Emotional Intelligence and Nurse Recruitment: Rasch and confirmatory factor analysis of the trait emotional intelligence questionnaire short form.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the construct validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form.


BACKGROUND
Emotional intelligence involves the identification and regulation of our own emotions and the emotions of others. It is therefore a potentially useful construct in the investigation of recruitment and retention in nursing and many questionnaires have been constructed to measure it.


METHODS
Secondary analysis of existing dataset of responses to Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form using concurrent application of Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.


METHODS
First year undergraduate nursing and computing students completed Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form in September 2013. Responses were analysed by synthesising results of Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.


RESULTS
Participants (N = 938) completed Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form. Rasch analysis showed the majority of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form items made a unique contribution to the latent trait of emotional intelligence. Five items did not fit the model and differential item functioning (gender) accounted for this misfit. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure consisting of: self-confidence, empathy, uncertainty and social connection. All five misfitting items from the Rasch analysis belonged to the 'social connection' factor.


CONCLUSIONS
The concurrent use of Rasch and factor analysis allowed for novel interpretation of Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form. Much of the response variation in Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form can be accounted for by the social connection factor. Implications for practice are discussed.
Edinburgh Napier University, UK.
Austyn
A
Snowden
University of Hull, UK.|University of Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Roger
R
Watson
University of Edinburgh, UK.
Rosie
R
Stenhouse
University of Leeds, UK.|Institute for Innovation in Professional Practice in the School of Healthcare, Leeds, UK.
Claire
C
Hale
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009721:Nurse Midwives / Q000523:psychology*; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010560:Personnel Selection; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D012606:Scotland; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
TEIQue-SF; emotional intelligence; factor analysis; gender; nursing; rasch analysis; recruitment; retention; trait emotional intelligence questionnaire short form