The Mediator Role of Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship between Gross and Fine Motor Skill with Academic Achievement in Children

The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between fine and gross motor skills and academic achievement in 7 -year-old children. The relationship between fine and gross motor skills and academic achievement mediated by emotional intelligence was also tested in a mediating model. Participants of the study included 200 children (100 girls and 100 boys) aged 7 years' old who were selected as available study sample from children in Tehran Province, Iran. Fine and gross motor skills were evaluated using the Bruininks-Oseretsky-2 Test; emotional intelligence was assessed using the Schutte Self-Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT), and academic achievement was measured by the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test II (WIAT II). Results showed that, fine and gross motor skills, emotional intelligence, and academic achievement were positively correlated with each other. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis showed that, fine and gross motor skills had a positive effect on academic achievement through an indirect path via emotional intelligence. These results highlight critical importance of emphasis on fine and gross motor skills for academic achievement in the children studying in the elementary school.