Validation of the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire in Physical Education

Abstract

The aim was to adapt and validate the Emotional Intelligence Sports Questionnaire by Arruza, González, Palacios, Arribas y Telletxea (2013) at the Physical Education context. The sample was comprised of 1689 (52.8% boys and 47.2% woman) students of Primary, Secondary School, and High School with aged between 10 and 17 years old (M = 13.75; SD = 2.99), all of them belonging to nine schools in the North of Spain. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis adjustment indexes showed that the model fitted well to the data: S-Bχ2 (206) = 756.67, p < .001; *CFI = .96; *IFI = .96, *RMSEA (90% CI) = .040 (0.037-0.043); SRMR = .03. The results supported a three-factor structure: recognition (eight items), control and regulation (seven items) y empathy (seven items). Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were tested and the results showed evidences for construct, convergent (recognition AVE = .55, IFC =.84; α = .90; control and regulation AVE = .51, IFC =.79; α = .88; empathy AVE = .51, IFC =.79; α = .88), discriminant, and concurrent (emotional intelligence explained 24% of the variance of positive affectivity and 2% of negative) validity. Males scored higher than females in emotional recognition, F (1, 1687) = 5.20, p < .05, η2 = .01, and emotional control and regulation, F (1, 1687) = 32.60, p < .001, η2 = .02. Results are discussed and future research lines are suggested.