A Cross-Cultural Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of an Emotional Intelligence Scale in the Academia of Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose: This study tested the emotional intelligence (EI) scale's psychometric properties, adapted for undergraduate students in Pakistan. This scale comprised of five dimensions: (i) self-awareness, (ii) self-regulation, (iii) motivation, (iv) empathy, and (v) social skills. Methods: The scale was used to collect the data from 305 undergraduate students of social sciences, physical sciences, and business studies in Pakistani universities. SmartPLS 3.2.2 was used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The items, having loading values than standard, were eliminated. The reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the scale were tested by performing appropriate statistical tests. Cronbach’s alpha, roh_A, and composite reliability analysis were performed to test the reliability and
internal consistency. As the adapted scale comprised reflective and formative measures, both types of measures were tested accordingly. The convergent and discriminant validity of the reflective measures was tested through average variance extracted (AVE) and heterotrait-monotrait (HTMT) analysis. Simultaneously, redundancy (r) analysis, VIF (for collinearity), indicator weights, and statistical significance were applied to test the formative measures' validity and reliability. Results and conclusion: The analysis results indicated all reflective and formative measures were reliable and valid; therefore, suitable for measuring the emotional intelligence of undergraduate students in Pakistan.