Development and Validation of an Emotional Intelligence Test for Young Children

This study aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive, reliable, and valid assessment tool for measuring emotional intelligence in children aged 3-5 years. Through analysis of previous research and expert review, an assessment tool consisting of 41 items across five factors (emotional recognition, emotional regulation, emotional expression, emotional communication, and emotional resilience) was developed. The validity and reliability of the tool were verified with 360 children aged 3-5 years from early childhood education institutions in G city. Results showed that the developed assessment tool demonstrated satisfactory levels of construct validity, concurrent validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. The tool also revealed significant differences according to age, reflecting the developmental characteristics of emotional intelligence in young children. Notably, the emotional resilience factor showed high explanatory power, highlighting its importance in emotional development during early childhood. The assessment tool developed in this study is expected to contribute to accurately evaluating children's emotional intelligence and establishing educational support measures based on these evaluations.