Emotional intelligence and second/foreign language achievement: A meta-analytic review

Abstract

A growing body of literature examined the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in second/foreign language learning (L2) achievement. Though positive relationships have been reported, negative or non-significant relationships were also found. To date no study has quantitatively synthesized the overall effect size between EI and L2 achievement or the potential moderators influencing their relationship. The current meta-analysis fills this research gap by examining 39 independent studies with a cumulative sample size of 6,571 participants. Random-effects model yielded moderate-to-large coefficients ( r = .43, 95% CI: .32−.53 with actual language performance as the outcome; r = .43, 95% CI: .19−.61 with perceived language proficiency as the outcome). Moderation analyses showed that the effect was stronger for female, collectivistic culture, and final grades as language measures (as opposed to standardized tests) but not influenced by educational level, major, specificity of L2 achievement, skills of language learning or publication year. Reasons for the effect, possible explanations for moderating effects, and pedagogical implications are discussed.