Role of Emotional Intelligence in Managing Research Stress at University Level: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Young people in all fields of modern science face new challenges due to the changing global landscape. The issues surrounding emotions demand attention to find research-based solutions. The current research aims to understand how emotional intelligence helps scholars in managing the stress related to their research. Data was collected from research students using a descriptive survey design. Three public and three private universities in Jamshoro and Karachi were chosen to conduct the study. Researchers' data were gathered using a census approach. The total number of sample was 663, including 510 M.Phil and 153 Ph.D candidates, including 439 from public universities, 224 from private universities, and 329 male and 334 female students/scholars. The findings indicated that students' EI was low and stress was high. Research stress was found to have a higher negative coefficient (-.750) and a p-value of (=.01), suggesting that emotional intelligence negatively impacts research stress. Thus, research students (MPhil & PhD) with lower emotional intelligence experience more focus. There is evidence that these factors are crucial for comprehending students' emotional intelligence and level of research stress. Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) must first understand the mental health of their research students to develop and design EI courses that will lessen the academic and research stress that university students experience.