Emotional Intelligence and Academic Adjustment of Second-Year University Students in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The importance of emotional intelligence on academic outcomes cannot be overstated. Several studies have been conducted in the past to shed light on the associations that exist between EI and these outcomes. Making use of Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence model, the researchers investigated the relationship between the personal skills of EI and academic adjustment of second-year University students in Akwa Ibom State. The correlational design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of all the second year university students from two universities in Akwa Ibom state. A sample of 500 students was selected for the study using the Taro Yamane Sampling formula. The subjects were drawn using simple random sampling technique. The instruments for data collection were adopted standardized “National Health Service Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire” (NHSEIQ) and “Academic Adjustment Scale” (AAS). The instruments were used to obtain information with regards to both the dependent and independent variables. Three research questions and hypotheses were formulated and tested at .05 significance level using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis. The results indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and academic adjustment. Based on the results of the data analysis, a conclusion was drawn that emotional intelligence is a prerequisite for academic adjustment of second-year university students.