On the Association(s) between Test Anxiety and Emotional Intelligence, Considering Demographic Information; A Case of Iranian EFL University Students

The present study tried to investigate the association(s) between Emotional Intelligence (EQ, also EI) and Test Anxiety among Iranian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) university students. To this aim, 100 EFL students were asked to complete the "Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire" and the "Test Anxiety Scale". The data were analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis. The findings of correlation analysis indicated that there is a moderate negative correlation between the students' test anxiety and their EQ. The results of regression analysis reveal that Stress Tolerance (one of the subscales of EQ) is a good predictor of learners' Test Anxiety. Furthermore, gender and age did not moderate the association between Test Anxiety and EI. The findings help understand the relationship between students’ emotional intelligence and their test anxiety.