Pathways between self-concept and academic stress: the role of emotional intelligence and personality among university students

ABSTRACT

Emotional intelligence, self-concept, academic stress and personality have been associated with university students’ academic performance. The aim of this paper was to study the relationship between self-concept and academic stress in Education students from different Universities in the region of Andalusia (Spain), analysing the mediational role of Emotional Intelligence and personality factors in this relationship. To this end, 1,022 Education students completed the following tests: A self-concept test (AF-5), an Emotional Intelligence test (WLEIS), a personality test (Big-Five 44), and an academic stress test (SISCO). The proposed model, which has good fit rates, shows that the individual’s self-concept predicts some of the variance of academic stress by a full mediation of Emotional Intelligence and the personality factor called neuroticism. The practical implications of the study are discussed and explained.

KEYWORDS:

• Self-concept
• emotional intelligence
• academic stress
• personality
• university students

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Universidad de Granada [PPJIA2021-28].

Notes on contributors

Inmaculada García-Martínez

Inmaculada García-Martínez Assistant Professor in University of Granada. She works in the Department of Didactics and School Organization. She is currently working about professional identity, psychosocial factors of teachers, special education and educational technology. Member of the Ibero-American Network for the Development of Professional Teaching Identity. Has several scientific publications related teacher collaboration, educational technology, school improvement and emotional intelligence.

José María Augusto-Landa

José María Augusto-Landa Professor at University of Jaen. He works in the Department of Psychology, area of social psychology. He has published extensively on emotional intelligence, burnout and leadership. He has participated in several projects.

Samuel P. León

Samuel P. León Assistant Professor in the Department of Pedagogy at the University of Jaén. He has a PhD in Education from the University of Jaén. His research interest focuses on the research methodology of human sciences, and behavioral sciences.

Rocío Quijano-López

Rocío Quijano-López Professor at University of Jaen. Shee works in the Department of Science Education. Degree in Biological Sciences and PhD at the University of Granada. Currently, she is member and professor in charge of the research group, Curricular Research and Didactics of Science. Member of the Ibero-American Network for the Development of Professional Teaching Identity.