Relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Cybervictimization, and Academic Performance in Secondary School Students

Abstract

The benefits attributed to emotional intelligence (EI) in a school environment can be observed in areas such as interpersonal relationships, psychological well-being, academic performance, and avoidance of disruptive behaviors. The objective of this study was to analyze a sample of 3451 adolescents from a secondary school to test whether EI is a protector against cybervictimization and the repercussions of cybervictimization, and whether EI has an influence on academic performance. The instruments used in the study included a questionnaire of risk factors for cybervictimization—the Trait Meta Mood Scale 24 (Spanish version)—and the global marks or academic performance of the students. The relationships between the variables were analyzed and a structural equation model was developed. The correlations revealed that there was a positive relationship between EI and student academic performance, but there was also a negative relationship regarding cybervictimization. In other words, students with lower EI were more likely to suffer from cybervictimization and could experience negative repercussions on school success. Through EI training and addressing disruptive behaviors by focusing on school climate, classroom management, and discipline, we can create emotional regulation guidelines among students to eradicate disruptive behaviors.

Risks in Adolescent Adjustment by Internet Exposure: Evidence From PISA

“…These results are in line with proposals that there is a strong relationship between bullying and achievement and commitment to study (Gardella et al, 2017;Zhao and Yu, 2020;Yu and Zhao, 2021). At this point, it is worth recalling the need for training on emotional intelligence to mediate these effects (Martínez-Martínez et al, 2020;Cañas et al, 2020a).…”

“…At this point, it is necessary to highlight the mediating role of emotional intelligence between academic performance and bullying (Martínez-Martínez et al, 2020). In a study conducted by these authors, students suffering cyberbullying showed low emotional intelligence but did not always show low academic performance.…”

The Role of Emotional Intelligence, the Teacher-Student Relationship, and Flourishing on Academic Performance in Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Study

“…Research literature suggests that emotionally intelligent people report better psychological adjustment (e.g., self-esteem, happiness, optimism, social support, and less depression; Lopez-Zafra et al, 2019;Tejada-Gallardo et al, 2020) as well as higher levels of life satisfaction, well-being, and flourishing (Sánchez-Álvarez et al, 2016;Callea et al, 2019;Lopez-Zafra et al, 2019;Salavera et al, 2020). In educational context, previous findings suggest that developing emotional competences may be a useful resource to increase the levels of flourishing and improve psychological adjustment and interpersonal relationships in adolescent population (Rey et al, 2019;Trigueros et al, 2019;Martínez-Martínez et al, 2020). Furthermore, evidence shows that emotional intelligence is moderately associated with students' academic performance (MacCann et al, 2020;Sánchez-Álvarez et al, 2020).…”

Relationship between Cyberbullying, Motivation and Learning Strategies, Academic Performance, and the Ability to Adapt to University

“…Regarding the relationship between cyberbullying and academic performance, the literature review shows inconclusive results. While most studies have concluded that there is a negative association between cyberbullying and academic performance [33][34][35], others note that the relationship is not significant and that the impact of traditional social-type bullying on academic performance is greater [36]. Thus, the study developed by [33], with 3451 Spanish students aged 12 to 19 years, concluded that young people with lower emotional intelligence were more likely to suffer cyberbullying and could experience negative repercussions on their school success with poor academic performance.…”

“…While most studies have concluded that there is a negative association between cyberbullying and academic performance [33][34][35], others note that the relationship is not significant and that the impact of traditional social-type bullying on academic performance is greater [36]. Thus, the study developed by [33], with 3451 Spanish students aged 12 to 19 years, concluded that young people with lower emotional intelligence were more likely to suffer cyberbullying and could experience negative repercussions on their school success with poor academic performance. Okumu et al [34], with a representative sample of U.S. university students, concluded that cyberbullying is associated with poor academic performance.…”