EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, ACADEMIC SELF CONCEPT, AND BIOLOGY ACHIEVEMENT OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN OSUN STATE

Abstract

The persevering problem of underperformance in Biology in
Nigerian secondary schools National Exams shows that academic
achievement requires more than a cognitive understanding
approach. This study adopted a descriptive correlational design in
investigating how students' Emotional Intelligence (EI) and their
Self-Concept (SE) of academic performance affect their Biology
learning outcomes while also considering the moderating effect of
gender. The research involved 300 students from 15 co-educational
public schools in Osun State. Data were collected using three main
instruments, namely, Emotional Intelligence (EI) Inventory which
included a 22-item tool modified from Schutte (1998) to measure
essential EI aspects of self-awareness and self-regulation and
empathy and social skills. Participants used a five-point Likert scale
to rate their responses which included strongly Agree (5), Agree (A),
Neutral (3), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD) options. The
instrument showed a Cronbach alpha result of 0.76. Academic Self
Concept (SC) Scale: The 20-item scale which Rastogi (1979)  developed measures students' confidence and perceived academic
competence. The instrument used a Likert-scale format which
included the response options of strongly Agree (5), Agree (A),
Neutral (3), Disagree (D) and Strongly Disagree (SD). The
instrument achieved high reliability through the split-half method
which produced a reliability coefficient of 0.87. The students'
standardized Biology examination scores which included their
promotional examination scores served as the measurement tool for
this assessment to guarantee both objectivity and validity. Data
collected were analysed using standardized multiple linear
regression methods. Results shows that EI and SC significantly
predicted the academic achievement, both individually and jointly,
while gender had no significant moderating effect. The findings
suggest that classroom practices should focus on enhancing
emotional intelligence and self-concept to boost academic outcomes
in Biology