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FOSTERING ACADEMIC SUCCESS: GRIT AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS PREDICTIVE FACTORS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IN MATHEMATICS

Stella Eteng-Uket, Ebere Pearl Ezeoguine

Abstract


Academic performance in secondary school in general and mathematics in particular is a complex and multifaceted construct that extends far beyond the confines of standardized tests and letter grades. While these traditional metrics provide a snapshot of a student's knowledge and skill acquisition, they often overlook the crucial role of non-cognitive factors. However, growing research highlights the significant influence of non-cognitive factors, particularly emotional intelligence (EI) and grit, on student performance in mathematics which is a fundamental subject in secondary education. This thus prompted the study that sought to investigate the prediction of grit and emotional intelligence on the mathematics performance of secondary school students. It adopted the correlational research design. To direct the study, three null hypotheses and three research questions were developed. A sample of 102 was drawn using a stratified random sampling technique based on gender. The mathematics performance Test, Emotional Intelligence Appraisal, and the Grit Scale were the instruments used. The validity of these tools was guaranteed. Split half and Cronbach alpha method were used to obtain reliability coefficients of .62, .70, and .76 for the three instruments respectively. Data were analyzed using simple and multiple regressions. The result revealed that grit did not significantly independently predict academic performance, emotional intelligence independently did predict it while grit and emotional intelligence jointly significantly predict academic performance in mathematics. Considering findings, it was recommended amongst others that educators should be provided or engage in training on strategies to foster grit and EI in students in mathematics instruction

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