This study investigated the relationships between emotional intelligence and academic
achievement among 151 undergraduate psychology students at The University of the
West Indies (UWI), Barbados, making use of Barchard (2001)’s Emotional Intelligence
Scale and an Academic Achievement Scale. Findings revealed significant positive
correlations between academic achievement and six of the emotional intelligence
components, and a negative correlation with negative expressivity. The emotional
intelligence components also jointly contributed 48% of the variance in academic
achievement. Attending to emotions was the best predictor of academic achievement
while positive expressivity, negative expressivity and empathic concern were other
significant predictors. Emotion-based decision-making, responsive joy and responsive
distress did not make any significant relative contribution to academic achievement,
indicating that academic achievement is only partially predicted by emotional
intelligence. These results were discussed in the context of the influence of emotional
intelligence on university students’ academic achievement.peer-reviewe