Creativity, emotional intelligence, and school performance in children

Previous studies have shown that both creativity and emotional intelligence (EI) were related to children school performance. In this study, we investigated the incremental validity of EI over creativity in an elementary school setting. Seventy-three children aged from 9 to 12 years old were recruited to participate in the study. Verbal and figural creativity were assessed using Torranceʹs test and EI with the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Child Form (TEIQue-CF). Results showed that children school performances were predicted by creativity. However EI had no influence on performance. These findings question the recent spread of EI training programs within elementary schools.