Emotional Intelligence and academic achievement: Emotional Well-being, motivation and learning strategies as mediators

Emotional intelligence has been directly associated with academic performance, observing that emotionally intelligent students perform better at school. However, the mechanisms of this association have been neglected. This work focuses on certain relevant factors associated with academic achievement, such as emotional well-being, motivation, and learning strategies as mediators of the EI-academic achievement relationship. A cross-sectional study based on a sample of ninety-six secondary education teenagers was conducted, assessing them using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, the Psychological Well-being Questionnaire, the Learning Strategies and Motivation Questionnaire, and their final grades. Serial mediation analysis revealed that emotional intelligence does not directly influence academic achievement, only through mediators, finding a total effect mediation. Several indirect serial effects have been found. Specifically, emotional intelligence fosters high emotional well-being which is associated with greater motivation and with better learning strategies that, ultimately, lead to academic achievement. Emotional well-being also leads emotionally intelligent students to deploy better learning strategies, which contributes to better school performance. Emotional intelligence also promotes academic success through high motivation, which is related to high-level learning strategies (without the emotional well-being pathway). The results are discussed in terms of the positive effects that emotional intelligence has on emotional well-being, motivation, and learning strategies, and their prolific interaction, which leads to better academic results.