Disparities in the Emotional Development of Middle School Students: The Role of Gender and Environment

This study analyses the emotional development of middle school students, differentiated by gender (735 girls and 593 boys) and environment (567 rural and 761 urban), using the test developed by Mihaela Roco. The results indicate that girls generally exhibit higher levels of emotional intelligence than boys, and students from urban areas score higher than those from rural areas. Additionally, emotional intelligence scores progressively decrease as students’ advance in age, highlighting the growing challenges of school transitions. Promoting emotional intelligence can thus help reduce educational disparities and improve school performance.