Academic Placement; Assessing Emotional Intelligence as an Indicator for Academic Preparedness for Developmental English

Community colleges have grown from one public institution in 1901 to over 1,000 in
2017 and are open to individuals seeking enrollment in higher education. As a result of this growth over the decades, community colleges are tasked with balancing being an open access institution with assessing college preparedness of the students who enroll. Historically, community colleges rely on a single, standardized placement exam to assess entry into a college-level course. However, research has indicated using one standardized placement exam is not a valid predictor of successful course completion and students are being over- and underplaced in developmental education. Noncognitive tests, such as emotional intelligence, are being introduced to compliment the assessment process to accurately determine college preparedness and as a valid predictor of course completion.
This correlational method research study examined the COMPASS Reading scores, trait
emotional intelligence, and course completion outcomes for students enrolled in a
developmental English course in reading at Joliet Junior College to determine if a relationship of statistical significance existed among these variables. Students who were enrolled in the ENG 021, College Reading II, course in the spring 2016 semester were given the opportunity to participate in the study.
Findings from the data indicate a positive, statistically significant relationship exists
between students’ trait emotional intelligence and their ability to complete a developmental English course in reading. COMPASS Reading scores were proven to not be a valid predictor for course completion based on a weak correlation with their ability to complete a developmental English course in reading which was not statistically significant.