Association of demographic characteristics, emotional intelligence and academic self-efficacy among undergraduate students

Objective: To investigate the association of emotional intelligence with academic self-efficacy and gender difference among undergraduate students. Method: The survey-based study was conducted at the Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Karachi, Karachi, from January 2016 to October 2017, and comprised undergraduate students of either gender aged 16-25 years from different academic institutions. Data was collected using a demographic form, Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale and the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale. Data scrutiny and scoring was done according to the relevant manuals, and analysis was done using SPSS 17. Results: Of the 400 subjects, 206(51.5%) were females and 194(48.5%) were males. The overall mean age was 21.28 +/- 2.12 years. Emotion perception, emotion utilisation, manage emotion with self and with others were significant predictors of academic self-efficacy (p<0.05 each). Gender difference was significant on all variables (p<0.05). Conclusion: Emotional intelligence was found to play a significant role in promoting academic self-efficacy among undergraduate students.