Musical Intelligence Predicting Emotional Intelligence among High-Achieving Female Early Childhood Education Students

This study examined the relationship between musical intelligence and emotional intelligence and the extent to which musical intelligence statistically predicted emotional intelligence among high-achieving female students in the Early Childhood Education Program at King Khalid University. A descriptive correlational design was employed with a purposive sample of 65 female students whose cumulative grade point average was at least 4.75 out of 5.00. Data were collected using a researcher-developed 22-item Musical Intelligence Scale with a three-point response format and an adapted 40-item version of Al-Alwan's (2011) Emotional Intelligence Scale with a five-point response format. Content validity was evaluated through expert review, with an agreement rate of 85% for each instrument. Reliability was assessed in an independent pilot sample of 30 female students. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were .83 and .79, and two-week test–retest correlations were .90 and .81 for the musical and emotional intelligence scales, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and simple linear regression. Results indicated a moderate level of musical intelligence (M = 2.29, SD = 0.433) and a high level of emotional intelligence (M = 3.93, SD = 0.468). Empathy ranked highest, followed by emotional knowledge, emotion regulation, and social communication. Musical intelligence was positively correlated with emotional intelligence, r(63) = .289, p = .020, and explained 8.3% of its variance (R² = .083), indicating a modest predictive contribution. These findings demonstrate an association between the two variables within the study sample without establishing causality. Further research using larger, more diverse samples and longitudinal or experimental designs is recommended to clarify this relationship and investigate the role of music-based learning experiences in early childhood teacher education.