Procedia

Social and
Behavioral
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 00 (2011) 000–000
Sciences
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 30 (2011) 826 – 829 www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

WCPCG-2011

Emotional Intelligence Survey in Master Students of Shahid Beheshti

University who Attained the Grades one to nine (1-9) in Entrance Exam
Salahadin Lotfia*, Maryam Ayazia , Mohamad Amin Agheli-Nejada
a
faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Aim of this study is to survey the emotional intelligence in master students (male/female) of Shahid Beheshti University who
attained the grades one to nine (1-9) (within 5 hundred students) in Entrance Exam for study in Higher Education in Iran. For
achieving this aim, the Bar-On emotional intelligence scale (2003) has been used. The questionnaire includes four categories: (1)
emotions identifying, (2) thinking facilitation by the emotions, (3) emotional understanding and (4) emotional management. The
sample of the study including 70 students, 37 females and 33 males (n=70: 37=F & 33=M), and the emotional intelligence scale
been separately distributed among male/female students during one week. The results indicate that among the female and male
respondents’ scores in all four categories, there is not a significant difference. Also the results show that there is positive
correlation between students’ grade of entrance exam and all dimensions of emotional intelligence.

Keywords: emotional intelligence, Master student, Entrance Exam.

1. Introduction

Generally, intelligent students in comparison with other students have a better educational status. Actually, based
on the education factor, the top students and their characteristics will appear. In addition, it is believed by so many
people that preponderant educational status of intelligent students reflects their high intelligence quotient (IQ)
(Achor & Tarr, 2001). By acceptance of this hypothesis, we shouldn’t see any deficiencies and disabilities between
them, while there is either much learning or less learning among intelligent students (Ryan & Deci, 2004; Dweck,
2003; Meece & Holt, 2006). Achore and Tarr (2001) discuss that 15 till 50 percent of students are less learners and
10 till 20 percent of students who quit study have great abilities. This reality, demonstrates us that there are other
factors except IQ that can justify high educational function of students, such as welfare facilities of family (Mc
Collum, 2005), parents educational level (Mc LoughlinT 1998; Pratt .et al, 2000), attitude of parents and students
about education, motivation (Petri, 2003), wide range of interpersonal relationships, decisiveness, sociablility,
obedience, intimacy, responsibility and inhibition. As they differ according to other individual abilities (Horowitz.
Et al, 1993 and 1991), each factor can justify a high educational function (Robinson, 1998).
Golman (1998) by performing fantastic researches about brain and behavior which demonstrates that other
factors cause people who have high IQ, don’t obtain many successes in their life, but those with average IQ expose
in the path of success. These factors include other aspect of intelligence that Golman calls “Emotional Intelligence”.
Emotional intelligence encompasses cases like; self awareness, impulse controlling, stability, enthusiasm and
motivation, empathy and social skills. These are characteristics of people, who are successful and efficient in real

* Salahadin Lotfi ,
Email: salahaddin.lotfi@yahoo.com ,University of Tehran , MA

1877-0428 © 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the 2nd
World Conference on Psychology, Counselling and Guidance.
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.160
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(2011)000–000
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life, they have stable marital life and in working environment, they attract all attentions to themselves. These
features also are reagents of personality and discipline, altruism and sympathy which are necessary and important
for stability and promotion of society (Golman, 1998).Different research results show that cognitive processes (such
as education) in a complicated relation with motivational factors, determine student’s academic achievement in
different situations and levels (Pintrich & Degroot, 1999). Studies about emotional intelligence and educational
function which have done in other cultures also corroborate this subject (Purdie & Halite, 1996; Wolters, 1999).
Other research results about relation between emotional intelligence and dominance on course concepts also
demonstrated that this dominance on course concepts and materials and using them appropriately and creatively in
new situations by students, needs enjoyment of compatible emotional and attitude models and an appropriate use of
emotions, for the purpose of producing knowledge (Bessant, 1995).
The main goal of this study is to survey a probable relation between emotional intelligence and result of entrance
exam for Study in Higher Education in master students who attained the grades one to nine. The main hypothesis of
the study shows that there is a positive correlation between them. Additionally, other one is to survey a relation
between quad dimensions of emotional intelligence which contains thinking facilitation by emotions, emotional
understanding, emotional managements and emotions identifying. It is predicted that the relation between emotional
intelligence and a high educational function is positive.

2. Methodology

The society of this study was all master students of Shahid Beheshti University. Seventy students contain 37
females and 33 males from different fields of study participate in this study. They participate voluntary for
cooperation in the study. The condition for participants was to obtain the grades one to nine in entrance exam for
higher education and they had been accepted in Shahid Beheshti University during 2008 _ 2010.after explanation
the goals of study and agreement of students for cooperation, the Bar-On emotional intelligence Scale and a
demographic questionnaire performed on participants. The method for sampling of the study was an available
sample. For analyzing the study data, many statistical methods were used such as T test and Pearson product-
moment correlation Coefficient.

3. Result

For analyzing the study data, first, results of the T test was analyzed for a comparison between grades of quad
dimensions of emotional intelligence in students, female and male. The results showed that there is no difference
between the grades of males and females through the T test in quad dimensions of emotional intelligence.
The results of this study in table (2) shows that there is no significant difference between the grades of males and
females in quad dimensions of emotional intelligence and they behave equally in emotions identifying, thinking
facilitation by emotions, emotional understanding and emotional management. The results are present in the table
(1).

Table 1- Results of T test for comparison females and males in quad aspect of emotional intelligence

Aspects of Emotional Intelligence Mean SD df t p

female 21.47 7.11

emotions identifying 68 0.212 0.51
male 23.33 6.32
female 22.85 6.20
thinking facilitation by emotions 68 0.243 0.35
male 21.05 6
female 20.77 5.12
emotional understanding 68 0.156 0.59
male 20.33 5.05
female 23.38 5.89
emotional management 68 0.208 0.67
male 25.09 6.56
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For analyzing research data according to Pearson product-moment correlation Coefficient, the relation between
grades one to nine in entrance exam and quad dimensions of emotional intelligence surveyed (table 1). Findings
showed that there is a significant positive relation between all quad dimensions of emotional intelligence and the
grades one to nine (α-0.01).Therefore, the main hypothesis of research, the relation between emotional intelligence
in students who attained grades one to nine in entrance exam is confirmed.

Table 2 - Findings of Pearson correlation Coefficient to survey relation between Grades in entrance exam and quad dimensions of emotional
intelligence

Quad dimensions of emotional intelligence

emotions thinking facilitation emotional emotional

Variable Measurement
identifying by emotions understanding management

Pearson correlation 0.202* 0.223* 0.237* 0.282*

The grades one to
nine significant point
0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001
biserial
*
P <0.01
4. Discussion
The aim of this study was to survey the relation between quad dimensions of emotional intelligence and master
students who attained the grades one to nine in entrance exam for Study in Higher Education. As if the results of this
study showed that no significant difference found between male and female students’ quad dimensions of emotional
intelligence which includes emotions identifying, thinking facilitation by emotions, emotional understanding and
emotional management.
This finding was positive and significant about relation between all quad dimensions of emotional intelligence
and the grades one to nine in entrance exam. This finding is the same as results of Achor & Tarr (2001) And Ryan &
Deci (2004) and so may be expressed as bellow:
The results of different researches shows that students with top grades have a higher perseverance, motivation,
emotional attention and impulse controlling in comparison with other students(Petry, 2003). In fact, two main
factors of emotional intelligence from Bar-On’s point of view (2003), emotions identifying and emotional
understanding, is used for the procedure which based on primacy of subjects, and using of reservations of memory,
memory procedures and hidden information it makes thinking easy; which this is true about students with top
grades. Factor of emotions recognition is relevant to processes and structures dependent on educational function that
in the top students with a high educational function is a higher level (Pintrich & Degroot, 1999). This factor can help
in upraising a correct and real cognition about emotions which cause problem solving and ability of educational
explorations.
Based on it, Top students use emotions for prediction and solving educational problems. About emotions role in
thinking facilitation, based on it, top students confront with educational obstacles coherently by organizing thoughts,
memory and memory contents. At the end, about emotion management, when these students find educational
materials boring and difficult, they overcome these problems by emotional organization in courses and education for
improvement of information retrieval and also applying educational information.

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