Emotional Intelligence and Gender Differences Among First-Year Undergraduates During the Transition to Higher Education

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) has gained increasingly scholarly attention as a key psychosocial attribute influencing students’ academic adjustment during the transition to undergraduate education. The present study examined emotional intelligence among first-year undergraduate students, with particular reference to gender differences. Using a descriptive survey research design, the study was conducted on a sample of 150 first-year undergraduate students (61 males and 89 females) selected through simple random sampling from two colleges in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Data were collected using a self-constructed and standardized Emotional Intelligence Scale and analysed using descriptive statistics and an independent-samples t test. The findings revealed that a majority of students demonstrated moderate emotional intelligence, while a considerable proportion fell within the high to very high range, alongside a comparable proportion exhibiting low emotional intelligence. Female students obtained a slightly higher mean EI score (M = 78.81) than their male counterparts (M = 76.54); however, the difference was not statistically significant (p = .077). The results indicate that emotional intelligence among first-year undergraduates does not vary significantly by gender and underscore the need for institutional initiatives to strengthen emotional competencies during the early phase of undergraduate education.