Trait Emotional Intelligence and English Language Achievement Among University EFL Learners: A Global and Dimensional Analysis

Trait emotional intelligence (EI) has been consistently associated with academic achievement, yet most empirical work has used global EI scores rather than examining how its four dimensions (well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability) contribute differentially. The present study addresses this gap through a dimensional analysis of trait EI as a correlate of English language achievement in a sample of 666 Saudi undergraduate students. Participants completed the Short Form of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue-SF), and their final English course grades served as the measure of language achievement. Global trait EI correlated positively with achievement (r = 0.32), and the four dimensions jointly accounted for 16.6% of the variance, more than the 10.5% accounted for by the global score alone. Emotionality showed the strongest unique association with achievement (β = 0.35), followed by self-control (β = 0.13), while the well-being coefficient was negative in the unadjusted dimensional model (β = −0.14). After adjustment for gender, age, and academic major, emotionality and self-control remained the only significant EI dimension-level correlates of grade. Overall, the findings support reporting trait EI at both global and dimensional levels, with the strongest interpretation placed on emotionality and self-control.