Study of emotional skills in a sample of students and workers

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the levels of emotional intelligence (EI) and emotional competencies according to gender in a sample comprising working adults and of undergraduate college students and to analyze gender divergence from the distinct angles of EI and emotional competencies. Design/methodology: T-test analysis is applied to determine the differences between scores for men and women in each of the sub-samples. Self-report instruments were administered to determine the levels of EI and emotional competencies in a sample of 102 working adults from different companies in Latin America, and 378 college undergraduate students from San Francisco de Quito University in Ecuador. The evaluation of EI was measured using the short version of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue-SF) in Spanish, as developed by Pérez (2003) and the evaluation of selfregulation competencies was measured using Measurement of Affective Regulation Styles – MARS (Páez et al., 2014). Findings: First, detailed analysis of the variables for the working adult’s sample showed that the highest score belongs to the total measurement of affective regulation styles (MARS) scale. Second, in connection with the different facets of TEIQue-SF, the highest was emotionality (43.245), while the lower score was related to adaptability (11.362). Analysis of the working adult’s sample by gender showed no compelling discrepancy between males and females in terms of emotional competencies and EI. However, it is worth noting that men showed slightly higher scores for adaptability than women. Results for the students’ sample showed that the self-control appears to be higher in men than in women, suggesting that men show a model of greater emotional control than women who participated in the study. This finding contrasts with the competencies and skills evaluated with the MARS instrument, which reported women achieving higher scores than men. Originality/value: This study contributes to research on EI traits and EI competencies as well as attempting to close a gap in the literature regarding this topic from a gender perspective. The analysis sheds additional light on the topic by addressing the differences in EI traits and competencies between male and female working adults and university students. Finally, this study contributes to the research on the impact of EI in the workplace and in academic environments