EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND INTERPERSONAL

RELATIONS AMONG UNIVERSITY UPGRADING (GRADE

V) TEACHER STUDENTS

Helen Christine Amongin Waiswa, Professor Peter K. Baguma and Associate

Professor Joseph Oonyu
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AMONG

UNIVERSITY UPGRADING (GRADE V) TEACHER STUDENTS
1*
Helen Christine Amongin Waiswa
PhD Student Makerere University College of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of
Psychology, Department of Educational, Social and Organizational Psychology, P.O. Box
7062 Kampala, Uganda, East Africa.
*Corresponding Author: [email protected]
2
Professor Peter K. Baguma
Makerere University, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of
Psychology Department of Educational, Social and Organizational Psychology
3
Associate Professor Joseph Oonyu
Makerere University, College of Education and External and Distance Education, Department
of Science Education
Abstract
Purpose: This paper examined the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and
interpersonal relations (IR) among upgrading university teacher students at Makerere
University (MAK) and Uganda Christian University (UCU). While the curricula and syllabi
in the Teacher Education programmes in Uganda do not clearly stipulate EI as a vital and
critical factor, literature shows that EI is responsible for 80% of the success in our lives. IR
enables teacher students perform better, be emotionally well adjusted to perform other
activities besides teaching, as well as professionally deal with the community within the
school.
Methodology: The study used mixed methodology, DCM SPSS 22 data analysis, a sample of
434 Grade V teacher students randomly sampled for qualitative survey design and 75
purposively selected participants for qualitative design, with The ability model of Emotional
Intelligence (Mayer et al., 2016).
Findings: Overall emotional intelligence was not significantly related to quality of
interpersonal relations (r = .08, p > .05). Similarly, all aspects of emotional intelligence were
not significantly related to quality of interpersonal relations. Qualitative results show that
some participants were not clear about the difference between EI and cognitive intelligence.
EI is positively correlated to IR. For better IR, one needs a high level of EI. Conclusively,
although the quantitative data showed no significance between EI and IR qualitative data
indicated results to the contrary. Subsequently, the teaching of EI especially at the university
level is new to the education curriculum of Uganda.
Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Most teacher students had not heard of
EI. Thus, there is need to put emphasis on IR at all levels of education and to deliberately
include EI in the curriculum. Most previous scholarship on EI did not use mixed
methodology. This is the first study to use the ability model of EI (Mayer et al., 2016), in an
educational research using mixed methods. The study recommends more research, teaching
and training in EI and IR in the educational fraternity. Further research needs to be done
using the ability model of EI.
Keywords: Emotional intelligence, Interpersonal relations, Upgrading, Teacher students

1
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
The concept of EI started in 1990 and since then researchers have put in numerous efforts to
conceptualize, measure, understand and develop it (Asthana & Lodhwal, 2017). According to
Hasan (2017), the term ‘emotional intelligence’ appears to have originated with Charles
Darwin in 1872 and is necessary for human survival and adaptation. EI is the capacity to be
aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships
judiciously and empathetically (Anjum & Swathi, 2017), and a part of the non-cognitive
capabilities, competencies and skills that influence one’s ability to succeed in coping with
environmental demands and pressures (Tyagi & Gautam 2017). According to D Goleman
(2011), emotion is found in the part of the brain called amygdala. Spitzberg (2003), defines
interpersonal competence as “the ability to establish and maintain mutually satisfying
relationships with a variety of people across diverse situations.” Boutilier et al. (2013) argue
that paying attention and making eye contact creates a positive feeling about you. According
to Trommsdorff (2002) IR involves cooperation, compliance, and empathy. Culpeper et al.
(2010) define IR as politeness while Haugh (2013) defines it as mutual social connections
among people. S. Chauhan and Chauhan (2007) argue that in an increasingly competitive
world, qualities like cooperation, resilience, interpersonal skills, team leadership and
optimism – which are beyond the realm of intelligence quotient – set star performers apart
from average performers.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Whereas there have been a number of studies on Emotional Intelligence, the relationship
between EI and IR has not been explored. Kabunga and Jesse (2016) in their study of EI
among psychotherapists in Northern Uganda found that 60.0% possessed high levels of self-
awareness, 60.3% reported high levels of social awareness, 55.6% scored highly in self-
management and 70.1% scored highly in social skills. Whereas EI is responsible for between
32% to 74% (Petrides, 2017) and 80% of the success in our lives (Pawlow, 2009), teacher
education programmes in Uganda do not clearly stipulate EI as a vital and critical issue even
when psychology and professional ethics are included in the teacher education curriculum.
This study, therefore, seeks to understand the relationship between EI and IR among
upgrading university teacher students (Grade V).
1.3 Objective of the study
This study aims to establish the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and
Interpersonal Relations among upgrading university teacher students (Grade V) at Makerere
University and Uganda Christian University.

2.0 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS: SOME

LITERATURE
2.1 Theoretical Framework
2.1.1 Peplau’s theory of Interpersonal Relations and Rivers et.al (2012) theory of
Emotional Intelligence
The study was guided by Peplau’s theory of IR (1952). Although the theory was developed
for nursing, it was chosen because of the closeness of nursing to teaching in terms of the
nature of interaction with people. The theory emphasises the experiences derived from
relationships, the need for and goals of those experiences. Like nursing, teaching is an

2
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
interpersonal process that involves interaction between two or more individuals with a
common goal. Stewart & Klein (2016), argue that it is important to consider the application
of theory at the outset of research rather than at the point of data analysis.
Rivers et al. (2012), in defining EI point out four relatively distinct emotional abilities which
include perceiving, using, understanding and managing emotion. This model differs from
those postulated by Bar-On and Parker (2000), Daniel Goleman (1998), Petrides and
Furnham (2001), and Wong et al. (2004). Useful emotion enables proper labelling of
emotions leading to more positive social interactions, as opposed to deficits in labelling that
lead to display of behavioural and learning problems (Izard 2001). The university upgrading
(Grade V) teacher students expressed both positive and negative emotions even in relation to
interpersonal interactions.
2.2 Empirical Literature on emotional intelligence and interpersonal relations
Raghubir (2018), argues for four qualities in the attributes of EI. These include self-
awareness, self-management, social awareness and social/relationship management.
However, given that the study was limited to a North American context, seminal work
regarding EI and teaching was missed. The work also focuses on the conceptual clarity of EI
and does not discuss any measurement tools such as the ability model of Mayer, Caruso, and
Salovey (2016). Allan (2017) and Lai (2018) argue that politeness is necessary in IR.
However what counts as politeness or impoliteness varies among cultures. The limitation of
these studies therefore is the use of the words ritual, politeness and impoliteness as used in
Korea and Japan. The Ugandan culture needs to be interrogated. Ruvalcaba-Romero et al.
(2017), have studied the mediating effect of EI, and argue that culture, self-esteem, positive
emotions, and interpersonal relationships play an important role as mediators between
emotional abilities and life satisfaction. When EI skills improve, interpersonal relations also
improve, making life more satisfying.
According to Ugwu et al. (2017), all the three burnout dimensions that include emotional
exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment are significant predictors of
Counterproductive Work Behaviour (CWB). In studying addiction to the internet, Seyyedan
(2017), subcategories EI into knowledge of one’s emotions, control of emotions, self-
motivation, detection of emotions in others and control of relationships. He argues that
persons who are addicted to the internet have low EI and poor IR.
Vasileia et al. (2017), show the negative aspects of both IR and EI in bullying. While the
bully has more ‘friends’, the victim usually has less friends. Bullies seemed to score higher in
emotionality. Interpersonal closeness could be a factor which related to victimization.
According to Nishant Gaur and Gupta (2017), the core characteristics of EI are self-
awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy and social skills. Nguyen (2017),
implied an interactive process that involves EI and IR. Cooperation between institutions,
family, and society for the purpose of psychology students’ career value orientation entailed
interaction that required high EI level and positive IR to attain. The author however does not
mention these concepts.
Hasan (2017), postulates that emotions are personal experiences that arise from a complex
interplay of physiological, cognitive and situational variables, and motivate inter and intra-
personal relationships. EI facilitates the ability to perceive, appraise and express emotions,
think and regulate emotions.. Intrapersonal and inter-personal awareness, and self-regulation,
were found to cause significant effect on EI among the B.Ed. trainee teachers above 25 years.

3
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
Since the current study deals with B. Ed. Grade V teacher students, it was important to take
these differences into consideration for comparison purposes.
In their study, Faraji et al. (2017) aimed to identify the role of EI, self-esteem, and perceived
social support in predicting life satisfaction and found that these variables increase people’s
feelings of satisfaction with their life by paving the way for identifying problems, effectively
using resources to solve them and being optimistic. Could this be true for Grade V teacher
students as well? Pekaar et al. (2018), postulated that EI models and instruments vary
considerably in the precise composition of the EI dimensions included. Self-reported
measures of EI are criticized in the literature as reported by Roberts (2010) because of the
potential influence of a social desirability bias. On the positive side, self-reported EI
instruments demonstrate good incremental validity over cognitive intelligence and
personality compared with ability EI tests as reported by O'Boyle et al. (2011).
Estrada et al. (2018), argue that EI comprises four emotions—pride achievement, gratitude,
guilt-shame and anger—as influencing variables in any negotiation. Anger, for example, can
hinder objectivity, cause a loss of trust, and lead to retaliation instead of agreement. Emotions
they argue are inherently social, and psychological traditions emphasize the importance of
emotion for interpersonal interactions. Thus promoting the need for EI in universities.
Vyas (2017), looks at three components of emotional skills, including emotional
expressiveness, emotional sensitivity and emotional control, and finds that high levels of EI
are associated with putting people at ease, self-awareness, balancing personal life and work,
straightforwardness and composure, building and mending relationships. Similarly, Kohli
(2017), finds that the better a person regulates his/her emotions, the more ethically strong
they are, and the better their organisation functions.
Furthermore, Mapfumo et al. (2012), argue that training institutions should not just focus on
curricula and methodological issues but also on equipping students in dealing with
interpersonal relationships with other staff in the schools in which they serve their
attachment. Female students in particular they argue, are easily stressed under such
environments and therefore need training in assertiveness which hopefully will enhance EI
(see Amongin, Baguma & Oonyu 2012). Noble, et al. (2012), and Harris and Sass (2012),
argue that, in an increasingly competitive world, qualities like initiative, cooperation,
resilience, interpersonal skills, team leadership and optimism (which are beyond the realm of
cognitive intelligence), should be encouraged.
2.3 Research Gaps
The conceptual clarity of emotional intelligence and its relation to interpersonal relations was
a gap in the literature of the education system in Uganda. Emotional intelligence attributes
such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social/relationship
management needed to be measured among the sample at Makerere and Uganda Christian
University Mukono in relation to teacher training. Positive and negative concepts of
interpersonal relations needed to be interrogated. The ability model of Mayer, Caruso, and
Salovey (2016) as a measurement tool had not been used in the educational system.

3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This study follows a mixed methods research design and concurrently deploys qualitative and
qualitative research methods. A survey was conducted using the Likert Scale. Simple
randomization was done thus obtaining a random sample of 473 grade V teacher students.

4
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
Out of these, 458 were from MAK (261 male, 161 female and 36 missing data) and 15 were
from UCU (06 male, 06 female and 03 missing data). Fifty Year One and Two teacher
students from MAK and 15 from UCU were interviewed, meeting Flynn and Korcuska
(2018)’s suggestion of no fewer than 60 and no more than 150 subjects. Seven lecturers from
MAK, and three from UCU were used. The sampling methods domain items included
snowball and purposeful sampling methods. Validation and truth making were ensured
through the credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability of the data collection
process throughout data analysis to interpretation stage of data. Reliability and validity are
conceptualized as trustworthiness, rigor and quality in qualitative paradigms. The Mayer et
al. (2016) ability model of EI was adopted and given to all the 473 respondents. The model
has a reliability coefficient of 0.691. A structured questionnaire with a reliability coefficient
of 0.730 (more than its original) was administered. The content validity of the tool was 0.863.
The interpersonal instrument was obtained by combining the Interpersonal Solidarity Scale
Location (Wheeless 1978), Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Youth Experiences Survey
for Sport (YES-S) (Sullivan et al. 2015), dimensions of brand personality measurement
model (Aaker 1997), dimensions of brand personality measurement model (Bosnjak et al.
2007), dimensions of brand personality measurement model (Geuens et al.2009) and the
dimensions of brand personality measurement model (Caprara et al. 2001). Seven professors
and senior lecturers from Makerere University, vetted the instrument. Permission and
approval were obtained from the Makerere University College of Humanities and Social
Sciences Research and Ethics Committee, the School of Psychology Ethics Committee, and
the National Council for Science and Technology. Quantitative data analysis was carried out
using SPSS/STATA software applications and results are shown in Section 4.0. SPSS was
used to calculate the validity of the final survey instrument. Qualitative data was described,
interpreted and explained. Data reduction, display and verification were done using Nvivo 12
trial software. Memos were used during the analysis of qualitative data. Results are shown in
Section 4.0.

4.0 RESEARCH FINDINGS

4.1 Introduction
Both quantitative and qualitative results are presented.
4.2 Qualitative Findings
Bio-data of Upgrading University Teacher Students (Grade V) from the Group
Interviews
Table 1 shows the demographic data of upgrading university teacher students (Grade V).

5
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org

Table 1: Upgrading university Teacher Student’s (Grade V) Bio-data

Person Age Training Background Year of Marital Gender
study Status
Cases\\Agriculture group 25 - 40 Secondary school teacher Year 2 Married = Male = 13
09 Female =
Single = 08 04
Cases\\IPSS group 29 - 43 Primary school teacher Year 1 Married = Male = 03
06 Female =
Single = 00 03
Cases\\Arts group 26 - 43 Secondary school teacher Year 2 Married = Male = 06
05 Female =
Single = 03 02
Cases\\UCU 29 - 48 Primary school teacher Year 2 Married = Male = 08
13 Female =
Single = 01 06
Cases\\Business 25 - 40 Secondary school teacher Year 1 Married = Male = 09
education group 08 Female =
Single = 03 02
Cases\\Science group 25 - 40 Secondary school teacher Year 2 Married = Male = 08
04 Female =
Single = 05 01
Cases\\UCU 26 - 43 Primary school teacher Year 1 Married = Male = 03
10 Female =
Single = 00 07
Table developed from NVivo 12 Trial Version
Secondary school teacher students had more representation than primary school ones. Year
one teacher students had three references (0.18% coverage) while year two had four
references (0.23% coverage). University Lecturers, who were interviewed for their
interaction with the sample comprised of five females and six males. Three of the females
were from MAK and two were from UCU. Of these, two key informants were from MAK
and one was from UCU. Five of the males were from MAK and one was from UCU. Of
these, the two key informants were from MAK. The general age was from 28 to over 60
years. Eight participants were above 35 years while three were below. All the females were
above 35 years. All the three males below 35 years were from MAK. Ten participants were
married. Only one male from MAK was not married. In Uganda, marriage is usually
associated with physical maturity and responsibility (showing positive IR). Many of the
participants had served at the university level for nine years or more. Key informants from
MAK had served the university for over 20 years.
4.2.1 Research question 1: What are the upgrading university teacher students’ (Grade
V) perceptions of Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Relations?
Figure 1 shows that ‘emotions’, ‘group’, ‘discussions’ and ‘interpersonal’ perspectives stood
out among the discussions in all the group interviews, as significant words.

6
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org

Figure 1: Word cloud of the words in the study showing ‘emotions’ as

outstanding.
Source: NVivo11, Trial version by Hammock http://github.com/danielcrenna/hammock
Copyright (c) 2010-2013 Daniel Crenna and Jason Diller.
The Participants had different perceptions of EI and IR. The participants were not clear about
the difference between EI and cognitive intelligence. Self-control, management of emotions,
and ability to counsel the offending person counted as signs of EI. Emotion was conceived
negatively as anger, blackmail etc. and not as happiness for instance. This perception needs to
be corrected by all the stakeholders in the teacher students’ lives. Some lecturers were
equally not sure of what EI is but all agreed that it was necessary to have it taught at all levels
of education. IR was clearer although the sustenance of relations was vague. Most
participants said that IR helped them live in harmony with others, tame their tempers and
maintain their jobs. First year respondents from UCU, reported that managing emotions
improved their IR. They pointed out friendship formation, sharing, care and concern for
others, team work and good communication mechanisms as values that form positive IR.
Lack of self-esteem for them was a contributor to negative IR. Second year UCU respondents
reported that IR enabled them to cope and work with others. They reported that positive
interactions, team work and spirit, and love constituted positive IR. They talked of unfriendly
reactions from colleagues and a breakdown of communication as contributors to negative IR.
The IPSS group thought that understanding others, co-operating, identifying other’s
weaknesses, and valuing relations were aspects of positive IR. They reported negative IR to
include poor listening skills, impatience, poor communication skills, arrogance and failure to
manage negative feedback. The Arts group emphasized the ideal of not being judgmental. For
them, lack of unity in diversity, intolerance, enmity, lack of socialization, egocentrism,
feeling independent, and using negative and offensive words all constituted negative IR. The
Agriculture group said counselling and non-confrontational behaviour constituted positive IR.
Lack of unity between people, hatred, failure to appreciate individual differences, and failure
to cooperate with others for them constituted negative IR. The Business Education group
thought that patience, tolerance, emotional maturity, team spirit, peace and caring constituted
positive IR. They emphasized the need for those in leadership positions to appreciate the
work of their employees and endeavour to work amicably with them. The Science group
pointed out that being aware of others’ emotions, accepting others as they are, and empathy

7
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
constituted positive IR while negative IR included failure to get along with others, back-
biting, disrespect, selfishness, pride, and not caring about others’ feelings.
4.2.2 Research question 2: What is the level of Emotional Intelligence of upgrading
university teacher students (Grade V)?
Table 2 shows self-reported levels of EI by participants.
Table 2: The level of Emotional Intelligence of upgrading university teacher students
(Grade V) – self-reports
Male Female
The level of Emotional Intelligence of upgrading (Most and least Most and least
university teacher students (Grade V) (self-reports) common response common response
10 x 2 10 -
9x5 9x1
8 x 14 8x2
7x9 7x6
6 x 11 6x3
5x3 5x8
4x1 4x1
3- 3-
2- 2x1
1x1 1-
Table developed after Field Group Interviews.
Most participants rated themselves between five and eight, showing that they thought highly
of themselves because they equated EI with intelligence quotient (IQ).
4.2.3 Research question 3: What is the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and
Interpersonal Relations among upgrading university teacher students (Grade V)?
The following themes came up from Group in-depth interviews identification of other
people’s emotions, understanding, interpreting, communicating, taking responsibility and
avoiding negative emotions like quarrelling. EI positively impacts IR. The lecturers
corroborated the findings from the Grade V teacher students. They agreed that both EI and IR
are key to teaching, training, and collegial interactions.
4.3 Quantitative findings
This section presents findings from cross-sectional data. Table 3 shows the survey biodata of
449 respondents from MAK and 24 respondents from UCU.

8
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org

Table 3: Demographic data for the survey sample

Categories Frequency Percentage
Age 20 – 24 07 1.68
25 – 29 98 23.50
30 – 34 110 26.38
35 - 39 102 24.46
40 – 44 67 16.07
45 - 49 15 3.60
50 – 54 06 1.44
55 – 59 02 0.48

Sex Male 267 56.4

Female 167 35.3
Marital status Married 328 69.3
Single 113 23.9
Year of study 1 153 32.3
2 320 67.7

Training background Primary 192 40.6

Secondary 260 55.5

Subject taught 1 Arts 107 24.21

Languages 159 36.00
Btvet 20 4.52
Sciences 156 35.29
Subject taught 2 Arts 195 43.33
Languages 95 21.11
Btvet 15 3.33
Sciences 145 32.22
MAK Sample 449 94.9
UCU Sample 24 5.1

Table developed after NVivo 12 Trial Version analysis.

Through the process of data cleaning the number reduced to 339. Of these, 267 were male,
167 were females and 39 were missing; 328 respondents were married (although the study
did not investigate the types of marriages) and 113 were single. The age of the respondents
ranged from 23 to 59 years. Most respondents were between 25 and 42 years of age. The
older the respondents, the more realistic they were about their EI and IR.
The table shows two categories of training backgrounds of the respondents – primary teacher
education and secondary teacher education. There was one outlier, a tutor who was added to
the primary teacher education background. Year one respondents were 153 whereas year two
respondents were 320. First and second teaching subjects are also shown. While most
respondents taught English, with a frequency of 154, some subjects like Luganda and
Computer Science had only one respondent. Among the second teaching subjects, Social
Studies had a frequency of 96. This can help teacher training institutions and Ministry of
Education and Sports to plan on the training needs.
4.3.1 Hypothesis testing

9
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
Hypothesis: There is a positive relationship between EI and IR among upgrading university
teacher students (Grade V).
Table 4: Correlation analysis of study variables
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 Emotional 1
intelligen
ce
(overall)
2 Emotional 0.71*** 1
awareness
3 Ability to 0.71*** 0.39*** 1
generate
emotions
4 Emotional 0.75*** 0.40*** 0.37*** 1
knowledg
e
5 Emotional 0.68*** 0.29*** 0.28*** 0.35*** 1
managem
ent
6 Awarenes -0.04 -0.01 -0.05 0.01 -0.06 1
s of
feelings
(negative)
7 Awarenes 0.16** 0.08 0.09 0.14* 0.14** -0.04 1
s of
feelings
(positive)
8 Expressio 0.06 0.14* 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.21*** -0.06 1
n of
feelings
(negative)
9 Expressio 0.15** 0.12* 0.10 0.11* 0.11* -0.02 0.25*** 0.28*** 1
n of
feelings
(positive)
1 Interperso 0.08 0.05 0.06 0.04 0.09 -0.10 0.03 0.02 0.09 1
0 nal
relations
* p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, (SPSS analysed results).
Table 6 shows that overall EI is not significantly related to the quality of IR (r = .08, p > .05).
EI has a close affinity to social intelligence under which IR fall. This explains the lack of
significant difference between the two variables. They are studied separately in this study
because of their different presentations and characteristics.
4.3.2 How managing emotions improves Interpersonal Relations
At MAK, IPSS participants thought that EI enabled them make more friends, think positively,
improve relationships, simplify work, live with all categories of people, be self-aware, be
confident and have good decision-making skills. The Arts participants said EI enabled them
understand friends’ emotions and live in harmony with others. The Business Education
participants felt that EI enabled harmonious co-existence with others, maintenance of jobs,
faith in humanity, resilience and taming of tempers. Agriculture participants said EI
facilitated their adaptation to different people, situations and environments, and helped them
keep friends and be responsible. The Science participants felt that EI helped them be tolerant,

10
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
have a positive attitude, know their strengths and weaknesses, and appreciate individual
differences which in turn enabled the building and strengthening of relationships.

5.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Summary of findings
5.1.1 The relationship between EI and IR among upgrading university teacher students
(Grade V) at Makerere and Uganda Christian University, Mukono
All participants supported the view that EI enhances IR. The respondents constantly made
reference to staff-boss interactions. The Business Education group agree with Mapfumo et al.
(2012) in pointing out the need for training in both EI and IR. Although the respondents had
general views of IR and lack of clarity on EI, they were aware of the fact that both were very
critical in their profession. The respondents were familiar with both positive and negative
emotions. However, linking these to intelligence was completely new to them. To be
emotional had always been construed as negative. That one could actually be emotionally
intelligent and that this intelligence was very critical in all aspects of life was therefore
surprising to them. The study found that EI equipped respondents with self-awareness,
confidence, decision-making skills. Making friends enabled them create more opportunities
in life. These attributes are similar to those identified by Raghubir (2018) among nurses. EI
promotes much more than simply awareness of emotions, and could equip teacher students to
relate better with their students and colleagues. Despite the confusion and misapprehension
regarding EI as a concept, it is clear that the ability to recognize and understand EI will
remain a vital part of Grade V teacher students’ practice moving forward. Respondents
reported that EI helped them socialize with other people and live in peace and harmony. This
was in agreement with Gaur and Gupta’s (2017) argument that a self-aware individual is
relatively more successful in managing personal and others’ emotions which leads to positive
relationship building. Individuals who are emotionally aware and stable also easily acquire
and create knowledge.
The study further found that living in harmony with others and promoting friendship was
highly facilitated by EI. Politeness which Allan (2017) and Lai (2018) argue is necessary in
interpersonal relations is implied here. Politeness was esteemed among the participants. The
current study also found that EI and IR enabled one to cope and work with others. As such,
they learnt to love others, understand and help them. This is in line with Ugwu et al.’s (2017),
argument that emotions and EI can help alleviate burnout and lead to better work behavior.
Respondents alluded to both the university and work environment, which could actually be
made more friendly, conducive to work in and stress free. Thus, teacher students with high EI
would have positive IR, good work attitudes and be self-motivated to do their work with or
without supervision. The study identified what constituted positive IR and the link between
IR and EI. Cooperation, positive criticism, being helpful, living amicably, valuing relations,
counselling, understanding others, patience, tolerance, emotional maturity, team spirit, peace-
loving, empathy, friendship formation, sharing, care and concern for others, good
communication mechanisms, team spirit, love, awareness of others’ emotions and accepting
others as they were constituted positive IR. The assumption that once relations were positive,
there would be no challenges to them would be a wrong assumption. This categorisation had
not been found in any other research by the time the study was conducted. The study used
self-reports. To boost this up, characteristics of what one would consider a best friend were
also categorized as follows: willing to share, helpful, gives advice, available, shares common
goals, commitment, gave positive feedback, morally upright, caring and concerned about

11
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
one’s well-being, cooperative, transparent, a good listener, had developmental ideas,
understanding, attentive, trustworthy, friendly, objective, open, gave positive criticism,
faithful, could correct one but not in public. One male participant emphasized that, “my wife
is my best friend because as of now she is taking care of my children. She is taking care of
the family property. And there are some expenses she is incurring on her own when I am not
there”.
Characteristics of negative IR were listed as; poor communication, arrogance, failure to
manage negative feedback, intolerance, enmity, lack of socialization, egocentrism, a feeling
of independence, using negative and offensive words, disunity, hatred, lack of cooperation,
lack of empathy, selfishness, emphasis on others’ weaknesses, attacking others’ personality,
leaving alone, being late, lack of appreciation, despising others, disrespect, low self-esteem.
These characteristics are similar to Seyyedan’s (2017) findings on addiction to the internet.
According to him, persons who are addicted to the internet have low EI and poor IR. This led
to low self-esteem, and lack of empathy, assertiveness, emotional self-awareness, and
individual self-expression. The EI of addicted students was less than that of normal students.
They lacked optimism and happiness, and thus, suffered from depression. Knowledge and
control of one’s emotions, self-motivation, detection of emotions in others and control of
relationships explained 80% of the change in the rate of addiction to the internet. EI was
critical for healthy IR so as to avoid addictions of any kind especially internet addiction.
About half of the Grade V teacher students were below 35 years which was a critical mass for
negative IR indicators especially, addiction. These negative aspects of IR and EI are shown
by Vasileia et al. (2017) in their study on bullying. According to them, bullying is a
manifestation of low social acceptance, high Machiavellism, low self-esteem and low
problem-solving abilities. The study found that EI and IR are linked to each other. EI is the
driver and has a positive causal effect on IR. Both EI and IR help people stay, support and
work together for long periods. To have good EI, there must be good IR. “The intelligence
level of the emotions will certainly affect how somebody behaves and therefore acts. If the
relationship is poor, oh, then of course also performance will be poor. Performance in
general, discipline, achievement, behaviour, social interaction, all will not work”
(Participant). IR deals with character while EI shows the nature of the person. EI enables one
to know other people’s personalities, be flexible, diplomatic and exercise considerate
judgement. A key participant reported, “You are able to identify, understand, interpret and
communicate and you take responsibility”.
Understanding and ability to control emotions led to good handling of relations with others.
EI enabled one to keep away from some circumstances which would lead to trouble, for
example, after learning that the husband had been caught in an illicit relationship with
another woman, they would avoid reacting negatively and not spy on him, to avoid trouble.
This could be out of fear of the consequences or having a sense of wisdom. ‘So, I learn to
control myself and I keep away myself. By so doing I would have prevented chaos. I am
hurting but I control that hurting because I will be more hurt if I see everything on the scene
rather than hearing’, said one participant. The answers to these questions show that EI has a
very strong positive relationship with IR. Positive attributes of IR are a manifestation of the
presence of EI on the part of the person that has them. Whereas research shows that EI is part
of IR clearly more emphasis has been given to general IR than to EI in the education sector.
5.2 Conclusion
It was interesting to note that whereas the Grade V teacher students were familiar with both
positive and negative emotions, linking these to intelligence was completely new to them.

12
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
There were divergent views from participants regarding the concept of EI. These included
emotions, feelings and even cognitive aspects. Most of the participants ranked themselves
highly on the level of EI. The phenomenological method helped to bring out the essence of
participants’ consciousness and lived experiences in the teaching and learning environment.
Their lived experiences were manifested in their perceptions of EI and IR in relation to
achievement. The study concluded that EI was positively and significantly related to IR.
5.3 Contribution to Knowledge
The teaching of EI especially at the university level is new to the education curriculum of
Uganda. Most teacher students had not heard of EI. The teaching of IR after primary school
was equally new. Thus, there is need to put emphasis on IR at higher levels of education and
to deliberately include EI in the curriculum. Previous scholarship on EI was mostly
quantitative. This is the first study to use the ability model of EI (Mayer et al., 2016), in an
educational research using mixed methods.
5.4 Recommendations
EI needs more research especially in the educational circles and in the area of pedagogical
approaches to EI and IR. EI and IR need to deliberately be included in the curriculum and
syllabi of teaching at university. A clear distinction needs to be made between EI and IR and
how these impact on human growth, development and learning at all levels of the educational
system. Further research needs to be done on these concepts and the ability model of EI.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported in part by a PhD Completion Grant from Building Stronger
Universities II, Denmark, through Gulu University.
Conflict of Interest
None

REFERENCES
Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of marketing research, 34(3),
347-356.
Allan, K. (2017). Review of Dániel Z. Kádár Politeness, Impoliteness and Ritual. Cambridge
University Press: Cambridge.
Alreck, P. L., & Settle, R. B. (1995). The importance of word-of-mouth communications to
service buyers. Paper presented at the Proceedings of American Marketing
Association.
Amir, K., Betty, A., & Kenneth, A. M. (2019). Emotional Intelligence as Predictor of
Compassion Fatigue among Mental Health Practitioners. Open Access Library
Journal, 6(5), 1-10.
Amone-P'Olak, K., & Elklit, A. (2018). Interpersonal sensitivity as mediator of the relations
between war experiences and mental illness in war-affected youth in northern
Uganda: Findings from the WAYS study. Traumatology, 24(3), 200.
Amongin, H. C., Oonyu, J. C., Baguma, P. K., & Kitara, D. L. (2012). Self-Esteem and
Attitudes of Girls Orphaned to HIV/AIDS towards Education in Kampala, Uganda.
Prevalence, 15, 49.

13
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
Anjum, A., & Swathi, P. (2017). A study on the impact of emotional intelligence on quality
of life among secondary school teachers. International Journal of Psychology
and Counseling, 7(1), 1-13.
Asthana, A., & Lodhwal, R. (2017). Concepts and Measures of Emotional Intelligence–A
Conceptual Study. International Journal of Engineering Technology Science and
Research, 4(8), 1243-1250.
Bar-On, R., & Parker, J. D. A. (2000). BarOn emotional quotient inventory: Youth version:
Multi-Health system. Incorporated Toronto, ON, Canada.
Birch, M., & Miller, T. (2000). Inviting intimacy: The interview as therapeutic opportunity.
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 3(3), 189-202.
Bosnjak, M., Bochmann, V., & Hufschmidt, T. (2007). Dimensions of brand personality
attributions: a person-centric aproach in the German cultural context. Social Behavior
and Personality: an international journal, 35(3), 303-316.
Boutilier, R., Henisz, W., & Zelner, B. (2013). A systems approach to stakeholder
management. Paper presented at the SRMINING 2013 2nd International Conference
on Social Responsibility in Mining.
Brotheridge, C. M., Lee, R. T., Riggio, R. E., & Reichard, R. J. (2008). The emotional and
social intelligences of effective leadership. Journal of managerial psychology.
Caprara, G. V., Barbaranelli, C., & Guido, G. (2001). Brand personality: How to make the
metaphor fit? Journal of economic psychology, 22(3), 377-395.
Chauhan, S., & Chauhan, D. (2007). Emotional intelligence: Does it influence decision
making and role efficacy? Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 217-238.
Clarke, A., Triggs, V., & Nielsen, W. (2014). Cooperating teacher participation in teacher
education: A review of the literature. Review of educational research, 84(2), 163-202.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Mapping the field of mixed methods research. In: Sage Publications
Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA.
Creswell, J. W., & Garrett, A. L. (2008). The “movement” of mixed methods research and
the role of educators.
Culpeper, J., Marti, L., Mei, M., Nevala, M., & Schauer, G. (2010). Cross-cultural variation
in the perception of impoliteness: A study of impoliteness events reported by students
in England, China, Finland, Germany and Turkey. Intercultural Pragmatics, 7(4),
597-624.
Deshpande, S. P., & Joseph, J. (Mar., 2009). Impact of Emotional Intelligence, Ethical
Climate, and Behaviour of Peers on Ethical Behaviour of Nurses. Journal of Business
Ethics, 85(3), 403-410.
Estrada, C. R., de la Torre Enríquez, D. I., & Madrazo, S. A. D. (2017). Influence of
personality and emotional intelligence on the negotiation style an empirical study
in Mexico. Paper presented at the Tecnology, innovation, Finance and CRM:
Repercussions on Competitiveness.
Estrada, C. R., Enriquez, D. I. D. L. T., & Madrazo, S. A. D. (2018). The influence of
personality and emotional intelligence on the negotiation style of Mexican business
undergraduate students. Red Internacional de Investigadores en Competitividad,
10(1).

14
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
Faraji F, Amin K, Arash J & Laleh D (2017). Predicting Life Satisfaction: The Roles of
Emotional Intelligence, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Social Support. International
Journal of Indian Psychology, Vol. 4, (4), DIP:18.01.065/20170404,
DOI:10.25215/0404.065.
Flynn, S. V., & Korcuska, J. S. (2018). Credible Phenomenological Research: A Mixed-
Methods Study. https://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.12092
Gaur, N., & Gupta, V. (2017). Emotional Intelligence as Predictor of Leadership
Development in Knowledge-based Organizations. Copyrights © Apeejay School of
Management, New Delhi (India) ISSN: 0976-6669.
Geuens, M., Weijters, B., & De Wulf, K. (2009). A new measure of brand personality.
International journal of research in marketing, 26(2), 97-107.
Gildersleeve, M. (2016). The phenomenology and ontology of complexes. Procedia-Social
and Behavioral Sciences, 217, 967-976.
Goleman, D. (2011). The brain and emotional intelligence (Digital Edition). Northhampton,
MA: More Than Sound.
Grene, M. (1976). Merleau-Ponty and the renewal of ontology. The Review of Metaphysics,
29(4), 605-625.
Harris, D. N., & Sass, T. R. (2012). Teacher training, teacher quality and student
achievement. Journal of Public Economics, 95(7 - 8), 798-812.
Hasan, H. (2017). A Study of Emotional Intelligence and Age in terms of B. Ed. Trainee
Teachers (Session 2015-17) in different B. Ed. Colleges.
Haugh, M. (2013). Interpersonal pragmatics: issues and debates. Journal of Pragmatics.
Henderson, V. L., & Dweck, C. S. (1990). Achievement and motivation in adolescence: A
new model and data. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Ibrahim, A. M., & Mayende, S. T. (2018). Ethical leadership and staff retention in Uganda’s
health care sector: The mediating effect of job resources. Cogent Psychology, 5(1),
1466634.
Izard, C. E. (2001). Emotional intelligence or adaptive emotions?
Jonsson, T., & Enquist, H. (2018). Phenomenological Ontology Guided Conceptual Modeling
for Model Driven Information Systems. Development, 4.
Kabunga, A., & Jesse, M. J. (2016). A Study on Emotional Intelligence among
Psychotherapists in Northern Uganda.
Kastrinidis, P. (1988). The phenomenology of narcissistic neurosis. The Humanistic
Psychologist, 16(1), 166-185.
Kohli, M. K. (2017). Emotional Intelligence and Its Direct and Indirect Effects on Personal
and Organisational Effectiveness.
Kusmayadi, T., & Husodo, B. (2018). The experimentation of LC7E learning model on the
linear program material in terms of interpersonal intelligence on Wonogiri
Vocational School students. Paper presented at the Journal of Physics: Conference
Series.
Lai, X. (2018). Dániel Z. Kádár, Politeness, Impoliteness and Ritual: Maintaining the Moral
Order in Iinterpersonal Interaction. International Journal of Communication, 12, 3.

15
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
Lee, C. T.-S., & Doran, D. M. (2017). The role of interpersonal relations in healthcare team
communication and patient safety: a proposed model of interpersonal process in
teamwork. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 49(2), 75-93.
Mapfumo, J. S., Chitsiko, N., & Chireshe, R. (2012). Teaching Practice generated stressors
and coping mechanisms among student teachers in Zimbabwe. South African
Journal of Education 32(2).
Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2016). The ability model of emotional
intelligence: Principles and updates. Emotion Review, 8(4), 290-300.
Mayer, J. D., Roberts, R. D., & Barsade, S. G. (2008). Human abilities: Emotional
intelligence. Annu. Rev. Psychol., 59, 507-536.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded
sourcebook: sage.
Mitala, U. (2019). Organizational justice, emotional intelligence and employee wellbeing
among public Servants in the Ministry of Internal Affairs Uganda. Makerere
University,
Mohammad, A., & Paul, S. (2019). Comparative study on emotional intelligence and locus of
control among high and low female achievers of Volleyball players.
Morse, J. M. (1991). Approaches to qualitative-quantitative methodological triangulation.
Nursing research, 40(2), 120-123.
Murphy, S., Elklit, A., Dokkedahl, S., & Shevlin, M. (2017). Anger, guilt and shame as
mediators in the relationship between war experiences and PTSD: Testing the
moderating role of child soldier status. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 10(4),
323-331.
Nguyen, P. H. (2017). Factors that affect Ho Chi Minh City psychology students’ career
value orientation and educational solutions. International Research in Education,
6(1), 1-13.
Noble, K. G., Houston, S. M., Kan, E., & Sowell, E. R. (2012). Neural correlates of
socioeconomic status in the developing human brain. Developmental Science, 15(4),
516-527. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01147.x
O'Boyle, E. H. J., Humphrey, R. H., Pollack, J. M., Hawver, T. H., & Story, P. A. (2011).
The relation between emotional intelligence and job performance: A meta-analysis.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31, 788–818.
Obika, J. A., & Ovuga, E. (2018). “I Forgive to Forget”: Implications for Community
Restoration and Unity in Northern Uganda. Journal of African Conflicts and Peace
Studies, 4(1), 5.
Pawlow. (2009). Emotional Intelligence is Critical to Firm Success. Retrieved from
Http://answers.ask.com
Pekaar, K. A., Bakker, A. B., van der Linden, D., & Born, M. P. (2018). Self-and other-
focused emotional intelligence: Development and validation of the Rotterdam
Emotional Intelligence Scale (REIS). Personality and Individual Differences, 120,
222-233.

16
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
Petrides, K. V. (2017). Intelligence, Emotional. Reference Module in Neuroscience and
Biobehavioral Psychology 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (1 – 6).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.05601-7
Petrides, K. V., & Furnham, A. (2001). Trait emotional intelligence: Psychometric
investigation with reference to established trait taxonomies. European journal of
personality, 15(6), 425-448.
Raghubir, A. E. (2018). Emotional intelligence in professional nursing practice: A concept
review using Rodgers's evolutionary analysis approach. International Journal of
Nursing Sciences.
Rivers, S. E., Brackett, M. A., Reyes, M. R., Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P.
(2012). Measuring emotional intelligence in early adolescence with the MSCEIT-YV:
Psychometric properties and relationship with academic performance and
psychosocial functioning. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 30(4), 344-
366.
Roberts, C. M. (2010). The dissertation journey: A practical and comprehensive guide to
planning, writing, and defending your dissertation: Corwin Press.
Ruvalcaba-Romero, N. A., Fernández-Berrocal, P., Salazar-Estrada, J. G., & Gallegos-
Guajardo, J. (2017). Positive emotions, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships and
social support as mediators between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction.
Journal of Behavior, Health & Social Issues, 9(1), 1-6.
Saklofske, D. H., Austin, E. J., Mastoras, S. M., Beaton, L., & Osborne, S. E. (2012).
Relationships of personality, affect, emotional intelligence and coping with student
stress and academic success: Different patterns of association for stress and success.
Learning and Individual Differences, 22(2), 251-257.
Salami, S. O. (2010). Emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, psychological well-being and
students’ attitudes: Implications for quality education. European Journal of
Educational Studies, 2(3), 247-257.
Seyyedan, S. A. (2017). The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Internet
Addiction in Secondary School Students in Torbat-e-Heydarieh.
Sharples, M., de Roock, R., Ferguson, R., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., . . . Rienties,
B. (2016). Innovating pedagogy 2016: Open University innovation report 5.
Sheets-Johnstone, M. (2018). Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology, and Psychopathology. In The
Oxford Handbook of Phenomenological Psychopathology.
Shukla, A., & Srivastava, R. (2016a). Examine the relationship between emotional
intelligence with demographic profile, job stress, job satisfaction, turnover
intention. International Journal of Applied Business and Economic Research,
14(6), 4887-4900.
Shukla, A., & Srivastava, R. (2016b). Research Article Meta Analysis of the Relationship
Between Emotional Intelligence and Different Behavioral Intentions.
Siegling, A. B., Furnham, A., & Petrides, K. V. (2015). Trait emotional intelligence and
personality: Gender-invariant linkages across different measures of the Big Five.
Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33(1), 57-67.
Silverman, D. (2015). Interpreting qualitative data: Sage.

17
International Journal of Psychology
ISSN 2599-9045 (Online)
Vol 5, Issue 1, No.1, pp 1 - 18, 2020
www.iprjb.org
Spitzberg, B. H., & Cupach, W. R. (2012). Handbook of interpersonal competence research:
Springer Science & Business Media.
Stewart, D., & Klein, S. (2016). The use of theory in research. International journal of
clinical pharmacy, 38(3), 615-619.
Sullivan, P. J., LaForge-MacKenzie, K., & Marini, M. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis
of the youth experiences survey for sport (YES-S). Open Journal of Statistics,
5(05), 421.
Tol, A., Tavassoli, E., Shariferad, G. R., & Shojaeezadeh, D. (2013). Health-promoting
lifestyle and quality of life among undergraduate students at school of health, Isfahan
university of medical sciences. Journal of education and health promotion, 2.
Trommsdorff, G. (2002). An eco-cultural and interpersonal relations approach to
development over the life span.
Tyagi, G., & Gautam, A. (2017). An Impact of Emotional Intelligence on the Academic
Achievement of the student: A case study on students of Career Point University.
International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research and Management, 2(7), 88-93.
Ugwu, L. I., Enwereuzor, I. K., Fimber, U. S., & Ugwu, D. I. (2017). Nurses’ burnout and
counterproductive work behavior in a Nigerian sample: The moderating role of
emotional intelligence. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 7, 106-113.
Vasileia, V., Aikaterini, V., Vasileios, S., & Vasiliki, C. (2017). The Relationship between
Boredom, Interpersonal Closeness/Bullying and Victimization in the School
Environment.
Venkteshwar, A. (2020). Gender as a catalyst in the Emotional Intelligence of BBA Students.
Purakala, 31(21), 855-865.
Venkteshwar, A., & Warrier, U. (2017). The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence
and Academic performance of net generation students. IJAR, 3(4), 782-787.
Vyas, M. (2017). Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership Effectiveness. International
Journal of Engineering and Management Research (IJEMR), 7(2), 115-119.
Wallen, G. R., Mitchell, S. A., Melnyk, B., Fineout‐Overholt, E., Miller‐Davis, C., Yates, J.,
& Hastings, C. (2010). Implementing evidence‐based practice: effectiveness of a
structured multifaceted mentorship programme. Journal of advanced nursing, 66(12),
2761-2771.
Wheeless, L. R. (1978). A follow‐up study of the relationships among trust, disclosure, and
interpersonal solidarity. Human Communication Research, 4(2), 143-157.
Wong, C.-S., Law, K. S., & Wong, P.-M. (2004). Development and validation of a forced
choice emotional intelligence measure for Chinese respondents in Hong Kong. Asia
Pacific Journal of Management, 21(4), 535-559.

18