Enhancing academic outcomes: The synergistic effects of emotional intelligence and achievement motivation

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the synergistic effects of emotional intelligence and achievement motivation on academic outcomes of university students. In order to address the research objectives, quantitative research design with the correlational approach was used. The data was collected from 126 students (with a response rate of 93.3%) using emotional intelligence and achievement motivation scales. The collected data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics (mean, frequency and percent) and inferential statistics (independent sample t-test, Pearson productmoment and multiple regressions). The findings revealed that students exhibited high levels of emotional intelligence, significantly exceeding the hypothesized mean, and demonstrated strong competencies across all emotional intelligence components. Additionally, students showed elevated achievement motivation, particularly in intrinsic motivation to know and extrinsic motivation identified, while amotivation was the least prevalent. Gender differences were evident, with female students outperforming males in both emotional intelligence and achievement motivation across all dimensions. Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between emotional intelligence and academic performance, particularly in managing one's own emotions and others' emotions, while achievement motivation also correlated strongly with academic performance. The coefficient of determination (R² = .338) suggests that approximately 33.8% of the variation in academic performance can be attributed to the combined effects of emotional intelligence and achievement motivation. These results underscore the importance of fostering both emotional intelligence and achievement motivation to improve academic success, suggesting that educational interventions should focus on developing these competencies among students.