Abstract:
The study ascertained the relationship among emotional intelligence, self-efficacy belief and pupils’ reading skills acquisition in Ogoja Education Zone of Cross Rivers State. Six research questions and six null hypotheses guided the study. Correlational research design was adopted for the study using a sample of 300 primary five pupils out of a population of 1000 pupils. Three instruments namely: Pupils’ Emotional Intelligence Scale, Pupils’ Self-Efficacy Belief Questionnaire and Pupils’ Reading Skills Questionnaire were used for data collection. The instruments were face validated by three experts, one each from Childhood Education, Educational Psychology and Measurement and Evaluation, all from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The internal consistency reliability indices of the instruments were estimated to be 0.88, 0.72 and 0.77 respectively. Data collected were analyzed using correlation coefficient and coefficient of determination aspects of simple linear regression analysis to answer the research questions while analysis of variance and linear regression analysis was used to test hypotheses 1 and 2. Hypotheses 3, 4, 5 and 6 were tested using t-test of independent samples. The findings of the study revealed that: there is a positive relationship between pupils’ emotional intelligence and reading skills acquisition, there is low relationship between self-efficacy and reading skills acquisition. Also, gender and school location have moderate influence on pupils’ emotional intelligence and their reading skills acquisition. Finally, it was found that gender and school location had no significant influence on the relationship between pupils’ self-efficacy belief and their reading skills acquisition. Based on the findings of the study, several implications were highlighted and recommendations made among which is that pupils should be adequately motivated and guided in order to improve on their reading skills acquisition, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy belief.
