Examining Young Adults’ Emotional Intelligence at Selected Malaysian College: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Transition to university is one of the significant development challenges among young adults. The transition process requires them to adjust to new academic circumstances, adopt different learning styles, establish a healthy social network, and be more independent in handling tasks. The adaptation is determined, to a large extent, by the level of emotional competency and autonomy young adults develop to help them cope with the stressors in life—surprisingly, emotions are perhaps the "critical component" to predict youth adults' behaviour dynamics. A critical and neglected component of "emotional intelligence (EI)" can be the protective factor for young adults in the transition process. Although EI brings adaptive outcomes to young adults' development, only a few studies conducted to examine Malaysian young adults' EI in Jitra, Malaysia. For the methodology, the current study utilized the cross-sectional survey method to assess the effects of gender and fields of study on young adults' EI using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Scale (SSREI). Data analysis indicated no significant difference among gender in the EI. While a significant difference was discovered in the aspect of EI among students from diverse certificate programmes. The results presented that there is still room for Malaysian students to improve their EI, especially in emotion perception. Malaysian young adults might need further guidance and improved EI skills to become more emotional competence. The researchers also recommended that further study could focus more on developing EI modules, assessing the impacts of gender and fields of study on the development of young adults.