The role of trait emotional intelligence and social and emotional skills in students’ emotional and behavioural strengths and difficulties : a study of Greek adolescents’ perceptions.

摘要

The emergence of the Trait Emotional Intelligence construct shifted the interest inudpersonality research to the investigation of the effect of global personality characteristicsudon behaviour. A second body of research in applied settings, the Social and EmotionaludLearning movement, emphasized the cultivation of emotional and social skills forudpositive relationships in a school environment. In this paper we investigate the role ofudboth personality traits and social and emotional skills, in the occurrence of emotional andudbehavioural strengths and difficulties, according to adolescent students’ self-perceptions.udFive hundred and fifty-nine students from state secondary schools in Greece, aged 12-14udyears old, completed The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Adolescent ShortudForm, The Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters, and The Strengths andudDifficulties Questionnaire. It was found that students with higher Trait EmotionaludIntelligence and stronger social and emotional skills were less likely to presentudemotional, conduct, hyperactivity and peer difficulties and more likely to presentudprosocial behaviour. Gender was a significant factor for emotional difficulties and gradeudfor peer difficulties. The paper describes the underlying mechanisms of students’udemotional and behavioural strengths and difficulties, and provides practical implicationsudfor educators to improve the quality of students’ lives in schools.