Academic Relational Civility for positive and sustainable university environments: Personality traits or emotional intelligence?

The study presented in this chapter examined the role of trait emotional intelligence in relation to academic relational civility. In particular, the aim of this study was to analyze, in Italian university students, the relationships between trait emotional intelligence and academic relational civility, controlling for the effects of personality traits. One hundred and seventy three participants were administered the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ), the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form (TEIQue-SF), and the Academic Relational Civility Scale (ARCS). The ARCS is a self-report mirror measure with two specular sections (Part A-Me with others; Part B-Others with me) that evaluates the perception of academic relational civility. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that trait emotional intelligence explained a percentage of incremental variance beyond that accounted for by personality traits in relation to both Part A-Me with others and Part B-Others with me of ARCS. The results suggest that trait emotional intelligence represents a promising resource for promoting academic relational civility for a positive and sustainable university environment.