DefinePK

Abstract

This was a quantitative comparative study conducted to investigate the levels and the elements of emotional intelligence (EI) among secondary-level learners studying in public schools and madrasas in City Samundri, Pakistan. Data were collected in 167 male students of the two types of institutions using a cluster sampling method. Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics indicated that students in public schools tended to have higher EI with 34.1% in the high category of EI when compared to 26.6% madrasa students. Independent samples t-test showed that the overall EI scores differed significantly between the two groups, t(165) = 2.54, p =.012, with a marginally medium effect size (Cohen d =0.39). In component-wise analysis, madrasa students were found to be mostly weak in the area of social skills (45.6% low level), emotional self-understanding, and regulation of emotions. On the other hand, there was a relatively high level of self-motivation in both groups and especially in madrasa students (41.8% high level). The results highlight the importance of institutional context on the emotional development and outline the necessity of incorporating culturally appropriate emotional learning models, particularly in madrasa schools, to encourage the socio-emotional development of students and their academic involvement.