Exploring the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Building Resilience among Malaysian Undergraduate Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/sh.v17n1.2198Keywords:
resilience, emotional intelligence, university studentsAbstract
One of the challenges impeding Malaysia's economic growth in 2024 is the condition of the global economy, which would raise the country's unemployment rate. There are generally 224,000 new graduates born in Malaysia every year, yet only 127,000 highly skilled jobs are available. This means that Malaysia produces an excessive number of university graduates. The shortage of job prospects will make it harder for the next graduates to find jobs. Hence, graduates from universities need to be psychologically ready to handle uncertain circumstances. Employers do believe that university graduates must acquire workplace resilience before beginning their careers. People perceive a resilient individual as tough, deserving of respect, and successful. Empirical evidence supports the claim that university students' emotional intelligence and social support play a major role in determining their resilience. Thus, the purpose of this study is to find out the extent to which students’ resilience correlated with social support and emotional intelligence at six Malaysian public universities. To collect data, we conducted a cross-sectional survey with 387 students. The results show a considerable positive correlation between resilience, emotional intelligence, and social support. This study demonstrates the potential influences of social support and emotional intelligence on the development of resilience in Malaysian undergraduate students. The unpredictable nature of the global economy signifies that changes in the university environments are inevitable. This study suggests that enhancing the university's general courses and co-curriculum module will foster students’ willingness to take risks and increase their self-confidence, both of which will increase resilience.
References
American Psychological Association. (2014). The road to resilience. Retrieved from https://advising.unc.edu/files/2020/07/The-Roa d-to-Resiliency.pdf
Barzilay, R., T.M. Moore, D.M. Greenberg, G.E. DiDomenico, L.A. Brown, L.K. White, R.C. Gur, R.E. Gur. (2020). ʻResilience, COVID-19 Stress, Anxiety and Depression During the Pandemic in a Large Population Enriched for Healthcare Providers’, Translational Psychiatry 10(1), 291.
Bottrell, D. (2009). Understanding ‘Marginal’ Perspectives: Towards a Social Theory of Resilience. Qualitative Social Work, 8(3), 321-339.
Bukhori, B., Hassan, Z., Hadjar, I., & Hidayah, R. (2017). The Effect of Spirituality and Social Support from the Family Toward Final Semester University Students’ Resilience. Man In India, 97(19), 313-321.
CBI/Pearson U.K. (2019). Education and learning for the modern world: CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Survey report 2019. Retrieved from https://www.cbi.org.uk/media/3841/12546_tess_2019.pdf. Retrieved on April 10, 2023
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. T. (2003). Development of a New Resilience Scale: The Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18 (2), 76-82.
DeRosier, M. E., Frank, E., Schwartz, V., & Leary, K. A. (2013). The potential role of resilience education for preventing mental health problems for college students. Psychiatric Annals, 43(12), 538–544.
Dumont, Michelle & Provost, Marc A. (1999). Resilience in Adolescents: Protective Role of Social Support, Coping Strategies, Self-Esteem, and Social Activities on Experience of Stress and Depression. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 28, 343–363.
Ershadi, M., Davis, P., Newaz, M. T., & Jefferies, M. (2021). A Resilience Toolkit for Construction Management Graduates. 44th, 163.
Estrada, M., Monferrer, D., Rodríguez, A., & Moliner, M.A. (2021). Emotional Intelligence Influence Academic Performance? The Role of Compassion and Engagement in Education for Sustainable Development. Sustainability, 13, 1721.
Gardner, H. (2000). Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences For The 21st Century. New York: NY, Basic Books
Hamaideh S., Abu Khait A., Al Modallal H., Malak M., Masa’deh R., Hamdan-Mansour A., A.L. Bashtawy M. (2024). Relationships and Predictors of Resilience, Social Support, and Perceived Stress among Undergraduate Nursing Students. Open Nursing Journal, 18, 1-10.
Hazwan Faisal Mohamad (2020) 31 Oktober. Kadar pengangguran belia terus berkurangan. Berita Harian Online. https://www.bhar ian.com.my/berita/nasional/2020/10/741846/kadar-pengangguran-belia-terus-berkurangan.. Retrieved on March 3, 2023
International Labour Organization (2019). ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in December 2019. https://data.worldbank.org Retrieved on March 10, 2022
Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia. (2019). Laporan Survei Tenaga Buruh. Retrieved March 10, 2023 from https://statsdigital.stats.gov.my/Penerbitan/penerbitan/view?id=5f02a784e72b5b7e8a34f1a4
Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia. (2020). Laporan Survei Tenaga Buruh, Retrieved March 10, 2023 from https://library.dosm.gov.my/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=104000&shelfbrowse_itemnumber=134190
Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia. (2023). Laporan Statistik Tenaga Buruh, Retrieved March 10, 2023 from https://storage.dosm.gov.my/labour/lfs_month_2023-11_bm.pdf
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. Batam: New York, NY, USA.
Goleman, D. (1998b). What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review, November-December.
Grigoraskos, K. (2018). The Influence of Teacher Emotional Intelligence on Student Emotional Intelligence, Self-Efficacy, and Academic Achievement (Doctoral dissertation, Touro University International).
Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi. (2015). Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia (PPPM) 2015 – 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2023 from https://www.mohe.gov.my/muat-turun/penerbitan-jurnal-dan-laporan/pppm-2015-2025-pt
Kementerian Pendidikan Tinggi. (2020). Pelan Tindakan Keusahawanan Institusi Pendidikan Tinggi (IPT) 2021-2025. Retrieved March 15, 2023 from https://www.mohe.gov.my/muat-turun/penerbitan-jurnal-dan-laporan/ptk-ipt/2021-2025
Lima, D., Spahi, J., & Shala, V. (2022). The Management of Emotional Intelligence in The Workplace Impact on Improving Employee Performance. Quality-Access to Success, 23(188).
Liu, J. J., Reed, M., & Girard, T. A. (2017). Advancing resilience: An integrative, multi-system model of resilience. Personality and Individual Differences, 111, 111-118.
Masron Mensih, Fauziah Ibrahim, & Nazirah Hassan. (2021). Hubungan antara motivasi pencapaian, kecerdasan emosi dan ketahanan diri dalam kalangan mahasiswa kerja sosial. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 18 (1), 37-48. ISSN: 1823-884x.
McGrath, R., & MacMillan, I. (2000). The entrepreneurial mindset. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press Monika Agarwal, Raj Kamal and S. P. Singh. (2016). The Relationship of Emotional Intelligence to Achievement Motivation. The International Journal of Business & Management, 4(4), 1-4.
Mohd Azis Ngah, Suzalina Halid & Fahmy A. Rosli (2019) 9 Februari. Graduan, siswazah miskin, B40 sukar dapat kerja setimp al. Berita Harian Online. https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2019/07/582258/eksklusif-graduan-siswazah-miskin-b40-sukar-d apat-kerja-setimpal. Retrieved on March 3,
Mohd Nasaruddin Parzi, & Luqman Arif Abd Karim (2020, 31 Oktober). 800,000 hilang kerja sejak COVID-19 melanda. Berita Harian Online. Retrieved March 3, 2023 from https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2020/10/748412/800000-hilang-kerja-sejak-covid-19-melanda
Muhammad Saufi Hassan (2024, 6 Mac). Metro Online 90,000 Bakal menganggur. Retrieved March 6, 2024 from https://www.hmetro.com.my
Nelson, D. & Low, G. (2003). Emotional intelligence: Achieving academic and career excellence. Pearson Higher Education: Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Nettles, S. M., Mucherah, W., & Jones, D. S. (2014). Understanding resilience: The role of social resources. In Crespar Findings (1994-1999), 47-60. Psychology Press.
Noraini Mohd Sukor, Nur Saadah Mohamad Aun, & Ezarina Zakaria. (2019). Sokongan Sosial, Daya Tahan dan Kesejahteraan Subjektif Remaja di Institusi Perlindungan Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, 16 (9), 184-198.
Norasmah Othman (2017). Daya Tahan Pelajar Universiti Awam dan Universiti Swasta. Jurnal Pendidikan Malaysia, 42(1), 77-86.
Ong, A.D., Bergeman, C.S., Bisconti, T.L., Wallace, K.A., (2006). Psychological Resilience, Positive Emotions, And Successful Adaptation To Stress In Later Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 91 (4), 730.
Pidgeon, A.M., Rowe, N.F., Stapleton, P., Magyar, H.B., Lo, B.C.Y. (2014) Examining Characteristics of Resilience among University Students: An International Study. Journal of Social Sciences, 2, 14-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jss.2014.211003
Promsri, C. (2019). The Linkage between Emotional Intelligence and Self-Resilience among International Student in Business Program at a Selected Public University in Thailand. Academy of Social Science Journal, 4(2), 1255-1259.
Puthran R, Zhang MW, Tam WW, Ho RC. (2016). Prevalence of depression amongst medical students: a meta-analysis. Medical Education 50(4), 456-68. doi: 10.1111/medu.12962. PMID: 26995484.
Resnick, B. A., & Inguito, P. L. (2011). The Resilience Scale: Psychometric Properties and Clinical Applicability in Older Adults. Arc Hives Of Psychiatric Nursing, 25(1), 11-20.
Salami, S. O. (2011). Personality And Psychological Well-Being Of Adolescents: The Moderating Role Of Emotional Intelligence. Social Behavior and Personality. 39, 785–794.
Samari, A. (2007). The Study of Correlation Between Emotional Intelligence and Academic Achievement Among University Students. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health, 9(36), 75-80.
Shaw, S.C. (2020) Hopelessness, Helplessness and Resilience: The Importance of Safeguarding Our Trainees’ Mental Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic’, Nurse Education in Practice, 44: 102780.
Srinivasan, P. (2015). Exploring the influences of teacher’s intelligence and emotional intelligence on students’ academic achievement. American Journal of Educational Research, 3(9), 1159-1162.
Tusaie, K., & Dyer, J. (2004). Resilience: A Historical Review of The Construct. Holistic Nursing Practice, 18(1), 3-10.
Ungar, M. (2008). Resilience Across Cultures. British Journal Of Social Work, 38(2), 218-235.
Yıldırım, M., & Tanrıverdi, F. Ç. (2021). Social Support, Resilience and Subjective Well-Being In College Students. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 5(2), 127
Zaidi Ismail (2 January 2024) SinarDaily Malaysia's Economy In 2024 To Stand Pat? (https://www.sinardaily.my/) Retrieved on March 6, 2024
Yamamoto, T., Nishinaka, H., & Matsumoto, Y. (2023). Relationship between Resilience, Anxiety, and Social Support Resources among Japanese Elementary School Students. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 7(1), 100458.
White B., Driver S., Warren A. M. (2010). Resilience and Indicators of Adjustment during Rehabilitation from a Spinal Cord Injury. Rehabil. Psychology. 55, 23–32.
