Impact of Students’ Emotional Intelligence Level on the Development of their Socialization Skills among Secondary School Students: Gender-Wise Comparative View

Abstract

The study analyzed the impact of emotional intelligence of secondary school students on the development of their socialization skills from the gender-wise comparative perspective. Quantitative descriptive survey design was employed to collect data from 327 students (168 males and 159 females) selected from public secondary schools using proportionate random sampling. Emotional intelligence and five dimensions of socialization skills (communication, cooperation and teamwork, conflict resolution, empathy and respect for others, adaptability and flexibility) were evaluated through a self-developed questionnaire validated by experts. Independent samples t-tests were used to analyze data. The results showed significant differences in communication (p = .007), cooperation and teamwork (p = .001), empathy and respect for others (p = .034), and adaptability and flexibility (p = .034) based on gender with male students having higher average scores. However, no significant gender difference was found in conflict resolution skills (p =.121). The study concludes that emotional intelligence contributes significantly to the students’ socialization skills, but its influence varies depending on the social competence and gender.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Gender Differences, Secondary School Students