Self-efficacy and Emotional Intelligence Among Nigerian Adolescents in Single-Sex and Co-Educational Secondary Schools

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship between general self-efficacy and emotional intelligence of secondary school adolescents. The influence of single-sex and co-educational schools on the self-efficacy and emotional intelligence of adolescent girls and boys was also assessed. The study employed a correlational survey research design. The sample of the study comprised three hundred and one secondary school two students randomly selected from an all- girls’ school, an all- boys’ school and a co-educational school. Four research questions were raised and five hypotheses formulated to guide the study. Two instruments, an emotional intelligence scale by Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Golden& Dunheim (1998) and the General Self-efficacy Scale by Shwazer &Jerusalem (1995) were  used to collect data for emotional intelligence and general self-efficacy respectively. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Mean scores and standard deviation were calculated to answer the research questions. The hypothesis on the relationship between self-efficacy and emotional intelligence was tested at 0.01 level of significance using Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistic while the hypotheses on the differences in emotional intelligence and self –efficacy  between adolescents in single-sex and co-educational schools were tested at .05 level of significance using Students’ t-test. Results of the study revealed a positive relationship(r=.368) between self-efficacy and emotional intelligence. Adolescent boys in the single-sex school had significantly higher self-efficacy and emotional intelligence than their counterparts in the co-educational school. A statistically significant difference was found between the self-efficacy of girls in the single-sex school and girls in the co=educational school in favour of the single=sex school while there was no significant difference in emotional intelligence between the girls in the two types of schools. Implications for school counselling were discussed and recommendations for further research were made.

Keywords: Emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, adolescents, single-sex school, co-educational school.