An empirical evaluation of emotional intelligence

This study explored the measurement of emotional intelligence (EI) using a comprehensive scale to tap the construct. Using a sample of 295 undergraduate business majors from a mid‐western university, an exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine the factor structure of the scale. Based on the factor loadings, the scale was reduced to 51 items with five factors emerging. Student demographics revealed that accounting majors rated lower on EI as compared to other majors. Results also indicated that higher EI scores were associated with membership in Greek organizations, and involvement in sports organizations. It was also found that international students rated lower on the EI measure as compared to domestic students. Finally, several of the factors within the scale were shown to have a relationship to both cumulative GPA and university‐specific GPA. Implications for these findings as they relate to management development are discussed.