Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Academic Achievement: Insights from Rehabilitation Students at Hamadan University

Alizadeh, Mahsa; Rostami, Fateme; Mortazavi, Zahra; Naderifar, Homa; Jormand, Hanieh; Mortazavi, Saideh Sadat

doi:10.22038/hmed.2025.85176.1470

Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Academic Achievement: Insights from Rehabilitation Students at Hamadan University

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Mahsa Alizadeh ¹

Fateme Rostami ²

Zahra Mortazavi ³

Homa Naderifar ⁴

Hanieh Jormand ⁵

Saideh sadat Mortazavi ⁶^{, 7}

¹ Student Research Committee, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

² Department of Elementary Education, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran.

³ Student Research Committee, Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

⁴ Hearing Disorders Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

⁵ Autism Spectrum Disorders Research Center and Clinical Research Development Unit of Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, IR, Iran.

⁶ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Institute of Health Sciences and Technology, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

⁷ Student Research Committee, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences,Tehran, Iran.

10.22038/hmed.2025.85176.1470

Abstract

Introduction:Emotional intelligence has an important role in various aspects of people's lives, and the academic achievement index is essential in assessing students' success and evaluating the educational system's performance. This study aims to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic achievement in rehabilitation faculty students.
Materials & Methods:The present study was a cross-sectional study that was conducted using a census method on 180 students of the Faculty of Rehabilitation, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2024-05. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the Bar-on emotional intelligence questionnaire. The mean score of students was used as an index of academic achievement. Data were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation, t-test, and one-way ANOVA using SPSS 22.
Results: The mean scores of emotional intelligence and academic achievement among the students were 248.28±17.06 and 16.74±1.37, respectively. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between emotional intelligence and academic achievement (r=0.19, p=0.01), indicating that students with higher emotional intelligence tended to have higher academic achievement. In addition, emotional intelligence was significantly higher in female students than in male students (250.69 vs. 244.98, p=0.03), and female students had higher academic achievement than male students (17.13 vs. 16.22, p<0.001). Students residing at home had significantly higher academic achievement than those living in dormitories (17.13 vs. 16.61, p=0.03). No statistically significant associations were found between emotional intelligence or academic achievement and the other demographic variables.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that emotional intelligence should be considered as an important, potentially modifiable component of academic support for rehabilitation students. Accordingly, university policymakers and educational planners could incorporate emotional and social skills training into rehabilitation curricula through structured workshops, life-skills programs, and clinical education. Such interventions may help students better manage academic and social pressures, reduce the risk of academic difficulties, and potentially enhance their future professional performance.

Acknowledgments: This article was developed based on the research project approved by the Research Council of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences under project code 45673 in 2024. The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Research and Technology Vice-Chancellor of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences for providing financial support for this research, as well as to the students who participated in the study.

Availability of data and materials:The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Conflicts of interest:The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Consent for publication:This manuscript does not contain any person’s data or images requiring consent for publication.Ethical approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences (Ethics Code: IR.UMSHA.REC.1403.659). The participants were informed that their participation in the study was voluntary. The participants’ data were analyzed and reported anonymously and confidentially. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

Funding:This study was financially supported by the Research and Technology Vice-Chancellor of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences under the approved research project No. 45673.

Authors’ Contributions:MA: Conceptualization, Study design, Data collection and/or processing, Writingoriginal draft, Finalization, and Responsibility for all aspects of the work. FR: Conceptualization, Study design, Data collection and/or processing, Writingoriginal draft, Critical review and editing, Finalization, and Responsibility for all aspects of the work. ZM: Conceptualization, Study design, Data collection and/or processing, Writingoriginal draft, Critical review and editing, Finalization, and Responsibility for all aspects of the work. HJ: Data analysis and/or interpretation. HN: Conceptualization, Study design, Writing—original draft, Critical review and editing, and Finalization. SSM: Conceptualization, Study design, Data collection and/or processing, Data analysis and/or interpretation, Writing—original draft, Critical review and editing, Finalization, and Responsibility for all aspects of the work.

Open Access Policy: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. To view a copy of this licence, visit.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

Keywords

Academic achievement Emotional intelligence Rehabilitation Student

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