The Mediating Effects of the Need for Competence and Stress on the Levels of Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement of Korean College Students
AUTHOR : 이숙정
INFORMATION : page. 53~69 / 2012 Vol.19 No.1
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effects of the need for competence and stress on
the levels of emotional intelligence and academic achievement of Korean college students. The participants
were 232 undergraduate students(males: 106, females: 126). The instrument used for the study consisted of
the emotional intelligence scale, the need for competence scale, the academic and career stress scale, and
the GPA of the students themselves. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and structural equation
modeling(SEM) were conducted for the purposes of data analyses using the SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 4.0
programs. The results of this study were as follows. First, emotional intelligence was positively related with
the need for competence and academic achievement, but it was negatively related to academic and career
stress. Second, the need for competence and stress significantly predicted levels of academic achievement.
However, emotional intelligence did not directly effect levels of academic achievement. Third, the SEM
analysis revealed that the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic achievement were fully
mediated by competence and stress. This model was proven to be a valid one to present the structural
model for this sample (RMSEA=.053, TLI, CFI>.90). The results were discussed in terms of the
management of personal emotions and the learning environment for the improvement of academic
achievement levels and academic adaptation to college life. The implications and limitations of this study
were also discussed along with a number of suggestions for future research.