The Relationship Between Emotion Intelligence and Examination Anxiety Behaviour Among Students in Public Senior Secondary School in Delta State

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between emotional intelligence, and examination anxiety behaviour among students in public senior secondary school II (SS2) in Delta State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. Related literature was reviewed. The study adopted an ex post facto research design and correlation method. The population of the study was 40522 comprised of students in public senior secondary school II in Delta State. A sample of 1,070 students was used. A questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was validated through expert judgment and factor analysis. The instrument had a Cronbach alpha reliability index of 0.73 for the metacognitive awareness scale, 0.65 for the emotional intelligence scale, and 0.71 for the examination anxiety behavior scale. Researchers administered the questionnaire to the sampled students. Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Coefficient Determination were used to answer the research questions while regression statistics and extension by Andrew Hays were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed that: there was a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and examination anxiety behaviour, and there was a mediating impact of metacognition in the relationship between emotional intelligence and examination anxiety behaviour. This study concludes that metacognition is a mediator between emotional intelligence and examination anxiety behavior.  Recommendations were that a School counsellor/psychologist should be employed to help students develop positive emotions and recommendations were made among others that school Counsellors/Psychologists should be employed to help students develop positive emotions.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Metacognition, Examination Anxiety Behaviour

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/13-15-03

Publication date:September 30^th 2023