The buffering effect of emotional intelligence on the adjustment of secondary school students in transition

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and adjustment of students transitioning from primary school to secondary school. Method: The study is a descriptive survey research in which emotional intelligence stands as the independent variable and adjustment as the dependent variable. Two validated instrument measuring emotional intelligence and adjustment respectively were used to collect data from the participants. Results: Results show that there was a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and adjustment. It was also found that the strengths of emotional intelligence, defined in terms of high, moderate and low, significantly impacted the adjustment of students in transition. Discussion: The outcome of this study has strengthened the need to mount an emotional-intelligence based counselling intervention programme to mitigate the transition trauma of pupils moving from primary to secondary school. Such intervention should be targeted at problematic areas of transition such as academic and social adjustment, organisational issues, pupil perception, school phobia and other transition traumas.