Abstract:
This study sought to determine whether emotional intelligence serves as a correlate of in-school adolescents’ self-esteem and academic adjustment. This desire was also motivated by the need to determine the gender differences in the relation between among emotional intelligence, academic adjustment and self-esteem of in-school adolescents in Enugu State. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. The design of the study was correlational research design. A total of 600 (249 males and 351 females) senior secondary class one students proportionately drawn from public senior secondary schools in Enugu State made up the sample for the study. Three instruments namely: - In-school Adolescents’ Emotional Intelligence Scale (IAEIS), Self-Esteem Rating Scale (SERS) and Academic Adjustment Rating Scale (AARS) were developed, validated and used for the study. The internal consistency reliability of the instruments were calculated using Cronbach Alpha procedure and reliability estimates of .80, .83, and .70 were gotten for IAEIS, SERS and AARS respectively. Data obtained through the administration of the three were and analyzed using Pearson’s r, R2 (coefficient of determination) to answer the four research questions while ANOVA and multiple regression were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 levels of significance which revealed the following findings: Emotional intelligence is a significant predictor of academic adjustment of in-school adolescents. Emotional intelligence of in-school adolescents had twenty-nine percent contributions in predicting their academic adjustment; emotional intelligence is a significant predictor of in-school adolescents’ self-esteem. Emotional intelligence had forty-five percent contribution in predicting the in-school adolescents’ self-esteem; significant gender differences do not exist in the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic adjustment of in-school adolescents. Gender of in-school adolescents had five percent contribution in predicting the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic adjustment of in-school adolescents; No Significant gender differences exist in the relationship between emotional intelligence and self- esteem of in-school adolescents. Gender of in-school adolescents had seven percent contribution in predicting the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-esteem of in-school adolescents. A major educational implication of the findings was that the in-school adolescents could be educated on the importance of emotional intelligence as the predictor of academic adjustment and self-esteem. It was thus recommended that emphasis should be given to educating adolescents on the importance of emotional intelligence as the predictor of academic adjustment and self-esteem and that the conflicting signals from the societal system that are causing confusion of interpretation for young persons should be checked
