Part I: Getting Started with the EQ-i 2.0

Introduction

Who Can Participate

The EQ-i 2.0 may be administered in any setting, such as corporate, academic, medical, psychiatric, and research settings or to anyone who is willing to complete the inventory honestly, who meets the following age and reading level criteria, and who is not severely cognitively or emotionally impaired.

Readability

The EQ‑i 2.0 was developed with the lowest reading level possible while ensuring that all relevant information was covered. The reading level scores are expressed as a grade score (e.g., a reading level score of 6 indicates that the items can be read by the average sixth-grade student). Reading levels for the EQ‑i 2.0 were determined using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula (Flesch, 1948; Kincaid, Fishburne, Rogers, & Chissom, 1975):

The resulting reading level of 3.6 suggests that the EQ‑i 2.0 requires approximately a third- to fourth-grade reading level for the items. Alternative methods, such as oral administration, may be needed for participants with very low reading skills.

Age Range

The EQ-i 2.0 is appropriate for individuals of both genders who are 18 years of age and older. This age range stems from research on the subject of EI and the composition of the normative sample. There is no upper limit regarding the age range. If the respondents are a few months younger than the recommended age guideline, the results will probably still be reasonably accurate. However, the greater the deviation from the minimum recommended age, the more potential for error.

Even though people with a third to fourth-grade reading level (9–10 years old) can comprehend the EQ-i 2.0, the inventory should not be administered to youths under the age of 18 without thorough consideration of maturity level.

Cultural Applicability

The EQ-i has been used with individuals of varying ethnic backgrounds in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Australasia. The EQ-i 2.0 normative sample includes various ethnicities in the United States and Canada (within 4% of Canadian and U.S. census figures [i.e., Statistics Canada, 2006; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2008]). In the norm sample of the EQ-i 2.0, there was no indication of cultural bias or adverse impact contingent on one’s race or ethnicity. Based on the success of the EQ-i within multiple cultures and the fact that the EQ-i 2.0 is not biased across racial/ethnic groups, the inference can be made that the EQ-i 2.0 has cross-cultural applicability and utility. Refer to Standardization, Reliability, and Validity for more information on differences between cultures or visit our Resource Center to find ethnographic research studies pertaining to the use of the EQ-i and EQ-i 2.0.