Emotional intelligence, study habits and attitudes, demographic variables, and academic performance among college freshmen residential students : a comparative correlational study

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ), study habits and attitudes, selected demographic variables (gender, birth order, parents' education, parents' income, parents' occupation, student classifications by enrollment and work status), and the academic performance of freshmen residential students in three Adventist tertiary institutions in the Philippines during the school year 2005-2006. The participants were 587 freshmen residential students. They answered the Emotional IntelligenceInventory-Short Version (EQi:S™), the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA), and a survey of demographic information. Academic performance as measured by their GPA was obtained from the three respective colleges. There were significant differences in mean among EQ, SSHA and academic performance by demographic variables. Specifically, 1. Differences in EQ existed in relation to the following demographic variables: gender, birth order, parents' education, parents' income, father's occupation, student enrollment status, and student work status. 2. Differences in SSHA existed in relation to the following demographic variables: mother's education and parents' income. 3. Differences in academic performance existed in relation to the following demographic variables: gender and parents' income. The study showed significant correlations between all EQ and SSHA subscales. It also found significant correlations between three EQ subscales (adaptability. general mood, and total EQ) and academic performance. All subscales of SSHA were significantly correlated with academic performance. The best predictive model for academic performance explained 13% of the total variance. These predictors are the following: Education Acceptance (0 = .21) subscale of the SSHA; Adaptability (0 = .15) subscale of the EQ; and four demographic variables: gender (0 = -.15), governmentrelated father's occupation (0 = -.10), student classification Il-Work Status (0 = .13), and parents' income (0 = .09). Gender and government-related fathers' occupation were negative predictors for academic performance which implies that female students with non government-related father's occupation were predicted to have higher achievement than those with government-related father's occupation.