THE ASSESSMENT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI) ON RISK-TAKING BEHAVIORS AMONG STUDENTS OF SELECTED TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Authors

  • A. T. Kadiri Business Administration Department, Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State
  • O. E. BABATIMILEHIN Business Administration Department, Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State
  • A. Adesanya Public Administration Department, Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State

Keywords:

Emotional intelligence, Risk-taking behavior, self-awareness, self-control

Abstract

The study examines the relevance of emotional intelligence on risk-taking behaviors among students
of selected tertiary institution in Kwara State, Nigeria. Emotional intelligence (EI), comprising self-
awareness, self-regulation, self-control, and motivation, plays a critical role in shaping how
individuals perceive and respond to risks. The study aims to determine whether emotional
intelligence contributes to the variation in risk-taking behaviors among tertiary institution students.
The population of the study comprised four hundred and thirty-two selected students from the
2023/2024 academic session. Primary data was obtained through a well-structured questionnaire. A
total of 432 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the respondents, and only 401 copies
were validly returned and used for this study. The formulated hypotheses were analyzed using
Pearson correlation, and the results revealed that emotional intelligence and risk-taking are
statistically significant, forming an essential component of gender balance in risk-taking behaviors
among students (p-value of F = 0.0000 < 0.05), with a positive regression coefficient of 0.01. The
study recommends that emotional intelligence training should be incorporated into educational
programs to foster more adaptive risk management strategies among students.

Published

2025-06-20

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Articles