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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Emotional intelligence advocates suggest that strict focus on academics and standardized testing in schools leave children lacking in ‘emotional intelligence.’ Emotional intelligence involves both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that may be crucial to develop during the school years for success in adult work and relationships. However, research on emotional intelligence has been diverse since the concept is hard to define, and few investigations have been conducted on children or adolescents to discover the variables that contribute to emotional intelligence. This research will examine the relationship between Emotional Intelligence, religiosity, family cohesion and identity during the adolescent years. It is expected that parochial high school students with a higher TEI will have higher religious participation. Parochial high school students who report they are in control of their own religious participation levels (rather than their parents or other family members) will show stronger relationships between high TEI and religious participation. It is also predicted that participants with higher TEI will be more likely to show thoughtful decision-making styles about their careers and beliefs on an identity style measure. Last, TEI will not show increases with age, but rather with global supportive family environment as measured by teens’ perceptions of family interaction / cohesion. STATEMENT OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Four paper-and-pencil questionnaires will be used to examine the variables of interest. The Religious Involvement Questionnaire (RIQ) (Deka, 2008) consists of 20 statements that are rated on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 5 (always) pertaining to Church Attendance (4 items), Religious Practices within the Home (9 items), and Practices outside of the Home (7 items). Secondly, this questionnaire asks participants to indicate which religious items are found in their households using a checklist. The RIQ is moderately reliable (á = .57 to .84) and takes five minutes to complete. The Trait Emotional Intelligence – Adolescent Short Form (TEIQue-ASF) (Petrides, 2009), consists of 30 items, measuring global Trait Emotional Intelligence. The measure has good reliability (á=.84) (Petrides et al., 2006). The Biographical Questionnaire consists of 12 items pertaining to age, gender, grades, and living situation. Participants are asked to identify who is in charge of religion in their homes and how much the students feel in control of their own religion. The Identity Style Inventory (ISI) (Berszonsky, 1992) asks individuals to rate statements pertaining to three “identity styles” on a 5-point likert scale. A total of 29 items focus on occupational, religious, and political domains. Individuals are given scores on three styles (diffuse, normative, and informative-oriented) that represent ways of thinking about identity. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) (Olson, 1986) is 20 item questionnaire designed to measure two main dimensions of family functioning: cohesion and adaptability. It assesses perceived and ideal family functioning. FACES reveals that the higher the cohesion score, the more enmeshed the family is said to be while the higher the adaptability score, the more chaotic it is. The measure has moderately good reliability (á=.68). First, all questionnaires and procedures will be approved by the Missouri Western State University’s Committee on the Use of Human Subjects. Next, the investigator will visit the classrooms to give a description of the research and a letter of consent for parents and students, which both must sign the consent form in order to participate. At a later date, the investigator will return and distribute the questionnaires to those students who returned the consent forms. If the students are to complete the questionnaires in class, the estimated time of completion is 30 minutes. Students not participating will be asked to work quietly. If the questionnaires are not to be completed in class, the investigator will return to collect consent forms and give usernames and passwords to complete the questionnaires online through Class Climate. The questionnaires will be anonymous. A confidentially statement is included on the consent form and the confidentially of the students is of the utmost importance. ANTICIPATED RISKS AND BENEFITS There are no anticipated risks involved in this research. Students are informed that they do not have to answer any questions they feel uncomfortable with, and can withdraw participation at any time without negative consequences. Students who do not wish to participate will be asked to engage in a quiet activity. SUBJECT SELECTION The sample will be 100 students each from 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades from two parochial schools within the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph. All students who participate in the research will be entered in a drawing for prizes after the questionnaires are completed. CONFIDENTIALITY First, a confidentially statement is included on the consent form. The students will be asked to not put names on the questionnaires. If a student should do so, the investigator will remove it. The students will be informed that the questionnaires will be anonymous and it is of the utmost importance to the researcher. All questionnaires will be kept in a locked file cabinet and data will be kept off of computers accessible by non-investigators. PRIMARY SUPPORTING DOCUMENT Click for Word Document Amendment on 04-16-2012 I would like to administer this set of questionnaires to college students, ages 18 to 22, with the addition of the Religious Orientation Questionnaire (Allport, 1961). Extension Request on 04-16-2012 I would like to administer surveys to college students in Spring 2012 Extension Request on 04-16-2012 Extension Request on 04-16-2012 Extension Request on 04-08-2013 I am currently collecting data with college students until the end of Spring 2013 semester.