Critical thinking disposition of undergraduate students in relation to emotional intelligence: Gender as a moderator

Abstract

Undergraduate student, especially first-year students face challenges in the new found academic environment. Critical thinking (CT) has been found to be effective in managing negative experiences. Earlier literature found Emotional intelligence (EI) is accounted for variance in critical thinking (CT) skill irrespective of the gender. However, there is scarcity of research on the relationship between EI and CT disposition with respect to gender. The present research intended to study the effect of EI on CT disposition of students in the transition phase with gender as a moderator. 500 first-year undergraduate students from West Bengal (eastern part of India) were selected to fill up assessment tools; the Profile of Emotional Competence (Brasseur et al., 2013) and Critical Thinking Disposition Assessment (Ricketts & Rudd, 2005). Structural Equation Model (SEM) was followed using AMOS adopting maximum likelihood approach. Path analysis revealed an accepted model fit establishing EI to have significant effect on CT disposition. However, this effect was not moderated by gender. The present research might be helpful in generating awareness regarding the importance of EI and training for developing disposition of CT among college fresher's well-being and emotional health. The study has highlighted the non-significant moderating role of gender in relation to EI and CT disposition that was missing in the existing literature.

Keywords

• Critical thinking disposition
• Emotional intelligence
• Transition to higher education
• Clinical psychology
• Education
• Psychology