Education is widely recognized as the key to a nation’s development and societal prosperity. Conceptions of intelligence and success have evolved over time, with modern theories emphasizing the significance of Emotional Intelligence (EI). Educational psychologists and researchers now emphasize the crucial role of emotions in the learning and teaching process. EI is seen as a vital predictor of success, granting individuals a competitive advantage in both personal and professional aspects, leading to increased happiness and achievement. Emotional intelligence, as defined, pertains to the capacity to perceive, manage, and assess emotions. It encompasses an individual’s ability to maintain optimal relationships with oneself and others over time. It involves monitoring one’s own and others’ emotions, distinguishing between them, and using this information to guide decision-making and actions. In essence, emotional intelligence involves the intelligent utilization of emotions to enhance one’s behavior and cognitive processes.

Crucial aspects of emotional intelligence include overall happiness, rational behavior, and the fulfillment of social objectives. A high level of emotional intelligence leads to emotional well-being, motivation, contentment, and mental peace. Rational behavior involves making objective choices and employing appropriate means to achieve desired ends. Fulfilling social objectives involves displaying behavior toward others that one expects in return, fostering mutual satisfaction and happiness in society.

In accordance with psychologists John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey, emotional intelligence can be defined as the subset of social intelligence focused on monitoring one’s and others’ emotions, distinguishing between them, and using this understanding to guide one’s thoughts and actions (Mayer & Salovey, 1990). It also encompasses the ability to perceive, generate, understand, and regulate emotions in a reflective manner to promote emotional and intellectual growth (Mayer & Salovey, 1997).

Need and importance of Emotional Intelligence for College Students

Here are some key concepts explaining the need for emotional intelligence in college students:

• Stress Management: College life can be challenging, with academic pressures, social adjustments, and personal responsibilities. Emotional intelligence helps students manage stress effectively, making them more resilient and less susceptible to mental health issues.
• Interpersonal Relationships: College is a time when students form diverse relationships with peers, professors, and mentors. Emotional intelligence assists in understanding and managing emotions in these relationships, leading to better communication, conflict resolution, and collaboration.
• Self-Awareness: Developing self-awareness is crucial for personal growth. Emotional intelligence allows students to understand their own emotions, strengths, and weaknesses, enabling them to set meaningful goals and make informed decisions about their academic and career paths.
• Decision-Making: Emotional intelligence helps students make better decisions. By considering their own emotions and the emotional impact of their choices on others, college students can make more informed and ethical decisions.
• Leadership Skills: For those involved in extracurricular activities, clubs, or student government, emotional intelligence is vital for effective leadership. It helps in inspiring and motivating others, as well as in building strong teams.
• Mental Health and Well-Being: College students often face mental health challenges. Emotional intelligence fosters self-care, empathy, and the ability to seek help when needed. This contributes to better overall mental health and well-being.
• Career Success: Emotional intelligence is highly valued by employers. It enhances skills such as teamwork, adaptability, and communication, which are essential for success in the professional world. College students with high emotional intelligence may have a competitive advantage in the job market.
• Conflict Resolution: Conflicts are bound to arise in a college setting. Emotional intelligence enables students to manage conflicts constructively, which can be beneficial in both academic and social contexts.
• Academic Performance: Emotional intelligence can positively impact academic performance by improving focus, time management, and motivation. Students who can manage their emotions and set goals are more likely to excel in their studies.
• Empathy and Inclusivity: College campuses are diverse, and emotional intelligence fosters empathy and inclusivity. Students who possess emotional intelligence are more likely to appreciate and respect the perspectives of others, leading to a more harmonious and inclusive campus community.

These concepts highlight the importance of emotional intelligence for college students, as it equips them with valuable skills and competencies that can contribute to their personal and academic success, as well as their well-being in the college environment.

Objectives of the Study

A research objective is a statement of intent used in quantitative research that specifies goals that the investigator plans to achieve in a study (Cresswell, 2012). A research objective is a clear concise, declarative statement, which provides direction to investigate the variable under the study (Jaikumar, 2018).

1. To find out the level of emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing under graduation with regard to Gender, Discipline, Year of Study, and course system
2. To find out the difference between emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing under graduation with regard to Gender, Discipline, Year of Study, and course system.

Hypotheses of the Study

A hypothesis is a comparison of some variables which have some specific position or role of the variables that is to be verified empirically (Bhatt, 2013).

• There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing under graduation with regard to Gender.
• There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing under graduation with regard to Discipline.
• There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing under graduation with regard to Year of Study.
• There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing under graduation with regard course system.

Methodology of study

Research methodology refers to the systematic theoretical analysis of the procedures applied to a particular field of study. It is the scientific approach employed to conduct research. For this study, the investigator has chosen to adopt the survey method.

Sample Selection: A sample is a subset of people or items taken from a larger population and studied, tested, or questioned to gather information. In this study, the investigator has employed a simple random sampling technique to select a sample consisting of 140 undergraduate students from various Arts and Science colleges in Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu.

Data Collection: The investigators collected data using a rating scale that measured Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers. This scale included 28 items under three dimensions such as Self -Management, Self -Awareness and Social –Awareness, rated on a 5-point scale.

Data Analysis

Data analysis encompasses a set of interconnected procedures conducted to condense the gathered data and structure it in a way that provides responses to research inquiries. It also has the capacity to propose hypotheses or inquiries in situations where the study was not initially guided by such questions or hypotheses (Professor Wilkinso and Bhandarkar).

• Level of Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation.

Table 1: Level of Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Gender

The table 1 shows that more than one half of the female and one half of the male students have high level of emotional Intelligence with regards to gender.

Table 2: Level of Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Discipline

The table 2 shows that more than three fifth of the arts students and three fifth of the science students have high level of emotional Intelligence with regards to discipline.

Table 3: Level of Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Year of Study

The table 3 shows that more than one half of the II year students have high level of emotional Intelligence with regards to Year of Study.

Table 4: Level of Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Course System

The table 4 shows that more than one half of the Self-finance students have high level of emotional Intelligence with regards to Course System.

• Significance difference between the Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation

H₀1: There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing Under graduation with regard to Gender.

Table 5: Significance of difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing under graduation with regard to Gender.

In the above table 5 shows that, the p value (=0.73) is greater than greater than 0.05, the null hypothesis H01 is accepted at 0.5% level of significance. Hence there is no significant difference between the Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Gender.

H02: There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing Under graduation with regard to Discipline.

Table 6: Significance of difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing under graduation with regard to Discipline.

In the above table 6 shows that the p value (=0.841) is greater than 0.05, the null hypothesis H02 is accepted at 0.5% level of significance. Hence, there is no significant different between Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Discipline.

H03: There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing Under graduation with regard to Year of Study (I Year, II Year and III Year).

Table 7: Significance of difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing Under graduation with regard to Year of Study.

In the above table 7, shows that the p value (=0.177) is greater than 0.05, the null hypothesis  H03 is accepted at 0.5% level of significance. Hence, there is no significant different between Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Year of Study.

H04: There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing Under graduation with regard to Course System (Government, Government Aided and Self-finance).

Table 8: Significance of difference in emotional intelligence of online gamers pursuing Under graduation with regard to Course System.

In the above table 7, shows that the p value (=0.226) is greater than 0.05, the null hypothesis  H₀3 is accepted at 0.5% level of significance. Hence, there is no significant different between Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Course System.

Findings of the Study

Findings refer to the information that researcher discover, or ideas that researcher receive after doing research. Findings are the principal outcomes of a research project, what the project suggested, revealed or indicated which refers to the totality of outcomes, rather than the conclusion or recommendation drawn from them (Campbell & Stanley, 1963). The findings for the collected data are presented below:

(i) Level of Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation

1. More than one half of the female and one half of the male students have high level of emotional Intelligence with regards to gender.
2. More than three fifth of the arts students and three fifth of the science students have high level of emotional Intelligence with regards to discipline.
3. More than one half of the II year students have high level of emotional Intelligence with regards to Year of Study.
4. More than one half of the Self-finance students have high level of emotional Intelligence with regards to Course System.

(ii)Significance difference between the Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing Under graduation

1. There is no significant difference between the Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Gender.
2. There is no significant different between Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Discipline.
3. There is no significant different between Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Year of Study.
4. There is no significant different between Emotional Intelligence of Online Gamers pursuing under graduation with regards to Course System.

Interpretation of the study

• Level of Emotional Intelligence

1. The study found that more than half of both female and male students had a high level of emotional intelligence. This indicates that emotional intelligence is prevalent among online gamers pursuing undergraduate studies, and it’s relatively balanced between genders.
2. More than three-fifths of arts students and three-fifths of science students demonstrated a high level of emotional intelligence. This suggests that there is a relatively high level of emotional intelligence in both arts and science disciplines among online gamers.
3. More than half of the II-year students exhibited a high level of emotional intelligence, indicating that emotional intelligence levels remain relatively consistent across different years of study.
4. More than half of self-financed students had a high level of emotional intelligence, regardless of the course system. This implies that the source of financing (self-finance or otherwise) does not significantly impact emotional intelligence levels among online gamers.

• Significant Differences

1. The study did not find a significant difference in emotional intelligence with respect to gender. This suggests that gender does not influence emotional intelligence significantly among online gamers pursuing undergraduate studies.
2. There is no significant difference in emotional intelligence based on the discipline (arts or science) of the students. This implies that the academic discipline does not play a significant role in emotional intelligence levels among online gamers.
3. Similarly, the study did not find a significant difference in emotional intelligence based on the year of study. Emotional intelligence levels remain relatively consistent across different years of undergraduate study.
4. The course system (self-financed or otherwise) did not result in a significant difference in emotional intelligence among online gamers pursuing undergraduate studies.

Recommendations

Based on the findings of this study, here are some recommendations:

• Promotion of Emotional Intelligence: Educational institutions can consider incorporating programs or activities that promote emotional intelligence among all students, regardless of their gender, discipline, year of study, or course system.
• Gender-Neutral Approaches: Gender-neutral strategies for enhancing emotional intelligence should be emphasized to ensure that both male and female students benefit equally.
• Cross-Disciplinary Activities: Encourage interdisciplinary interactions and activities that bring together students from various disciplines to enhance emotional intelligence.
• Year-Long Focus: Continue to emphasize emotional intelligence development throughout all years of undergraduate study.

Educational Implications

• Inclusive Curriculum: The study suggests that emotional intelligence development should be integrated into the curriculum to benefit all students, irrespective of their gender or academic discipline.
• Equal Opportunities: Educational institutions should ensure that students have equal opportunities to develop emotional intelligence, and no specific group is disadvantaged in this regard.
• Holistic Education: Emotional intelligence is a crucial life skill, and this study highlights its importance. Schools and colleges should provide holistic education, nurturing not only academic but also emotional and social growth.
• Student Support: Institutions can offer support services, counselling, and activities aimed at enhancing emotional intelligence, particularly for self-financed students who may face additional stressors.

Conclusion

The study’s findings underscore the importance of emotional intelligence development in the education of online gamers pursuing undergraduate studies. The recommendations and educational implications can guide institutions in fostering emotional intelligence and creating an inclusive learning environment.

References

Bhatt, D. P. (2013). Research Methodology. New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation.

Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. C. (1963). Experimental and Quasi-experimental designs for research. USA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Creswell, W., J. (2012). Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4^th ed) California, USA: Sage Publications.

Jaikumar, M. (2018). “Research objectives,” 2018, Retrieved from [slide share], “Health & Medicine”. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/.

Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1990). Emotional Intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185-211.

Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is Emotional Intelligence? InP.

Salovey & D. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications (pp. 3-34). Basic Books.