The Relationship among Critical Thinking, Emotional Intelligence, and Speaking Abilities of Iranian EFL Learners

The present study investigated the relationship among critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and speaking abilities of Iranian EFL learners. To this end, one hundred Iranian EFL learners filled out the Bar-On (1980) emotional intelligence questionnaire, took the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) form B, and sat an interview. The results of the multiple correlation analyses revealed a) emotional intelligence, followed by critical thinking, correlated significantly highly with speaking abilities, b) all components of emotional intelligence correlated significantly highly with speaking abilities, c) there was a significant positive relationship between critical thinking and emotional intelligence. The results of multiple regression analyses revealed that emotional intelligence was a stronger predictor of speaking abilities with critical thinking standing at the second place.