ENUGU STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES Volume 7 Number 2, 2022Volume 7 Number 2, 2022 73 Perceived Factors Influencing Emotional Intelligence among Adolescents Irene A. Ofili Department of Biology and Forensic Sciences Faculty of Sciences Admiralty University of Nigeria Irene.okonmah@gmail.com Abstract The study investigated perceived factors influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. A total of 128 participants comprising 57 males and 71 females were selected from students’ population of Ozalla High School Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State. The participants were selected from senior secondary school students in class two (SS 2) making use of available sampling technique. They are within the ages of 15 – 22 years, with a mean age of 18.1 and a standard deviation of 1.7. A 33 – item of self-referencing statements developed by Schutte et al. (1998) was used to measure Emotional Intelligence. A cross sectional design was adopted while Chi square as a statistic was applied to analyze the data. Results showed that a significant influence of recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents was observed, X2 (df,1) = 48 at p<.001; also a significant influence of facial expression as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents was observed X2 (df,1) = 7.26 at p<.01; and a significant influence of positive mood as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents was observed, X2 (df,1) = 48 at p<.001. The findings were discussed in relation to literatures reviewed and suggestions made. Keywords: Adolescence, emotions, intelligent quotient, nonverbal cues and wellbeing Introduction Emotional intelligence began to appear as early as in the 1920s, but only in 1990s, researchers started to explore the idea or theory of Emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to monitor one’s own and other’s feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions. Gardner and Qualter, (2010) Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences introduced the idea that traditional types of intelligence, such as IQ, fail to fully explain cognitive ability. He introduced the idea of multiple intelligences which included both interpersonal intelligence (the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people) and intrapersonal intelligence (the capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations. mailto:Irene.okonmah@gmail.coM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Gardner http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_intelligences 74 The first use of the term "emotional intelligence" is usually attributed to Wayne Payne's doctoral thesis, A Study of Emotion: Developing Emotional Intelligence from 1985. The first published use of 'EQ' (Emotional Quotient) seems to be by Keith Beasley in 1987 in an article in the British Mensa magazine (Beasley, 1987). However, prior to this, the term "emotional intelligence" had appeared (Beldoch 1964; Leuner, 1966). The distinction between trait emotional intelligence and ability emotional intelligence was introduced in 2000 (Petrides & Furnham, 2000). Emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior (Colman, 2008). Emotional intelligence also reflects abilities to join intelligence, empathy and emotions to enhance thought and understanding of interpersonal dynamics (Mayer, 2008). However, substantial disagreement exists regarding the definition of EI, with respect to both terminology and operationalizations. Currently, there are three main models of EI: (i) Ability model (ii) Mixed model (usually subsumed under trait EI) (Kluemper, 2008; Martins, Ramalho, & Morin, 2010) and (iii) Trait model Different models of EI have led to the development of various instruments for the assessment of the construct. While some of these measures may overlap, most researchers agree that they tap different constructs. Specific ability models address the ways in which emotions facilitate thought and understanding. For example, emotions may interact with thinking and allow people to be better decision makers (Lyubomirsky et al. 2005; Mayer, 2008). A person who is more responsive emotionally to crucial issues will attend to the more crucial aspects of his or her life (Mayer, 2008). Aspects of emotional facilitation factor are to also know how to include or exclude emotions from thought depending on context and situation (Mayer, 2008). This is also related to emotional reasoning and understanding in response to the people, environment and circumstances one encounters in his or her day-to-day life (Mayer, 2008). However, the term became widely known with the publication of Goleman's, (1995) Emotional Intelligence - Why it can matter more than IQ. It is to this book's best-selling status that the term can attribute its popularity. Goleman, (1998), has followed up with several further http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctoral_thesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychometrics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_reasoning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Goleman 75 popular publications of a similar theme that reinforce use of the term (Goleman, 1998; & Goleman, 2005). To date, tests measuring emotional intelligence have not replaced IQ tests as a standard metric of intelligence. Emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior. However, substantial disagreement exists regarding the definition of emotional intelligence, with respect to both terminology and operationalization. According to Harrod, Scott and Sheer (2005) emotional intelligence is a collection of success-oriented traits of a person, whereas Goleman, (1999) briefly described emotional intelligence as how each individual would differ in their way to become a smart person. He further argued that emotional intelligence is different from IQ; emotional intelligence is about how well ones manage his or her relationship with others, how well ones can work in teams and his or her ability to lead. Salovey and Mayer (1990) stated that an emotionally intelligent person is skilled in four areas: identifying, using, understanding, and regulating emotions. Observation shows that emotional intelligence consists of five components: knowing one’s emotions (self-awareness), managing them, motivating self, recognizing emotions in others (empathy), and handling relationships. Emotional intelligence is an indispensable component in augmenting individual’s capability and abilities in communication and interpersonal relationships. Psychologist has found out that IQ only adding about 20% of life accomplishment while the remaining 80% comes from other aspects including emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1995). Dulewicz and Higgs, (2000) recognized the significance of overseeing feeling as instruments to focus life success. Execution and life achievement is identified with the part of understudies in higher learning organizations. They must be prepared for entering the occupation. Emotional intelligence concerns people’s self-perceptions of their own emotional abilities and skills, personality characteristics and behavioral dispositions that influence their ability to cope successfully with environmental demands and pressure. The concept of emotional intelligence has emerged as an important but still relatively understudied element of competence. Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to abilities concerning recognition and regulation of emotions in self and others, and to use this information to guide 76 one’s thinking and actions (Mayer, Salovey & Caruso, 2008). Thus, emotional intelligence is involved in the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings, understand the information of those emotions, and manage them. Researchers investigated dimensions of emotional intelligence by measuring related concepts, such as social skills, interpersonal competence, psychological maturity and emotional awareness, long before the term ‘emotional intelligence’ came into use. Teachers in schools have been teaching the rudiments of emotional intelligence since 1978, with the development of the Self Science Curriculum and the teaching of classes such as "social development," "social and emotional learning," and "personal intelligence," all aimed at raising the level of social and emotional competence" (Goleman, 1995). Social scientists are just beginning to uncover the relationship of emotional intelligence to other phenomenon, for example, leadership group performance, individual performance, interpersonal/social exchange, managing change, and conducting performance evaluations (Goleman, 1995). The emergence of emotional intelligence concept can be based on the study governed by Spearman and Thorndike in 1920s by claiming that social skill is important element intelligence and describing social intelligence (Wong & Law 2002). The concept of emotional intelligence was described as the ability of a person to cope with one’s emotions, for the first time in 1990, by two physiologist named Salovey and John Mayer (Wong & Law, 2002). Then, the book titled “Emotional Intelligence” and published in 1995 by Goleman attracted considerable attention. Although human behaviour and performance focus on rational behaviour, our thoughts, actions and conclusions are the emotional side of our nature (Wong et al. 2001). Salovey & Mayer (1990) defined emotional intelligence as “the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions”. The definition of Salovey & Mayer (1997) focuses on four abilities: perception, use, understanding and management of emotions. Perception of emotions is the ability of discovering and perceiving emotions in faces, pictures and cultural works. Use of emotions is the ability to use emotions for facilitating cognitive activities such as thinking and problem solving. Understanding emotions is the ability to comprehend the language of emotions and to understand the complex relationships between emotions. Management of emotions means the ability of managing owns emotions and others’ emotions (Salovey & Grewal, 2005). 77 Emotional Intelligence embraces and draws from numerous other branches of behavioural, emotional and communications theories, such as NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Transactional Analysis, and empathy. By developing our Emotional Intelligence in these areas and the five emotional intelligence domains we can become more productive and successful at what we do, and help others to be more productive and successful too. The process and outcomes of Emotional Intelligence development also contain many elements known to reduce stress for individuals and organizations, by decreasing conflict, improving relationships and understanding, and increasing stability, continuity and harmony. Emotional intelligence refers to an ability to recognize the meanings of emotion and their relationships and to reason and problem-solve on the basis of them. Statement of the Problem Emotional intelligence of students plays an important role in determining the educational institution success. These days, students are more sensitive and very reactive towards the action of their teachers. Emotional intelligence of students not only affects their academic but also affect their peer group. Intelligence is a capability and also an indicator of creativity being influence and enhanced by numerous factors, some of which are biological, cultural, nurturance, or even psychological depending on other components or attributes one may possess. A focus on one or these factors becomes very pertinent to justify their contributions towards the degree of emotional intelligence. Hence, the study intends to find answers to the problem stated below: Will there be a significant influence of recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents? Will there be a significant influence of facial expression as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents? Will there be a significant influence of positive mood as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents? 78 Purpose of the study The aim of the study are stated below: To determine whether there be a significant influence of recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents To verify whether there will be a significant influence of facial expression as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. To examine whether there will be a significant influence of positive mood as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents Theoretical Review Petrides (2009) in his trait theory of emotional intelligence proposed a conceptual distinction between the ability based model and trait based model of emotional intelligence. Trait emotional intelligence is a constellation of emotion-related self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality. In a lay man’s term, emotional intelligence is referred to as the individuals self-perception of their emotional abilities. This definition emotional intelligence is encompasses the behavioural dispositions and self-perceived abilities and is measured by self- report, as opposed to the ability based model which refers to actual abilities, which have proven highly resistant to scientific measurement. Emotional intelligence theory This theory is a relatively recent behavioural model, rising to prominence with Daniel Goleman's 1995 book called 'Emotional Intelligence'. The early Emotional Intelligence theory was originally developed during the 1970s and 80s by the work and writings of psychologists Howard Gardner (Harvard), Peter Salovey (Yale) and John 'Jack' Mayer (New Hampshire). Emotional Intelligence is increasingly relevant to organizational development and developing people, because the emotional intelligence principles provide a new way to understand and assess people's behaviours, management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and potential. Emotional Intelligence is an important consideration in human resources planning, job profiling, recruitment interviewing and selection, management development, customer relations and customer service, and more. Emotional Intelligence links strongly with concepts of love and spirituality: bringing compassion and humanity to work, and also to 'Multiple 79 Intelligence' theory which illustrates and measures the range of capabilities people possess, and the fact that everybody has a value. The emotional intelligence concept argues that intelligence quotient, or conventional intelligence, is too narrow; that there are wider areas of emotional intelligence that dictate and enable how successful we are. Success requires more than IQ (Intelligence Quotient), which has tended to be the traditional measure of intelligence, ignoring essential behavioural and character elements. We've all met people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially and inter-personally inept. And we know that despite possessing a high intelligence quotient rating, success does not automatically follow. Different approaches and theoretical models have been developed for emotional intelligence. This summary focuses chiefly on the Goleman interpretation. The work of Mayer, Salovey and David Caruso (Yale) is also very significant in the field of emotional intelligence, and will in due course be summarized here too. Factors affecting emotional intelligence Goleman (1995) identified five factors that affect emotional intelligence. They are self- awareness, motivation, empathy, and social skills. He has also mentioned the influenced of communication on all these factors. Similarly, Bar-On (2000) has also identified six factors, such as intrapersonal ability, interpersonal ability, stress management, adaptability, general mood and communication excellence.  Self-awareness – the ability to know one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals and recognize their impact on others while using gut feelings to guide decisions.  Self-regulation – involves controlling or redirecting one's disruptive emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances.  Social skill – managing relationships to move people in the desired direction  Empathy - considering other people's feelings especially when making decision  Motivation - being driven to achieve for the sake of achievement. The term emotional intelligence (EI) has received much attention over the past several decades. The topic has generated a lot of research and has become a topic in popular culture. While the bulk of this interest is relatively new, the history of emotional intelligence extends much further back to the early twentieth century. Some early adopters of the term emotional http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-awareness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut_feeling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_self-regulation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_skill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation 80 intelligence includes Leuner (1966), Payne (1986) and exploration into this topic continued with the work of Salovey and Mayer (1990). The theory put forward by Salovey and Mayer defines emotional intelligence as a composition of four related abilities that include emotion management, understanding, perception and facilitation (Mayer & Salovey, 1997). While Salovey and Mayer were among the first to conceptualize emotional intelligence, it was Daniel Goleman’s (1995) popular book, Emotional Intelligence that catapulted the term into mainstream popular culture. At the crux of Goleman’s theory is the application of emotional intelligence in real world scenarios. He claims that high EI is advantageous in all aspects of life including organizational behaviour, relationships and the work place. For these reasons, the concept gained recognition in the press and generated a lot of interest amongst the public, particularly in business environments. However, there is little empirical evidence to support Goleman’s claims and many have questioned the usefulness of emotional intelligence and wondered how it was distinct from other previously established constructs (Ciarrochi, Dean & Anderson, 2002). With the introduction of the theory in 1990 and the popularization of Goleman’s book, several new theories have surfaced adding significant support for the construct validity of EI (Bar-On, 1997; Mayer & Salovey, (1997); Schutte et al., 1998; Petrides & Furnham, 2000). These new theories suggest there is no agreed upon definition of emotional intelligence, but they have however shown that the research has generated much discussion and literature on the topic. Empirical review Katyal and Awasthi, (2005) found the differences in gender do not influence the level of emotional intelligence. The location of a person lives, grows up and the environment of their living place can be a factor that affects the emotional intelligence of an individual. This is evidenced by Nasir and Iqbal (2005) whereby they found that locality influences the level of emotional intelligence. Nevertheless, Nicholas Harrod, Scott and Scheer, (2005) found that region of origin and hometown location does not affect the emotional intelligence of an individual. Cook, Bay, Visser, Myburgh and Njoroge, (2011) who conducted a study in three universities found that, only one university showed to have higher emotional intelligence than the others (Najib Marzuki, Che Mustaffa, Zarina Saad, SuhainiMuda, Suhanim Abdullah & Wan Che Din, 2012). 81 Mayer and Salovey (1993) engaged in research that indicated emotional intelligence involved a set of hierarchical abilities. At the top of the hierarchy is the ability to accurately perceive, assess and express emotions. This is followed by ability to generate feelings when it is necessary to understand the self or others. The next level is the ability to understand emotions, which is followed by the ability to regulate emotions. More recent research into the ability construct of emotional intelligence suggests there are as many as skills or abilities associated with emotional intelligence (Freshman & Rubino, 2004). Goleman’s, (1998) model is very similar to that of Mayer and Salovey, (1997), but focuses on competency rather than ability. Some of the more recent models postulate five domains that can be measured to determine the respective abilities of an individual. These domains are: interpersonal skills; intrapersonal skills; stress management; adaptability; and general mood (Hayashi, 2006). Although the concept of emotional intelligence is different from cognitive or general intelligence, there is some evidence that emotional intelligence affects the way cognitive intelligence is used (Reiff, Hatzes, Bramel & Gibbon 2001). Goleman, (1995) cites a longitudinal study in which the level of impulse control or self- regulatory behavior among 4 year old children correlated to their later academic performance based on standard measures such as grade point average (GPA). Reiff et al, (2001) investigated the relationship between learning disabilities and emotional intelligence among college students, with the findings indicating that students with learning disabilities have lower scores in the areas of stress management and adaptability. In addition, the findings of the study indicated that there were gender differences in the relationship between emotional intelligence and learning disabilities. The study involved a sampling of 54 college students with previous identified learning disabilities and a control group of 78 students with a previously identified learning disability. Emotional intelligence was evaluated using the EQ-I developed by Bar-On (2000), with the findings from the study and control groups analyzed by means of MANOVA statistics. The authors contended that lower levels of emotional intelligence among students with learning disabilities suggested that they should receive additional instruction in the areas of stress management and adaptability. Safavi et al. (2008) investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and socio-emotional adjustment in pre-university girl students in Tehran. The results of the study showed that there was a significant correlation between emotional intelligence and socio- emotional adjustment. Emotional intelligence has been found to be a predictor of life 82 satisfaction, healthy psychological adaptation, positive interactions with peers and family, and higher parental warmth. Lower emotional intelligence has also been found to be associated with violent behaviour, illegal use of drugs and alcohol, and participation in delinquent behaviour. While it might be correct that there have been a lot of theorizing in the usefulness of emotional intelligence in helping the adolescent in adjustment to academic, social and school life, there is a paucity of empirical data in this regard. The purpose of the present study is to determine the extent of relationship between emotional intelligence and adjustment of school adolescents, so that efforts can be made to develop a strategic plan for recommending to the school to improve the emotional intelligence of children and hence, helping the adolescents to make this period a more adjusting and enjoyable time leading to success in adolescents life. Emotional intelligence and adjustment of adolescent were found to be significantly correlated (r = 0.443*) at 5 per cent level of significance. The sub-aspects of emotional intelligence and adjustment also had a significant correlation with each other, except self-development aspect of emotional intelligence which had non-significant correlation with overall adjustment and its sub-aspects. Results are in contention with Engelberg and Sjoberg (2004), and Safavi et al. (2008), who preached that emotional intelligence was related quite strongly to social adjustment. The probable reason for the present findings might be due to the fact that emotional intelligence primarily deals with managing and expressing one’s emotions as well as social skills. Since females tend to be more emotional and intimate in relationships as compared to males, so their emotional intelligence ought to be higher than that of males. This is perhaps because of the society, which socializes the two genders differently as has been found in study (Duckelt & Raffalli, 1989). Farooq (2003) examined the effect of emotional intelligence on academic performance of 246 adolescent students and found that students with high emotional intelligence show better academic performance than the students with low emotional intelligence. According to Petrides, Pita and Kokkinaki (2007) and his colleagues, the construct can alternatively be labeled as trait emotional self-efficacy; it is located at the lower levels lf personality hierarchies and it is measured via self-reports. Research evidence has shown that emotional intelligence is related, directly or indirectly, to better adjustment or success in academic, personal, social or occupational settings (Petrides, et al, 2007). High emotional intelligence is associated with 83 lower levels of anxiety and depression (Bar-on, 1988), occupational stress (Bar-on, 1997) and burnout with higher levels of job satisfaction (Carmeli, 2003). Hypotheses The hypotheses stated below were tested: I. There will be no significant influence of recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. II. There will be no significant influence of facial expression as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. III. There will be no significant influence of positive mood as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. METHOD Participants A total of 128 participants comprising 57 males and 71 females were selected from students’ population of Ozalla High School Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State. The participants were selected from senior secondary school students in class two (SS 2) making use of available sampling technique. They are within the ages of 15 – 22 years, with a mean age of 18.1 and a standard deviation of 1.7. Instrument The researcher employed an Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire developed by Schutte et al. (1998). It is a 33 – item of self-referencing statements scale and requires participants to rate the extent they agree or disagree with each statement. It is structured in a 5- point Likert format ranging from Strongly Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Neither Disagree nor Agree (3), Agree (4), Strongly Agree (5), reflecting to the degree with which the items best applies or describes the participant. However, the researcher using the items adapted from Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (Schutte et al., 1998) carried a pilot study using 30 participants drawn from Community Secondary School Umueze in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State. Based on the pilot study the response options were adapted 84 Yes / No, hence, a split half reliability coefficient of 0.31 was obtained using Pearson Product moment correlation coefficient and a corrected value of 0.47 using Spearman Brown. Procedure A total of 140 copies of the questionnaire were distributed within a period of three weeks across the target population of Ozalla High School Ozalla in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State. The administration of the research instrument was carried out using group testing in their various classes with the help of their class tutors. 136 copies were returned, 2 copies were unaccounted for, and 8 copies are wrongly filled and were discarded. Thus, 128 copies properly completed was used for data analysis Design/statistics Cross sectional design was adopted based on the distribution of the questionnaire across the target population without manipulation of the research variable; while chi square as a statistic was applied to test the difference between observed and expected frequencies in relation to frequency of responses across items. RESULTS Table I: Summary table of Chi-square on the difference between observed and expected frequencies on recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. Item 22: I easily recognize my emotions as I experience them N df Response X2 P Yes No 128 1 100 28 48 <.001 From table I above, chi-calculated value of 48 is found to be greater than chi-critical value of 10.83 at p<.01 indicating a significant outcome. Hence, hypothesis I which stated that “there will be no significant influence of recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents” is hereby rejected. This means that a 85 significant influence of recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents is obtained in relation to observed and expected frequencies. Table II: Summary table chi-square on the difference between observed and expected frequencies on facial expression as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. Item 18: By looking at their facial expression, I recognize the emotions people are experiencing I am restless and can’t keep still N df Response X2 P Yes No 128 1 78 50 7.26 <.01 From table II above, chi-calculated value of 7.26 is found to be greater than chi-critical value of 6.64 at p<.01 indicating a significant outcome. Hence, hypothesis II which stated that “there will be no significant influence of facial expression as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents” is hereby rejected. This means that a significant influence of facial expression as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents is obtained in relation to observed and expected frequencies. Table III: Summary table of Chi-square on the difference between observed and expected frequencies on positive mood as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. Item 17: When I am in positive mood, solving my problems is easy for me N df Response X2 P Yes No 128 1 100 28 48 <.001 From table III above Chi-calculated value of 48.00 is greater than chi-critical value of 10.83 at p<.001, indicating a significant outcome. Hence, hypothesis I which stated that “there will be no significant influence of positive mood as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents” is hereby rejected. This means that a significant influence of 86 positive mood as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents is obtained in relation to observed and expected frequencies. Table IV: Summary table of chi-square on the difference between observed and expected frequencies on other perceived factors influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. S/N Items X2 p 1 I know when to speak about my personal problems from others 53.48 <.001 2 When I am faced with obstacles, I remember times I faced similar obstacles and overcame them 29.04 <.001 3 I expect that I will do well on most things I try 25.04 <.001 4 Other people find it easy to confide in me 48.00 <.001 5 I find it hard to understand the non-verbal messages of other people 53.48 <.001 6 Some of the major events of my life have led me to re-evaluate what is important and not important 29.04 <.001 7 When my mood changes I see new possibilities 25.04 <.001 8 Emotions are some of the things that made my life worth living 29.04 >.05 9 I am aware of my emotions as I experience them 3.70 >.05 10 I expect good things to happen 1.34 >.05 11 I like to share my emotions with others 9.48 <.01 12 When I experience a positive emotion, I know how to make it last 7.26 <.01 13 I arrange events others enjoy 7.26 <.01 14 I seek out activities that make me happy 5.34 <.05 15 I am aware of non-verbal messages I send to others 21.34 <.001 16 I present myself in a way that makes a good impression on others 29.04 <.001 19 I know why my emotion change 19.60 <.001 20 When am in a positive mood, I am able to come up with new ideas 19.60 <.001 21 I have control over my emotions 19.04 <.001 23 I motivate myself by imagining a good outcome to tasks I take on 14.82 <.001 24 I compliment others when they have done something well 29.04 <.001 25 I am aware of the non-verbal messages other people send 29.04 <.001 87 26 When another person tells me about an important event in his or her life, I almost feel as though I experience this event myself 1.34 >.05 27 When I feel a change in emotions, I tend to come up with new ideas 7.26 <.01 28 When I am faced with challenge, I give up because I believe I will fail 5.34 <.05 29 I know what other people are feeling just by looking at them 29.04 <.001 30 I help other people feel better when they are down 19.60 <.001 31 I use good moods to help myself keep trying in the face of obstacles 25.04 <.001 32 I can tell how people are feeling by listening to the tune of their voice 53.48 <.001 33 It is difficult for me to understand why people feel the way they do 25.04 <.001 From table IV above, a significant difference is observed in relation to other perceived factors influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. This means that the above perceived factors contributed in various dimensions in expression of emotional intelligence among adolescents. DISCUSSION The outcome of the study indicates that the hypotheses tested were disconfirmed and thus yielded significant outcomes. In relation to the first hypothesis which stated that “there will be no significant influence of recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents” was disconfirmed and hereby rejected. Also in relation to the second hypothesis which stated that “there will be no significant influence of facial expression as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents” was also disconfirmed and rejected. In addition, the third hypothesis which stated that “there will be no significant influence of positive mood as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents” was also rejected. The three hypotheses are indicative of the fact that recognition of emotions, facial expression and positive mood are significant factors influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents. The outcome of the study supports previous investigations based on emotional intelligence and its role in understanding human emotions. Other factors that significantly influence emotional intelligence as found in the study 88 were: personal problems faced with obstacles personal expectations, trust, understanding the non verbal messages, major events in my life, mood changes, being aware of ones emotion sharing emotions with others, engage in activities that make me happy, positive self perception, having control over my emotions, self motivation based on imagination, accepting compliments from others, understanding the others feeling, and helping other people feel good. Katyal and Awasthi, (2005) found that gender differences do not influence the level of emotional intelligence; while Nasir and Iqbal (2005) found that locality influences the level of emotional intelligence. Nevertheless, Nicholas Harrod, Scott and Scheer, (2005) found that region of origin and hometown location does not affect the emotional intelligence of an individual. Mayer and Salovey (1993) in their research that indicated emotional intelligence involved a set of hierarchical abilities, like ability to accurately perceive, assess and express emotions. Goleman, (1995) in a longitudinal study identified the level of impulse control or self-regulatory behavior among 4 year old children correlated to their later academic performance based on standard measures such as grade point average (GPA). Research evidence has shown that emotional intelligence is related, directly or indirectly, to better adjustment or success in academic, personal, social or occupational settings (Petrides, et al, 2007). In addition, high emotional intelligence is associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression (Bar-on, 1988), occupational stress (Bar-on, 1997) and burnout with higher levels of job satisfaction (Carmeli, 2003). The outcome of the study in relation to previous studies shows strong evidence that a lot of perceived factors are responsible in perceiving, assessing, and expression of emotions as a strong indicator of emotional intelligence. Implications of the findings The findings showed that a remarkable significant difference exists across various perceived factors that influence emotional intelligence. Thus, based on the hypotheses tested, recognition of emotions, facial expression and positive mood that yielded significant differences between observed and expected frequencies. Hence, the implications of the findings 89 tend to occur when recognition of emotions, facial expression and positive mood are considered as strong indicators or perceived factors that influence expression of emotional intelligence. Conversely, it shows that a person’s degree of emotions may be understood when his or her ability to recognize emotions, interpret facial expression and understand mood level or disposition. Limitations of the study One major shortcoming of this study was that the researcher found it difficult to initially convince the students who were selected as participants towards understanding the essence of the investigation. The researcher however established rapport and generated confidentiality which enhanced the objective completion of the copies of the research instrument. Suggestions for further study Based on the findings of this study one may suggest that future researchers should carried out a similar study using adolescents as an attempt to cross validate the findings of the study. Also future researchers should increase the sample size when carrying out a similar study apart from using participants from other secondary schools in Nkanu West as an attempt to enhance the external validity towards making generations. Finally, future researcher should also sample from other categories of adolescents, including adolescents in urban or rural areas, public or private schools, and other local Government Areas in Enugu State to compare variations in expression of emotional intelligence. Summary and conclusion The findings of the study are summarized below: A significant influence of recognition of emotions as a perceived factor influencing emotional intelligence among adolescents was observed. 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