Emotional intelligence in relation to ethical values of Malaysian university students

Abstract

University students who are commonly regarded as generation Y (Gen-Y) is exposed to a lot of emotional challenges and there has been evidence of decline in moral standards among Malaysian university students. Consequently, the ethical issues among young generation might jeopardize the national aspirations to develop future intellectual generations who are capable to manage their emotions as well as to resolve ethical dilemmas. There is a lack of research investigating the emotional intelligence mechanisms in relation to university students’ ethical values. Therefore, as to cultivate the holistic well-being of a nation with good moral values among future leaders, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence and ethical values. This study also investigate whether there are differences of emotional intelligence level and ethical values level between first year and final year students. A quantitative research design was utilized and the respondents comprised of 217 undergraduate students in School of Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. USM Emotional Quotient (USMEQ-i) Questionnaire and Ethical Values Questionnaire were used as the instruments in this study. The analysis of the results were in the form of inferential statistics. Results revealed that there was a significant relationship (p < 0.05) between emotional intelligence and ethical values. The independent t-test result was clearly depicted that there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the scores for emotional intelligence level for first year and final year students meanwhile there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the scores for ethical values level for first year and final year students. The present study contributes to an understanding of the relationship and impact of emotional intelligence on ethical values. This study has highlighted that individuals with high level of emotional intelligence is perceived to be more ethical.