Date

4-2019

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)

Chair

Connie Pearson

Keywords

Christian Higher Education, Christian College, Cultural Identity, Emotions, Emotional Intelligence, Social Cognitive Theory

Disciplines

Education | Higher Education

Abstract

To date, very little research has joined the topics of Christian college students’ emotional intelligence (EI) levels, gender and cultural identity. This study was grounded in the Social Cognitive Theory which states that the environment, cognitive factors, and personal factors inform the learning process. The dependent variable was EI and the two independent variables were cultural identity and gender. The literature review identified varying results where EI, culture and gender are concerned, as well as a documented need for EI to be present both during and after college. Utilizing SurveyMonkey, this study was comprised of an instrument to measure participant EI (TEIQue-SF) and another (MEIM) to measure cultural identity and gender. This causal-comparative (ex post facto) study employed a two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) design to analyze data from 168 volunteer participants located at 29 Christian higher learning institutions located around the USA. The results of the study showed participants with low cultural identity scored significantly higher EI levels than moderate cultural identity participants. Additionally, female participant EI levels were significantly higher than those of the male participants. There was no statistically significant relationship on the interaction effect of participant EI levels based on their cultural identity and gender. Among other aspects of cultural identity and Christian college students, future research should explore the effect of cultural identity of Christian college students who have emigrated to study abroad.

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