CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
One of the important components to live
in the community is the ability to manage the emotions. Emotional
Quotation (EQ) includes the ability to express feelings, awareness and
understanding of emotions and the ability to regulate and control it.
Salovey and Mayer in Awangga (2008), defined Emotional Intelligence
(assertiveness and emotional awareness) or EQ as the ability to know own
feelings and the feelings of others, and use those feelings, requires
thought and behavior. Education is an invaluable asset because it is the
basis for the individual and society. A factor that can support the
success of senior secondary school education accounting is emotional
intelligence (assertiveness and self awareness). Accounting knowledge is
instrumental to hold and run the company's operations because the
accounting provides financial information to support the decision making
process. The role and function of accounting in the world of education
is to provide quantitative information, especially about finance, that
is useful in making economic decisions for entities.
It can be imagined when an accountant in
a company does not have the integrity and high emotional intelligence.
The operational activities of the company will not be able to run
smoothly and the company will not be able to develop because the
accountant may not be able to present the correct company's financial
statements. Based on the above descriptions, it can be concluded that
emotional intelligence has an important role for accounting students
career and the career of an accountant. Nevertheless, formal education
in Nigeria, Ondo State in particular ranging from elementary schools,
junior high schools, and high school, still has not taught the emotional
intelligence that may result in students good attitudes such as
integrity, commitment, as well as visionary that needed by the young
generation. Formal education is still seeing a student from learning
outcomes or scores gained on learning process in class as evidenced by
the ranking in school, and their IQ scores. It can be concluded that the
formal education assess students is clever based on the numerical
facts. It is regardless of how they control themselves, self-knowledge,
motivation, empathetic attitude toward others, and social skills to
interact with others. Sundem (1993) in Rachmi (2010) worried about the
lack of clarity on the accounting industry generated by secondary school
accounting system; this is because many secondary schools are not able
to make their students good in the knowledge and life skills. Students
are familiar with the memorization learning but they do not understand
the lesson. This make the students tend to easily forget what they've
learned or difficult to understand what will be taught next. Daniel
Goleman in Martin (2003) mentioned that intellectual intelligence
contributed only 20 percent to the success of someone's life. The rest,
80 percent relies on the emotional intelligence. However, it cannot be
said that the value in the form number is not more important than
emotional intelligence. This value is used to measure the extent to
which a student is disciplined and conscientious in following formal
learning. Because, formal education is also important to provides a
broader knowledge for students in accordance with their field. A student
should not only gain knowledge through formal education. If student
seeks knowledge outside the classroom, then they will occupy one level
above the student who only seek knowledge in the classroom. McClelland
(1973) in Agustian (2001) stated that a set of specific skills such as
empathy, self-discipline, and initiative may determine those who are
successful in jobs. Academic achievements may predicate not be the only
indicator of a person's performance on the job or the success can be
achieved. There are many examples that show the academic success
resulting in the success at work. Often, a low formal education
achievers are more successful at work because they have high emotional
intelligence.
Based on components of emotional
intelligence, Yuniani (2010) conducted a study to determine which of the
components of emotional intelligence that affects to the level of
understanding in accounting. The results showed that self-awareness,
self-regulation and motivation affect the level of understanding of
accounting students. While, empathy and social skills are not affect to
the level on understanding of accounting.
However, there are some studies that
show emotional intelligence cannot predict academic achievement. This is
evidenced by a study conducted by Dewanto and Nurhayati (2012) which
shows that emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence do not
affect the attitude of ethical and accounting student achievement.
Ardana (2013) also showed that only the Intellectual Intelligence can
significantly predict accounting students' academic performance. While,
the other independent variables such as emotional intelligence,
spiritual intelligence, and physical intelligence failed to predict the
Academic Achievement of accounting students. Thus, a study conducted by
Barchard (2003) explained that Emotional Intelligence is not a primary
factor that determines academic success. Emotional Intelligence is
associated with academic success, but its role is not greater than
verbal skills. Cognitive ability and personality characteristics take
more important role in predicting academic success. Although each of
these researchers have different dependent variable, but the elements is
academic dimension that can reflect achievements as it will also be
examined in this research work. But, despite having some similarities
with the study plan, this research chooses achievement based on grade
point average, of accounting students. This research work develops the
study of Prasetyo (2013), who explored whether there is a relationship
between emotional intelligence and the achievement of an accounting
student from selected secondary schools in Iwaro Oka community in Oka
Akoko Ondo State. The motivation of the research work is to deeply
examine the components of emotional intelligence that will affect
significantly on academic results on accounting students, and to
determine whether there are differences in the results of studies that
have been conducted previously and this recent research. This research
uses different population and there are additional variables from
previous studies. In the previous study, independent variables used are
emotional intelligence and learning behavior, while this research uses
emotional intelligence as an independent variable that will be
categorized into five criteria based on Goleman (2005) covering
Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social skill.
Statement of the Problem
Formal
education in Nigeria, Ondo State in particular ranging from elementary
schools, junior high schools, and high school, still has not taught the
emotional intelligence that may result in students good attitudes such
as integrity, commitment, as well as visionary that needed by the young
generation. Formal education is still seeing a student from learning
outcomes or scores gained on learning process in class as evidenced by
the ranking in school, and their IQ scores. It is regardless of how they
control themselves, self-knowledge, motivation, empathetic attitude
toward others, and social skills to interact with others. Lack of
clarity on the accounting industry generated by secondary school
accounting system; this is because many secondary schools are not able
to make their students good in the knowledge and life skills. Students
are familiar with the memorization learning but they do not understand
the lesson. This make the students tend to easily forget what they've
learned or difficult to understand what will be taught next.
Research Questions
- What are the components of emotional intelligence?
- What is the relative influence of assertiveness and emotional self awareness on students' academic achievement?
Aims and Objectives of the Study
- To analyze the components of emotional intelligence.
- To investigate if the components of emotional intelligence (Self
Awareness, self regulation, motivation, social skills and empathy) have
effect on students' academic achievement.
- To investigate the importance of emotional intelligence on accounting students’ academic achievement.
Benefit of the Study
The purpose of this research work is to
determine whether self awareness among the components of emotional
intelligence which consists of five categories, such as: (1).
Self-Awareness, (2). Self-Regulation, (3). Motivation, (4). Empathy, and
(5). Social Skills that are effect on students' academic achievement on
accounting. The motivation of the research work is to deeply examine
the components of emotional intelligence that will affect significantly
on academic results on accounting students.
Emotional intelligence is very
significant and important for everyone, especially the students who are
in the learning phase for their future career. Thus, graduate students
from secondary and even higher institution should increase their
emotional intelligence level. To achieve it, it requires educators to
actually implement these changes into their educational programs.
Business educators, in particular, have a responsibility to provide
graduated students with a strong foundation in both technical and
emotional training so they are later become a good person, an effective
managers and dynamic leaders.
This research
work, therefore, is also very significant as it contribute to the
existing body of knowledge related to the effect of self assertiveness
and self awareness (emotional intelligence) on the performance of accounting students.
Scope of the Study
This research
work is centralized on the effect of assertiveness and emotional self
awareness (emotional intelligence) on students achievement in accounting
and with sub topical issues that are related to the subject matter such
as; conceptualization of emotional intelligence, its
importance and ways in which self awareness among other components of
emotional intelligence affect the achievement of accounting students
among other interesting and unavoidable topics.
Limitation of the Study
This research work has the
potential to be very and highly extensive. However, some limitations
prevent that to happen. Limitation such as limited timeframe,
insufficient funds and limited source of information such as; limited
books, internet source, internet link etc.
Definition of Terms
Self awareness: Is the ability to know our internal situation and it is very important in the formation of a positive self-concept.
Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence as the ability to monitor and control own feelings and use those feelings to guide thought and action.
Accounting Student: Is someone studying scientific study of account.
Academic Achievement: Is a result of the efforts that have been achieved by someone in the field of scientific knowledge and theory.