The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and the Academic Performance among Final Year under Graduates

Abstract

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been a popular topic of debate in the field of education in general and management in particular. It is considered as a successful predictor of academic success/performance/achie vement. Researchers have claimed that EI predicts success at schools, and colleges/ universities. However, little empirical research has been conducted to test this assertion. In this study of survey research, the relationship of EI as measured by S.K. Mangal and Shubra Mangal's EI Inventory (MEII) and academic performance were examined in a sample of final year under graduate students (N=300). EI in its four specified domains namely Intrapersonal Awareness, Interpersonal Awareness, Intrapersonal Management and Interpersonal Management separately as well as totally was found to be positively associated with academic performance of the selected respondents. Also the total EI score showed a percentage of 7.5 per cent of the sample being emotionally intelligent. The significant 'f' value has evidently showed that EI could predict academic performance of college students. The findings provide a further need on how to improve upon the academics of students. Also, the study has shown that emotional well-being could be emphasized on academic success. Implications and recommendations for developing EI among students are discussed.