Title: Dynamics Of Emotional Intelligence And Students' Academic Performance: A Study Of Selected Universities In South South, Nigeria.
Authors: OGBETA-OGWU MERCY ESE (Ph.D)
Volume: 9
Issue: 5
Pages: 28-43
Publication Date: 2025/05/28
Abstract:
This study examined emotional intelligence and students' academic performance in selected universities in South South, Nigeria. This study specifically sought to explore the nature of relationship between empathy and students' relationship of shared responsibility/enthusiasm in Nigerian universities and to examine the nature of relationship between emotional support and academic motivation in Nigerian universities. Data for the study were collected from a sample of 383 undergraduate and final year students in the focused Nigerian universities. A structured questionnaire was developed and data were analyzed using correlation and regression analysis which was used to determine the explaining power of emotional intelligence over students' academic performance. Among others, it was found that empathy has weak and statistically negative significance in relation to students' academic performance with Adj. r2 value = -.001, Beta = .038, p-value >0.05 (.393); and it was also reported that there is a significant and positive difference between emotional support and academic motivation. (Adj. R2 = .012 or 12%, Beta = 12%, p < .019). The results indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence and students' academic performance. Therefore, on the basis of the results obtained, this study concludes that emotional intelligence of students is positively attuned with students' academic performance though the strength of the relationship between the study variables and emotional intelligence seemed to be a weak one. The study thus recommends amongst others that since emotional intelligence is a master aptitude, a capacity that profoundly affects all other abilities, empathy should be the mantra for all lecturers and students. And that Nigerian universities should focus on aspects of emotional support from friends, lecturers, social networks, family and others as revealed in the study to develop highly emotionally intelligent students to help them thrive academically and improve learning and to enable them correct the grave imperfections in the university system.