STEM Career Interest, Self-Efficacy, and Perfectionism as Predictors of Emotional Intelligence in Middle School Students

This study used a predictive correlational research methodology to investigate the complex connections between middle school students’ emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, perfectionism, and STEM career ambitions. A sample of 452 students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades from four public middle schools in İstanbul, Türkiye, participated in the study. To gather data, the researchers used a “Personal Information Form” explicitly developed for this study, in conjunction with standardized and psychometrically validated instruments: the “Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Scale,” “Self-Efficacy Scale for Children,” “Perfectionism Scale for Children and Adolescents,” and the “STEM Career Interest Scale.” All measurement tools had been previously subjected to reliability and validity analyses in Turkish samples. Before conducting statistical analyses, the normality assumption of the dataset was tested and confirmed. Subsequently, Pearson correlation analyses—a parametric approach—were performed to examine associations among the main variables. The findings demonstrated significant positive correlations between emotional intelligence and STEM career interest, as well as with self-oriented perfectionism, academic and social self-efficacy, and emotional self-efficacy. The results were visualized through network analysis to illustrate these interconnections further, providing a comprehensive view of variable interactions. Finally, standard multiple regression analysis indicated that the proposed model significantly predicted emotional intelligence, with emotional self-efficacy emerging as the strongest predictor, followed by academic self-efficacy, social self-efficacy, and STEM career interest. The results were discussed in relation to existing literature, and practical and theoretical recommendations were presented for future educational and psychological research.