Relationship of Emotional Intelligence and Academic Burnout with Mediating Effect of Self-efficacy among University Students

The present study investigated the association between emotional intelligence (EI) and academic burnout with a self-efficacy’s (SE) mediating effect among university students. A cross sectional research design was used in this study which was carried out in Karachi from September 2018 to January 2019. The sample involved 400 full time regular university students from different academic institutions in Karachi, Pakistan. The participants ranged in age from 16 to 25 years (M=21.28, SD=2.12). Participants were given the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Academic Burnout Scale to investigate the association between a student's emotional intelligence, academic self-efficacy, and academic burnout. The descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis were used to compute the results. The findings show that emotional perception, emotional use, emotional self-management, and managing emotions with others were identified as the significant predictors of academic self-efficacy. It was determined that emotional intelligence and academic self-efficacy played a significant influence in preventing academic burnout among undergraduate students. Students with high levels of emotional stability perform better academically, which is influenced by emotional intelligence. Through developed curricula, trainings, exercises, and awareness sessions, educational institutions may create a variety of strategies to sustain not just students' academic performance but also their ability to operate normally in daily life. Academic administrators can readily manage students' academic burnout if they focus on these factors.