Exploring the Link Between Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance in Middle School Students: A Case Study

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and academic performance among 33 middle school students, while also exploring differences based on gender, grade level, scholarship status, and extracurricular participation. Participants completed validated self-report measures assessing five EI components, and academic performance was evaluated through task and contextual performance scores. Spearman’s rank-order correlations indicated significant positive associations between motivation, social skills, and both academic performance measures. Kruskal–Wallis tests revealed no significant differences in EI or academic performance by gender or grade level. However, students receiving scholarships achieved significantly higher task performance, and those participating in extracurricular activities demonstrated significantly higher contextual performance, with near-significant differences in task performance and social skills. These results provide limited support for the study’s hypotheses, suggesting that specific EI components—particularly motivation and social skills—are linked to academic success, and that contextual factors such as financial support and extracurricular engagement can enhance performance outcomes. The findings highlight the value of integrating emotional skills training and extracurricular opportunities into school programs to promote both academic and socio-emotional development during early adolescence. Owing to the limited sample size and the single-school context, the findings should be regarded as exploratory and context-specific.