Emotional intelligence and cultural quotient as predictors of pragmatic performance in EFL

The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of emotional intelligence (EI) and cultural quotient (CQ) on participants’ pragmatic competence (PC). A sample of 70 (N=70) graduate and postgraduate TEFL students, selected through convenient sampling, completed two questionnaires: (1) EI developed by Bar-On (1997), and (2) CQ developed by Ang et al. (2007). Each participant’s viva session was recorded and was then used to assess their pragmatic competence through a PC checklist. The study showed positive relationships between the participants’ EI and CQ and their PC. It was found that EI and CQ predict TEFL students’ PC. The adaptability and intrapersonal components of EI, and the cognitive and metacognitive components of CQ, were found to be the best predictors of PC. It was concluded that a high level of EI will guarantee foreign language learners’ excellence in learning and their efficient use of pragmatically-suitable forms in real situations.