An Analysis of Social Emotional Intelligence across Demographic Variables among University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55737/trt/v-iv.268Keywords:
Social Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Self-Management, Relationship Management, Responsible Decision-MakingAbstract
The present study was conducted to compare the Social Emotional Intelligence (SEI) of University students with respect to selected demographic variables. This study analyzed the impact of demographic factors—including gender, age, area of residence, living arrangement, academic discipline, and university—on five dimensions of Social Emotional Intelligence (SEI): Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Self-Management, Relationship Management, and Responsible Decision-Making. Utilizing a quantitative survey design, data were collected via a structured questionnaire divided into two sections; the first gathered demographic data, while the second evaluated SEI dimensions using a 5-point Likert scale. A convenience sample of 117 undergraduate students from two public universities in Southern Punjab, Pakistan, was employed. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), employing One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at a 0.05 significance level to explore differences in SEI dimensions across demographic variables. The study found that demographic factors influence various aspects of Social Emotional Intelligence (SEI). Self-Awareness was significantly affected by age, area, residence, and academic discipline. Social Awareness varied notably by gender, age, area, residence, and university, while Self-Management showed significant links to gender, residence, discipline, and university. Differences in Relationship Management and Responsible Decision-Making were also linked to demographic variables. Although these factors affected some SEI components, they did not fully explain students' social and emotional development.
References
Arshad, Q., & Perveen, A. (2022). Development of an indigenous scale of socio-emotional intelligence and evaluation of its psychometric properties. Pakistan Journal of Society, Education and Language, 8(2), 605–639. https://pjsel.jehanf.com/index.php/journal/article/view/1548
Ashraf, T., Khan, M. L., & Johar, A. A. (2026). Perceived emotional neglect, social emotional competence, and psychological distress in university students. Pakistan Social Sciences Review, 10(3), 197–208. https://doi.org/10.59075/jssa.v4i2.633
Asma, O., & Rauf, M. B. (2024). Pakistani youth and political awareness: A review of Pakistani universities. Journal of Education and Humanities Research, 17(1), 183–197. http://journal.uob.edu.pk/journal/index.php/jehr/article/view/483
Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., & Salovey, P. (2011). Emotional intelligence: Implications for personal, social, academic, and workplace success. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(1), 88–103. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00334.x
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2020). CASEL’s framework for systemic social and emotional learning. https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/
Elias, M. J., Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Frey, K. S., Greenberg, M. T., Haynes, N. M., Kessler, R., Schwab-Stone, M. E., & Shriver, T. P. (1997). Promoting social and emotional learning: Guidelines for educators. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Farooq, A., & Alyana, S. I. (2025). Efficacy of basic life skills training program to enhance social-emotional competence among adolescent students in Pakistan. International Research Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(2), 738–749.
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
Hong, F.-Y., Chiu, S.-I, Huang, D.-H., & Chiu, S.-L. (2021). Correlations among classroom emotional climate, social self-efficacy, and psychological health of university students in Taiwan. Education and Urban Society, 53(4), 446–468. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124520931458
Khuhro, N. (2024). Study of classroom climate, student engagement, self-efficacy and learning experiences an analyses employing social cognitive theory. Academy of Education and Social Sciences Review, 4(1), 118-126. https://doi.org/10.48112/aessr.v4i1.722
London, M., Sessa, V. I., & Shelley, L. A. (2023). Developing self-awareness: Learning processes for self- and interpersonal growth. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(1), 261-288. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-044531
Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Theory, findings, and implications. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 197–215. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1503_02
Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2006). The role of trait emotional intelligence in a gender-specific model of organizational variables. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(2), 552–569. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00019.x
Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185–211. https://doi.org/10.2190/DUGG-P24E-52WK-6CDG
Savira, A. (2024a). The Influence of Emotional Intelligence and Learning Environment On University Student Performance. In International Student Conference on Business, Education, Economics, Accounting, and Management (ISC-BEAM) (Vol. 2, No. 1). https://journal.unj.ac.id/unj/index.php/isc-beam/article/view/46954
Schuur, J., van Weerdenburg, M., Hoogeveen, L., & Kroesbergen, E. H. (2021). Social–emotional characteristics and adjustment of accelerated university students: A systematic review. Gifted Child Quarterly, 65(1), 29-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986220969392
Shah, I., Gul, R., Khan, M. J., Ahmad, I., & Zia, K. (2024). Mental health issues and awareness among college students in Pakistan: A qualitative study. Migration Letters, 21(Suppl. 13), 1476–1487. https://migrationletters.com/index.php/ml/article/view/11909
Valente, S., Monteiro, A. P., & Lourenco, A. A. (2019). The relationship between teachers’ emotional intelligence and classroom discipline management. Psychology in the Schools, 56(5), 741-750. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22218
Wan, S., Lin, S., Yirimuwen, Li, S., & Qin, G. (2023). The relationship between teacher–student relationship and adolescent emotional intelligence: A chain-mediated mediation model of openness and empathy. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 1343-1354. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S399824
Wang, Y. (2023). Impact of social emotional intelligence on students’ interpersonal relationships and academic development. Journal of Education and Educational Research, 5(2), 122–126. https://doi.org/10.54097/jeer.v5i2.12552
World Health Organization. (2003). Creating an environment for emotional and social well-being: an important responsibility of a health promoting and child-friendly school. World Health Organization.
Zahid, M. A., Nayab, S., Hasan, S., Ahmad, G., & Abbas, Q. (2024). Analyzing Social-Emotional Competence of University Students and its Relationship with their Academic Achievement. Journal of Social Sciences Advancement, 5(4), 76-80. https://www.scienceimpactpub.com/journals/index.php/jssa/article/view/1003
Zeeshan, M., Nawaz, M. A., & Bibi, H. (2026). Role of higher education in social emotional development among University students. Inverge Journal of Social Sciences, 5(1), 333-351. https://doi.org/10.63544/ijss.v5i1.247
Zeib, F., & Tahir, M. W. (2022). Is social media a suitable platform of political expression and awareness for university students in Pakistan? Pakistan Journal of Social Research, 04(01), 119-132. https://doi.org/10.52567/pjsr.v4i1.351
Zhou, M., & Ee, J. (2012). Social emotional competence questionnaire. PsycTESTS Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/t69172-000
Zins, J. E., & Elias, M. J. (2006). Social and emotional learning. Children’s needs III: Development, prevention, and intervention, 1(13), 1-15.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
