EFFECT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) is receiving increasing recognition as one of the most important factors contributing to students’ outcomes. The present study explored the effect of emotional intelligence on students’ motivation and academic performance at the university level in Pakistan. Adopting a quantitative research design, data were collected from 300 undergraduate and graduate students selected from three (03) public universities of District Faisalabad through stratified random sampling. We applied a structured questionnaire, using previously validated scales with a five-point Likert response format to measure emotional intelligence, student motivation, and academic performance. Reliability was acceptable (Cronbach's α = 0.80), and content validity was derived from expert review. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and independent-samples t-tests. The results showed that students had relatively higher levels of emotional intelligence, especially in reading others' emotions, self-control, and self-motivation. Emotional intelligence has a strong positive correlation with student motivation (r = 0.51, p < 0.05) and emotional intelligence, consequently, academic performance (r = 0.49, p < 0.05). It is also noted that there was no significant difference in emotional intelligence scores between high and low achievers, indicating that EI tends to have a fairly constant influence on performance regardless of overall achievement level. Conclusion of research on emotional pudency. This study recommended integrating emotional intelligence training in university education to improve student motivation, academic performance, and well-being.