The Relationship between Reading Comprehension and Emotional Intelligence

The purpose of this paper is to find out whether an association exists between reading comprehension of EFL learners and their emotional intelligence (EI). Reading comprehension was measured based on grades acquired from Reading Comprehension courses 1-4. The Bar-on inventory was given to 46 students to complete in order to measure their emotional intelligence.Correlation was run between these grades and an r value of 0.081 at a level of significance of 0.591 indicating that an association does not exist between EI and reading scores. The study also wanted to find out whether there was a difference between the emotional intelligence of men and women. A correlation coefficient of -0.017 at a level of significance of 0.820 showed that a significant relationship does not exist between gender and EI. The results of this study can be used in reading classes in order to enhance comprehension.