Emotional intelligence and dropout intention: the mediating influence of expectancy and task value

Abstract

Timely degree completion is a topic of interest for numerous stakeholders, including university officials, students, and parents. Unfortunately, a significant number of students encounter challenges within university settings that postpone degree completion or contribute to academic dropout. The available literature suggests that emotional intelligence functions as a protective factor that promotes academic resilience and decreases the likelihood of academic dropout. However, the mechanisms by which emotional intelligence supports degree completion are not fully understood. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate if the relationship between emotional intelligence and dropout intentions is mediated by task-value and expectancy. University students (N = 337; 66.97% Caucasian/White; 85.89% female; Mean Age = 27.92) completed the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence scale, self-report measures of task-value (i.e., attainment, intrinsic, utility, & cost) and expectancy, and the Dropout Intentions scale. Using mediation analysis, we determined there was no direct relationship between emotional intelligence and dropout intention. However, indirect effects revealed the relationship between emotional intelligence and dropout intention is mediated by intrinsic and attainment value. These results offer insights into how emotional intelligence may contribute to academic retention and have implications for interventions and support services designed to promote on-time degree completion.