Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance Among Senior Secondary School Students in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria

Emotional intelligence has gained prominence as a psychological construct that complements cognitive ability in predicting academic success, particularly in high-stress educational environments. This study investigates the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic performance among senior secondary school students in Kaduna State. A correlational survey design is applied to 290 students from eight public and private secondary schools in Kaduna North and Kaduna South local government areas, selected through stratified random sampling. The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test and end-of-term cumulative academic scores are used as instruments alongside a demographic questionnaire. SPSS is applied for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Recent educational psychology literature from North West Nigeria identifies emotional regulation and interpersonal skills as the emotional intelligence dimensions most predictive of academic engagement and performance in secondary school students, with gender differences in emotional awareness commonly reported. Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso's Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence and Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory provide the conceptual foundations. Findings are expected to confirm a significant positive relationship between total emotional intelligence and academic performance, with implications for social-emotional learning programme integration into the Kaduna State secondary school curriculum. Keywords: emotional intelligence, academic performance, secondary school, Kaduna State, North West Nigeria.