ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF HIGH AND LOW ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to study academic self-concept and emotional intelligence among high and low academic achiever university students. The widely used and highly reliable Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (Bar-On, 1995), with a reliability score of 0.95, was applied to measure emotional intelligence; while the Academic Self-Concept Scale (Liu & Wang, 2005) with a reliability score of 0.82 was used to determine the academic self-concept of university students. The study was carried out in three phases, Pre-test, to try out the instruments on the sample, Pilot and Main Study. After determining the ease of comprehension of items of both measures being used, in the pre-test phase, the pilot was conducted to determine the reliabilities and address the proposed research design on the sample. Next, the Main study with a total sample of university students (N=222), categorized as high academic achievers (n=129) and low academic achievers (n=93) on basis of their grades of the previous semester, was carried out. The results of the study revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between academic self-concept and emotional intelligence, across all sample groups. Also, the findings suggest that high academic achievers tend to have a higher academic self-concept as well as greater emotional intelligence as compared to low academic achievers. Moreover, significant mean score differences on the scale measuring emotional intelligence, were observed among low academic achievers across gender, with girls exhibiting greater emotional intelligence as compared to boys. Different demographic variables were also explored, including study domains, levels of education, place of residence, birth order and parental education. The results of this study provided evidence for a relationship between academic self-concept and emotional intelligence as relevant with academic achievement in the Pakistani context. Moreover, it directs individuals involved in the field of education to look into such concepts as emotional intelligence and make them a part of regular learning within formal educational settings. Also, teachers and parents are advised to develop a healthy and positive self-concept of students from an early age, for them to be academically successful and accomplish more in later life.