Emotional intelligence of vocational students in Bangkok metropolis.

Abstract

Rational : The "emotional intelligence" concept is built on the assumption that it empowers individuals to cope with their Emotion problems that they are facing. This enables them to solve their problems and reach their successful destinies. เท this paper, the emotional intelligence and related factors attract the researchers' attention. The selected samples included the vocational students who were attending vocational certificate and high vocational diploma programs, subjected to the Vocational Education Commission, Bangkok. Such student groups appear to show high rate of behavioral problems, presumably resulted from inappropriate disposal of their emotion.

Objectives : To examine potential factors relevant to emotional intelligence among vocational students in Bangkok, and to prioritize the influential factors in predicting emotional intelligence.

Method Design : The research was designed as cross-sectional and descriptive study

Method and Sample : The samples included a total of 1,051 vocational studentsf', 2^nd, and 3^rd year, and high vocational students 1^st and 2^nd year in the first semester of 2008 from five different vocational colleges in Bangkok Metropolis. To data gathering, the instruments used were, namely: demographic questionnaires, Chulalongkorn Family Inventory (CFI), Attitude toward Peers, School and Teachers Inventory, and Emotional Intelligence Test. For data analysis, the following means were employed, namely: descriptive statistics, t-test, and one-way ANOVA, multiple linear regression.

Results : The results indicated that 3.8% of the vocational students in Bangkok were rated at the level of high emotional intelligence, 65.3% somewhat high, 30.2% moderate, and 0.7% somewhat poor. According to univariate analysis, six factors were found associated with emotional intelligence; age, educational level, academic achievement, attitude towards peers, attitude towards school and teachers, and family functioning. in multivariate analysis, four statistically significant factors that predict the emotional intelligence included family function, attitude towards school and teachers, academic achievement, and age, which accounted for 23.1% of emotional intelligence.

Conclusion : Vocational students in Bangkok territory had emotional intelligence at somewhat high level. Several factors were identified and can be enhanced to facilitate the development of emotional intelligence, particularly family functioning, school, learning atmosphere, and student-teacher relationship. However, the assessment of emotional intelligence should be carried out carefully to avoid respondent’s bias.