| Author: | Ko, Suk Lan Flora |
| Title: | Validation of an instrument for measuring the emotional intelligence of adolescent in Hong Kong |
| Degree: | DHSc |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Subject: | Emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence tests. Youth -- China -- Hong Kong. Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Faculty of Health and Social Sciences |
| Pages: | xi, 89 leaves : illustrations ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Background: The Schutte Self-report Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSEIS) is one of the first self-report measures of emotional intelligence (Schutte et al., 1998). Its design is based on the theoretical framework of Salovey and Mayer (1990) and it has been widely used in emotional intelligence research. A few exploratory studies of the Scale exist in the literature (Schutte et al., 1998), showing inconsistencies in reports of the factor structure and a lack of reliability data. The lack of a standardized instrument in Chinese becomes an impediment to the study of emotional intelligence of the young people in Hong Kong. The aim of this research was to conduct a validation study of a Chinese translated version of the SSEIS (C-SSEIS) for the adolescents of Hong Kong. Methods: A convenient sample of 1940 students studying Form 1 to Form 7 was recruited from eight secondary schools of Hong Kong between March 2011 and June 2011 for the study. All the students completed the Chinese version of the C-SSEIS, Interpersonal Reactivity Index (C-IRI), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales- 21 (C-DASS-21) and a Facial Expression Identification Test (FEIT). A re-test using the C-SSEIS was also done at four weeks after the first trial. Analyses of the C-SSEIS data were conducted to explore the factor structure, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the C-SSEIS. To evaluate the convergent validity of the C-SSEIS, the C-SSEIS scores were correlated with those of the C-DASS-21, the C- IRI, and the results of the FEIT. Results: Among the 1940 students recruited, complete sets of data collected from 1550 students were analyzed. They included 931 (60.06%) female and 619 (39.94%) male students. The age of the students ranged from 12 to 19 years (M = 14.77; SD = 1.70). Results of the factor analysis identified a stable four-factor model for the C-SSEIS, comprising the factors of Appraisal of Emotion (辨識情緒), Facilitation of Thought (促進思考), Regulation of Emotion (調節情緒) and Facilitation of Relationship (促進人際關係). The overall internal consistency of the C-SSEIS was good (Cronbach's α = .67), with the Cronbach's alpha of the four factors varied from .62 to .72. The C-SSEIS also demonstrated very good test-retest reliability, with Intra Class Correlations of the four factors ranging from 0.75 to 0.84. In the study of convergent validity, the results showed that all the correlations between C-SSEIS factors and the C-DASS-21 subscales were negative, although not all were significant. The factor of Regulation of Emotion had significant and the highest correlations with the total and all the three subscales of the C-DASS-21, and the Depression subscale of C-DASS-21 had significant correlations with all four C-SSE1S factors. For the convergent validity of the C-SSE1S with empathy, all the correlations between the C-IRI scores and C-SSEIS scores were positive and significant. However, no significant correlation was identified between the FEIT scores and the C-SSEIS. There was no significant difference in emotional intelligence among age groups, but there was significant gender difference (Wilk's λ = 18.35, p < .001), though the effect size was small. The study results indicated that females had higher emotional intelligence than males as a whole. Moreover, with the data from the study, normative values of the C-SSEIS were calculated for the Hong Kong Chinese adolescents of the age range of 12 to 19. Conclusion: The results of this validation study suggested a four-factor model of the C-SSEIS and supported that it was a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the emotional intelligence of Chinese adolescents. Availability of this C-SSEIS offered a practical instrument for clinicians in health care service to conduct quick EI screening to provide information for clinical management. The significant negative relationship between EI and negative emotional states identified in this study also furnished a valid theoretical rationale for the provision of EI training as a primary or adjunct clinical intervention to the treatment of emotional disorders. The C-SSEIS normative values from a large sample in this study can provide reference for the screening of emotional intelligence of adolescents in Hong Kong. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| b27604925.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 4.56 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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