The relationship between emotional intelligence and tendency toward critical thinking with academic success in nursing students: : An analytic sectional descriptive study

Considering controversial results about the role of emotional intelligence and tendency toward critical thinking in academic success, the present study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between emotional intelligence and tendency toward critical thinking with academic success in nursing students.

The present study was an analytic sectional descriptive study using convenient sampling method that was conducted on 120 nursing students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in year 2018-2019. Data was collected with questionnaire; the questionnaire consisted of three parts: demographic characteristics, the Schutte scale, and tendency toward critical thinking questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and independent t test.

Results showed that the mean score of emotional intelligence among nursing students was 109.15) 9.23) and the mean score of critical thinking was 116.96 (12.79). No significant relationship was found between emotional intelligence and its elements with academic success. Also, there was no significant relationship between critical thinking and its elements with academic success (p > 0.05).

Lack of a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and critical thinking with academic success might be due to the nature of academic achievement tests as well as the specific focus on remembering and memorizing the educational content as a criterion for evaluation. Therefore, it is recommended that, along with focusing on the ability of personal memory learning, development of cognitive and emotional skills of the students would also be attended.