Abstract:
This study focused on assessment of emotional intelligence and its relationship with students’ achievement in mathematics in Enugu Education zone, Enugu, Nigeria. The main purpose was to find the influence of emotional intelligence on students’ achievement in mathematics, as well as when moderated by gender. Four research questions and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a correlational design. The population of the study was 4825 (2813 male and 2012 female) SS2 students from 25 government secondary schools in Enugu Education zone. The sample for the study was 483 SS2 mathematics students comprising of 282 males and 201 females from six senior secondary schools in the study area. Multistage sampling consisting of simple random and stratified sampling techniques were used for selection of the schools for the study. Youth version of emotional quotient inventory (EQ-i2.0) and a mathematics achievement test (MAT) were used for data collection. Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis using multiple linear regression to answer the research questions, and test null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between emotional intelligence and students’ achievement in mathematics. A significant positive relationship also exists between each predictor variable and students’ achievement in mathematics. The results also revealed that gender does not significantly moderate on students’ achievement in mathematics due to emotional intelligence. Fourthly, the results also showed that the regression model for predicting student’s achievement by their emotional intelligence was significant. In the study, stress management dimension of emotional intelligence with a coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.66 (66%) best predicted students’ achievement in mathematics. It was concluded that emotional intelligence influences students’ achievement in mathematics, and female students achieved relatively better than male students. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that government should organize workshops and seminars for in-service teachers and teacher trainees to enable them understand the concept of emotional intelligence in order to develop their own emotional intelligence and that of their students. Also, planning and teaching of mathematics should encourage gender equality and encourage the use of techniques that cater for the emotional needs of both males and females alike. Finally, teachers should be gender sensitive to encourage both male and female students alike in developing their emotional intelligence in order to improve their achievement in mathematics.
