st -

century curriculum. The curriculum content

is rich in life skills, leadership, physical

well-being, and the rights and

responsibilities of citizenship. Many cadets

report they perform better in their academic

classes, not only as a result of the motivation

and inspiration they experience from their

participation in JROTC, but also because

course materials augment and reinforce their

academic subjects.

Theoretical Framework: Research Question

Public education is in crisis today.

School administrators may be mistakenly

trying to increase achievement by requiring

academic courses at the expense of elective

programs when well-chosen electives might

serve to meet the objective even better. With

states scrambling to meet or exceed legal

requirements, an unprecedented emphasis

has been placed on test scores as proof that

all students are achieving. In many

locations, school courses that do not readily

appear to contribute to academic

achievement are being squeezed out in favor

of time spent preparing for tests. School

schedules are full of courses necessary to

meet graduation requirements and of

remedial classes for those who do not pass

the courses. Despite the decades of

increasing emphasis on test scores; however,

the United States has made little progress in

academic achievement (Corrigan, 2012).

Adding to the problem of what must be

taught, students who want to attend good

universities are finding their grade point

averages will not be competitive unless they

take a full slate of honors or advanced

placement courses (which confer grade point

averages beyond 4.0). A number of these

students who want leadership experience

cannot take regular classes, much less

electives, because they need honors or

advance placement credit to be competitive.

Thus, they miss a good opportunity to

develop the life skills that will help them

navigate through their relationships, college,

a career, and life in general.

Meanwhile, many elective courses

motivate students to stay in school either

through offering a specialty or an outlet.

Ironically, the students not motivated to

achieve in school are often those who cannot

take electives because they must take

remedial classes. Meaningful data that link

EQ to achievement may help to inform

decision makers to keep elective programs

that build soft skills in the school schedule.

Students who excel academically are often

shortchanged by an educational system that,

through its infatuation with academics, has

not provided the subjects many of these

students need to become happy, productive

citizens.

To better assess this linkage, this

study focused on exploring the relationship

between levels of EQ and levels of

achievement. Specifically, the question

addressed in this research was as follows: Is

there a relationship between emotional

intelligence and academic achievement in

JROTC? The theoretical framework of

Dewey’s pragmatism (students need to

interact with their environment to learn;

Heilig, Cole, & Aguilar, 2010) and Plato’s

idealism (that the aim of education is to

bring out the best in students to better serve

society; Joyal, 2016) supported this

question. The theory explored in relation to

EQ remains elusive as major theorists in the

field do not agree. This lack of clarity has

contributed to the difficulty in understanding

how EQ relates to educational achievement

(Perera, 2016).

Significance of the Problem

Continued research on the

importance of educating the whole child

could help to convince school officials that

electives are important (Davila, 2014), and

that a fight to save them now will be easier

than trying to reinstate them once they are

gone. Substituting credit for the subjects and

activities in JROTC (e.g. health, wellness,

physical fitness) allows more options for

students to enroll. Either way, action as

opposed to apathy is imperative if these

types of elective courses are to survive.

Administrators need ammunition to reverse

the trend toward eliminating electives and to

amend unwieldy policies that severely

restrict them. Marzano (2003), Caine and

Caine (1991), Goleman (1995), Gardner

(1993), Bar-On (1997), Mayer and Salovey

(1990), and many other prominent

researchers have created a foundation that

supports varied instructional strategies, tying

learning to emotion, and the importance of

EQ. What remains is for others to build on

the foundation and make the case for

electives and teaching strategies that need to

be included, not excluded, in the quest for

higher achievement.

Army JROTC has an organizational

structure that promotes leadership and

citizenship, requires and evaluates service

learning, teaches embedded subjects that

focus on building character and increasing

emotional intelligence, and employs proven

instructional strategies. In following a

Vietnamese refugee’s experiences in

JROTC, Davila (2014) suggested that

attendance in JROTC can provide a sense of

belonging and hope for the future that keeps

even low-achieving students in school. Yet

students, often those who need it the most,

cannot always fit JROTC in their schedule.

Other programs, such as Future Farmers of

America (FFA), Distributive Education

Clubs of America (DECA), Family, Career,

and Community Leaders of America

(FCCLA), Future Business Leaders of

America (FBLA), and Junior Achievement

(JA), that also offer opportunities for skill,

character, and leadership development

(Rice, 2011) also take a back seat to core

academics. These programs help students

learn about themselves and, therefore,

provide avenues to understand their skill

levels. Logically, once students understand

their strengths and weaknesses, they can

learn to use their strengths while they build

weaker skills, thus improving their chances

for success (Neilson, 2005). Another benefit

of JROTC (and programs like it) is it offers

students an opportunity for local, and

sometimes national recognition—as Charlie

Daniels commented, for what is good about

America (Perez, 2015).

Methodology

In 1976 Nelson and Low (2003)

created the instrument used to measure EQ,

the Personal Skills Map ®

, which was later

digitized and embedded in Conover

Company’s Success Profiler ®

(Schmitz,

2005). To explore relationships between EQ

and academic achievement in this

quantitative study, scores on 11 personal

skills (the predictor variables) were

correlated with corresponding grade point

averages (the criterion variables). The

existing data included scores, grades, and

demographics from a sample of 486 cadets

in grades 9-12 located in different schools

with diverse populations across the country.

Demographics were: 21% Caucasian, 24%

African American, 26% Hispanic, 16%

Native American, 5% Alaskan, and 8%

Asian. Approximately 48% of the cadets

were male and 52% female. Data collected

were displayed on graphs generated by

SPSS software. Bivariate correlation

statistics were used to compare the predictor

variables with the criterion variables

(Mirabella, 2006).

Results

In addition to displaying descriptive

statistics, Table 1 illustrates that the test

distributions were normal.

Table 1

Descriptive Statistics, Significance, and Test Normality

Variable Mean Stand Dev Min Max Ass/2 tail Test Distribution

GPA 2.8 .765 .50 4.30 .08 Normal

Commi Ethic 16.3 4.7 2 24 .001 Normal

Drive Strength 29 9 2 47 .092 Normal

Decision Mak 12.2 3.7 1 20 .005 Normal

Empathy 17.3 5.2 2 24 .000 Normal

Awareness 16.4 4.7 1 24 .002 Normal

Physical Well 22.5 7.3 2 40 .001 Normal

Sales Orient 14.9 4.7 1 24 .003 Normal

Self Esteem 54.5 16.9 6 87 .000 Normal

Stress Mgt 24.5 9.8 1 48 .035 Normal

Time Mgt 13.9 4.7 1 24 .001 Normal

Assertion 23.8 6.7 1 36 .082 Normal

Aggression 13 7.4 1 36 .000 Normal

Deference 15.7 7.3 1 36 .032 Normal

For the research question: Was there

a relationship between emotional

intelligence and academic achievement in

JROTC, the null hypothesis was rejected on

10 of the 11 EQ scales. To investigate the

first hypothesis, a correlation analysis was

administered using SPSS software on each

scale. Table 2 illustrates the results of the

Pearson Correlation. In order to sufficiently

address this question, each of the eleven

scales must be analyzed as separate sub-

hypotheses.

Table 2

Pearson Correlation for Emotional Intelligence Variables and GPA

Variables Academic Achievement (GPA)

________________________________________________________________________

Cadets (n = 486)

______________

EQ Variables r sig (2 tail)

______________________________________________________________________

Commitment Ethic .234** .000

Drive Strength .219** .000

Decision Making .128** .005

Empathy .126** .005

Awareness .070 .125

Physical Wellness .109* .016

Sales Orientation .147** .001

Self Esteem .172** .000

Stress Management .132** .004

Time Management .196** .000

Assertion .131** .004

Aggression -.144** .001

Deference -.048 .292

________________________________________________________________________

* p < .05; **p < .01

A narrative of the results are as follows:

 Commitment Ethic (CE), is the ability to successfully complete projects and

job assignments. With a p-value of .000

which is less than .05, the null hypothesis is

rejected; thus, I concluded that a correlation

exists between commitment ethic and grade

point average. Since the R for CE is .234, as

commitment ethic increases, academic

achievement increases as well.

 Drive Strength (DS), is the ability to effectively direct individual energy,

motivation, and achievement. With a p-

value of .000 which is less than .05, the null

hypothesis is rejected; thus, I concluded that

a correlation exists between drive strength

and grade point average. Since the R for DS

is .219, as drive strength increases, academic

achievement increases as well.

 Decision Making (DM) is the ability to initiate, formulate, and implement

effective problem-solving procedures. With

a p-value of .005 which is less than .05, the

null hypothesis is rejected; thus, I concluded

that a correlation exists between decision

making and grade point average. Since the R

for DM is .128, as drive strength increases,

academic achievement increases as well.

 Empathy (E) is the ability to accurately understand and accept another

person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

With a p-value of .005 which is less than

.05, the null hypothesis is rejected; thus, I

concluded that a correlation exists between

empathy and grade point average. Since the

R for E is .128, as empathy increases,

academic achievement increases as well.

 Interpersonal Awareness (IAw) is a personal skill in the ability to judge

appropriate

social and physical distance in verbal and

non-verbal interactions with others. With a

p-value of .125 which is greater than .05, the

null hypothesis is accepted; thus, I

concluded that a significant correlation does

not exist between interpersonal awareness

and grade point average. Since the R for

IAw is only .070, academic achievement

may not increase as interpersonal awareness

increases.

 Physical Wellness (PW) is a personal skill in the ability to take care of one’s

physical self and avoid self-destructive

behaviors. With a p-value of .016 which is

less than .05, the null hypothesis is rejected;

thus, I concluded that a correlation exists

between physical wellness and grade point

average. Since the R for PW is .109, as

physical wellness increases, academic

achievement increases as well.

 Sales Orientation/Leadership (SO), or leadership, is the ability to positively

impact and influence others. With a p-value

of .001 which is less than .05, the null

hypothesis is rejected; thus, I concluded that

a correlation exists between sales orientation

and grade point average. Since the R for SO

is .147, as sales orientation increases,

academic achievement increases as well.

 Self-Esteem (SE) is a personal skill in the ability to accurately evaluate self or a

self-perceived level of personal worth. With

a p-value of .000 which is less than .05, the

null hypothesis is rejected; thus, I concluded

that a correlation exists between self-esteem

and grade point average. Since the R for SE

is .172, as self-esteem increases, academic

achievement increases as well.

 Stress Management (SM) is a personal skill in the ability to positively

manage stress and anxiety. With a p-value of

.004 which is less than .05, the null

hypothesis is rejected; thus, I concluded that

a correlation exists between stress

management and grade point average. Since

the R for SM is .128, as stress management

increases, academic achievement increases

as well.

 Time Management (TM) is a personal skill in the ability to use time

effectively for the accomplishment of

individual and career goals. With a p-value

of .000 which is less than .05, the null

hypothesis is rejected; thus, I concluded that

a correlation exists between time

management and grade point average. Since

the R for TM is .196, as time management

increases, academic achievement increases

as well.

 Interpersonal Assertion (IA) is a personal communication skill indicated by

the direct, honest, and appropriate

expression of thoughts, feelings, and

behaviors. It is a balance between Deference

(ID) and Aggression (IAg). With a p-value

of .004 which is less than .05, the null

hypothesis is rejected; thus, I concluded that

a correlation exists between interpersonal

assertion and grade point average. Since the

R for IA is .131, as assertion increases,

academic achievement increases as well.

Though no hypotheses were tendered

for IA subscales, the relationships were

explored: ID is a personal communication

style which is indirect, self-inhibiting, self-

denying, and ineffectual for the accurate

expression of thoughts, feelings, and

behaviors; IAg is a personal communication

style that violates, overpowers, dominates,

or discredits the other person’s rights,

thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. With a p-

value of .292 which is more than .05 and an

R of -.48, deference is not significantly

correlated with academic achievement. With

a p-value of .001; however, which is less

than .05, a correlation does exist between

aggression and grade point average. With an

R of -.144, as aggression increases,

academic achievement decreases. Of the 11

scales, only Interpersonal Awareness was

not significantly correlated. Since this scale

has been found to be significantly correlated

in other studies (Pope, 1981), perhaps

further research with different samples is in

order.

Conclusions and Implications

The results of this study help to

validate the importance of developing the

whole person to increase academic

achievement through elective courses.

School leaders could add this study to the

growing body of research with similar

findings to support a focus on building

personal skills, understanding learning

styles, and allowing opportunities for as

many students as possible to participate in

prosocial experiences. Assessments like the

Personal Skills Map ®

help students to be

aware of strengths and weaknesses that

could help them to make changes resulting

in higher grades. Many elective programs

take that awareness further by helping

students to improve their EQ.

The stated goals of schools today

should not only be to help students achieve

academically, but also to understand and

manage their emotions and become

productive, well-adjusted citizens. Though

academic achievement is often the stated

goal, it is not attained by merely teaching

required subjects. Theorists including

Robert Sternberg, Howard Gardner, and

Daniel Goleman (Hein, 2004) challenge the

traditional concepts of intelligence and how

it is measured. According to them, IQ is but

one element among many that determines

success. Some of the factors that contribute

to achievement in their view include

classroom environment, affective learning,

cooperative learning, student engagement,

and service-learning. Obviously, some

students will achieve regardless of the

classroom environment or instructional

strategies used. If the goal is to reach every

child, however, these researchers suggest

additional methods be considered. The

business world has realized for years that

many other skills such as leadership, critical

thinking, problem solving, decision making,

commitment, communication skills, and

stress management are desirable in

employees. Developing emotional

competence to fulfill future roles as

productive citizens should be a priority

(Kessler, 2000).

Implications for Further Study

Further research should include links

of service learning, leadership, and locus of

control to emotional intelligence in

secondary schools. Efforts to achieve

consensus in the emotional intelligence

community should be monitored and

included in that research. Future studies

confirming or disputing these results are

important to policy makers who mandate

education requirements including how

schools are resourced based on test scores

and to education administrators charged

with making scheduling decisions. Further

research exploring emotional barriers to

academic achievement could help with those

policy and scheduling decisions. Additional

studies with like results will add to this

evidence that character development and

leadership programs like JROTC build

emotional intelligence and result in higher

achievement.

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