A Quantitative Study on the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Academic Success among Award-Winning First-Year College Students at Good Samaritan Colleges

Emotional intelligence is widely recognized as an important factor in students’ ability to navigate academic challenges, manage emotions, and build effective personal relationships. Grounded in Bar-On’s Emotional Intelligence Competencies Model, this study identified the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic success among 134 gold and silver awardee first-year college students at Good Samaritan Colleges. The research utilized a descriptive-correlational design to examine participants’ emotional quotient based on the Bar-On EQ: Short Version and their general weighted average (GWA). Participants were purposively selected based on institutional criteria for gold (GWA ≥ 94%, no grade below 90%) and silver (GWA ≥ 90%, no grade below 88%) awardees. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation (Pearson r) at a 0.05 significance level. Results revealed no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and academic performance (r = .007, p = .933). The majority of participants (89.55%) fell within the "Area for Enrichment" category, indicating underdeveloped emotional and social skills. These findings suggest that high-achieving students may rely more heavily on cognitive ability and study habits than emotional intelligence to attain academic success. Educational institutions are encouraged to integrate emotional intelligence development into student programs to complement academic success and prepare students for real-world challenges.