The score difference of emotional intelligence among engineering students at different levels of academic year

Abstract

The number of students from the under-graduate level who have successfully completed their studies is on the increase every year. In the selection process for the best employee-candidate, employers have to take into consideration several factors other than academic excellence, including values that depict EQ or emotional intelligence. This study focuses on looking at the EQ achievement among the under-graduate students at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The EQ scores were measured using the MEQI Test (Malaysian EQ Inventory). The study began by monitoring EQ achievements of a group of students at three consecutive years: Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 in the faculty. The study is expanded by measuring the EQ of all faculty students at the stage of Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, also right after they had completed their studies of four years. Results have shown that, from the three-year data from 2010 to 2012, the overall EQ scores have recorded a marked increase.