Abstract:

This study aimed to compare level of emotional intelligence and communication skills of gifted and talented students with non-gifted students. In this study, predictive relationship between emotional intelligence and communication skills and to what extend this relationship differs by gender and being gifted was examined. Participants were conveniently sampled from two separate Science and Art Centers (n = 181) and two separate middle schools (n = 110). The Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale and Communication Skills Inventory were used to collect data. The study resulted in no statistically significant difference between gifted and non-gifted students in terms of their communication skills; however, gifted students’ level of emotional intelligence was statistically significantly higher than their non-gifted peers. Moreover, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between the students’ emotional intelligence and communication skills. Regression analysis also resulted that students’ both emotional intelligence and communication skills can be predicted by their giftedness while students’ gender can only predict their communication skills. It can be inferred from the results that emotional intelligence and communication skills were interrelated and contributed to explain cognitive intelligence.

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