Exploring Emotional Intelligence and Achievement Motivation: Gender Differences among College Students

This study explores gender differences in emotional intelligence (EI) and achievement motivation (AM) among college students. A total of 100 college students (50 male and 50 female) from Kolhapur district participated, with ages ranging from 18 to 24 years (M = 20.41, SD = 2.96). Emotional intelligence was assessed using the Emotional Intelligence Inventory (Hyde, Pethe, & Dhar, 2001), and achievement motivation was measured using the Deo-Mohan Achievement Motivation Scale (2002). The study’s hypotheses focused on the potential gender differences in EI and AM, as well as the relationship between these two variables. A t-test was used to analyze the data, and results revealed significant gender differences in both EI and AM. Female students demonstrated significantly higher scores in both emotional intelligence (M = 88.32, SD = 4.77) and achievement motivation (M = 54.87, SD = 3.60) compared to male students, with high correlation coefficients (EI: r = 0.81, AM: r = 0.87). These findings suggest that gender plays a significant role in shaping emotional intelligence and achievement motivation, with female students outperforming their male counterparts. Additionally, a positive correlation between emotional intelligence and achievement motivation was observed, supporting the idea that higher emotional intelligence contributes to greater achievement motivation. These findings have important implications for educational practices, highlighting the need to consider gender differences when addressing emotional and motivational development in students.