الفهرس 
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Abstract
Emotional intelligence (EI) was defined as the capacity for recognizing one’s own
feelings and those of others, motivating oneself and others, and managing emotions well in
oneself and in relationships. Emotionally intelligent individuals excel in human
relationships, exhibit marked leadership skills, and perform well at work. There are five
major elements of emotional intelligence which are self-awareness, managing emotions,
motivation, empathy and social skills. These elements are vital in health care practices,
especially the nursing practice. Therefore assessing levels of emotional intelligence and
ascertaining its progression among nursing students is essential for determining students’
adjustment and educational achievements, as well as ensuring effective nursing education
and competent professional nursing skills before graduation.
The current study aimed to assess the level of emotional intelligence among
baccalaureate students at the Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, and determine its
development over the academic semesters.
This study followed a cross-sectional descriptive design. It was conducted at the
Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University. The current study was held at the second term
of the academic year 2011-2012.
The total number of the students enrolled at the Faculty during this academic year
amounted to 899 registered students. The subjects of the study included a representative
sample (50%) of the registered students was randomly selected using simple random
sampling. It amounted to 450 students.
The data for this study were obtained using the following tools:
Tool 1: A Socio-demographic and Academic Data Questionnaire: It was
developed by the researchers to elicit information about the socio-demographic and
academic characteristics of the studied subjects.
Tool 2: Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS): It was originally developed by
Hunsaker (2001), and then was adapted by Vanderpol in 2011 to assess the degree of
emotional intelligence of different populations. The scale consists of 25 items, which are
rated on a five-point Likert scale. The total score of EIS is ranging from 25 to 125, with a
score ranging from 101 to 125 indicating high, from 50 to 100 indicating moderate, and
below 50 indicating low emotional intelligence.
After developing tool (1), and translating tool (2) into Arabic language, tools (1) and
(2) were tested for their content validity by a group of 5 experts in the psychiatric nursing
field. Then, Tools (2) was tested for reliability by applying it on 25 students using
Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient test. Tool (2) proved to be reliable (α = 0. 929).
A pilot study was carried out on 20 students. This pilot study revealed that study
tools were clear, understood and applicable.
The researcher started the actual data collection by meeting the students on a group
basis in their classes at the beginning of the second, fourth, sixth and eighth semesters during the nursing courses to explain the purpose of the study, reassure them about
anonymity and confidentiality of their responses.
The tool (1) and (2) were distributed to the students, while the researcher attending
the students’ answering of the study tools.
By the end of the eighth (last) semester, the students registered in this semester were
met again on a group basis in the class for the second time to reassess their emotional
intelligence using tool 2 (EIS).
The data were coded, fed and then analyzed using The Statistical Package for the
Social Science (SPSS), version 18.0.
The followings are the main results yielded by the present study:
- More than three-quarters (76.7%) of the studied students were females, with a mean
age of 20.26±1.46 years and 65.3 % of the studied students were living in urban
areas. The majority of the studied students (96.9%) had secondary school degree.
- As regards the academic semester, around one third of the studied students registered
in the eighth semester, and sixth semester (38 % and 32.2% respectively), while the
rest of studied students registered in second and fourth semesters (20% and 9.8%
respectively).
- The majority of the studied students in the second, fourth, sixth and eighth semester
had moderate levels of the total score of emotional intelligence (90.0%, 86.4%,
87.6% and 92.4% respectively). No statistically significant difference was found
between studied students in the four semesters regarding their total score of EI
(p=0.477).
- There was a slight increase in the mean score of emotional intelligence of the studied
students in the second and fourth semesters (84.54±13.35, 84.75±14.25 respectively)
than sixth and eighth semesters (83.94 ± 13.82, 83.93 ± 13.30 respectively).
- No statistically significant difference was found between the studied students in the
second, fourth, sixth and eighth semesters in relation to their mean scores of
emotional intelligence (F= 0.212 and P= 0.888).
- Most of students across the four academic semesters obtained moderate levels of the
five elements of emotional intelligence.
- No statistically significant difference was found between the studied students in the
second, fourth, sixth and eighth semesters in relation to their levels of five elements
of EI (p =0.138, 0.429, 0.459, 0.408 and 0.957 respectively). When comparing the
mean scores of the five elements of EI across the different semesters, no statistically
significant difference was noted between the students in different semesters (p=
0.888, 0.624, 0.646, 0.488 and 0.885 respectively).
- The percentage of students (7.6%) who obtained high level of the total score of
emotional intelligence at the beginning of the eighth semester was increased to 9.9 %
by the end of the semester.
No significant difference was proved between the studied students at the beginning
and at the end of the eighth semester in relation to their levels of emotional
intelligence (= 0.585, p= 0.444).
- By the end of eight semester, the total mean score of emotional intelligence of the
studied students was slightly increased from 83.93±13.30 to 84.41±14.03, with no
statistically significant difference (t= 0.4719, p= 0.6376).
- No statistically significant difference was proved between students at the beginning
and at the end of the eighth semester in relation to self-awareness, motivation,
empathy and social skills (p> 0.05). A statistically significant difference was detected
only regarding managing emotions (= 6.722, p= 0.034).
- At the beginning of the eighth semester the mean scores of self-awareness
(16.65±2.92), managing emotions (16.06±3.43), motivation (16.16±3.40), empathy
(17.41±3.40) and social skills (17.12±3.47) were increased to 16.98±2.89,
16.41±4.03, 16.18±3.56, 17.45±3.76, 17.39±3.74 respectively by the end of the same
semester. With no statistically difference observed (p> 0.05).
- It was noted that male students had slightly increased mean scores of self-awareness
(16.86±3.24), managing emotions (17.15 ±3.29), motivation (16.42±3.38), empathy
(17.88 ±3.40) , social skills (17.65 ±3.65) and total mean score of EI ( 85.95 ±13.28)
than female students (16.56 ± 3.13, 15.78± 3.37, 16.30± 3.42, 17.55± 3.59, 17.12±
3.53 and 83.32± 13.27 respectively).
- It was noted that the studied students who were above twenty years old had slightly
increased mean scores of self-awareness (16.80 ± 2.92), managing emotions (16.23 ±
3.49), motivation (16.36 ± 3.46), empathy (17.89 ± 3.55), social skills (17.54 ± 3.62)
and total mean score of EI (84.81 ± 12.85) than the studied students who aged from
eighteen to twenty years old (16.52 ± 3.31, 16.01 ± 3.33, 16.30 ± 3.37, 17.45 ± 3.54,
17.04 ± 3.51 and 83.33 ± 13.59 respectively). No statistically significant differences
were noticed between the two groups of students.
- The total mean score of EI of urban students (84.31±13.47) was relatively higher
than the rural students (83.23±12.99). A statistically significant difference was
noticed between students who lived in urban areas and those who lived in the rural
areas only regarding the empathy (t=2.474, p=0.014).
- There were no statistical significant differences proved between the studied students
with different GPA and the mean scores of the five elements and the total mean score
of EI (p= 0.641, 0.387, 0.466, 0.569, 0.863 and 0.573 respectively).
Conclusion and Recommendations:
It could be concluded that baccalaureate nursing students at the Faculty of Nursing,
Alexandria University had moderate levels of emotional intelligence. Although these levels
of emotional intelligence did not much progress along the academic semesters, the
students’ level of EI was slightly increased by the end of the last (eighth) semester.
The followings were the main recommendations pertained to this study:
It would be worthwhile to consider the student’s level of EI prior to entrance into the
Faculty of Nursing. Pre-selection measuring of the student’s EI is needed.
Emotional intelligence concept should be incorporated into the nursing curriculum in order to cultivate growth of the student’ emotional intelligence abilities needed to
work in different clinical setting
Regular workshops and seminars should be conducted for the nursing educators and
clinical instructors to provide enough training on how develop and improve their
own and students’ emotional intelligence skills.
Further research is required to study the effect of implementing intervention
programs to develop and improve nursing students’ emotional intelligence skills.
Longitudinal studies are needed to examine changes in emotional intelligence of nursing students prior to entrance into the Faculty of Nursing, and then every year until they obtain their bachelor degrees.