Citation:
Abstract:
Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been widely recognized as a key psychosocial
competency shaping university students’ academic and psychological functioning.
However, research has often examined its influence on academic performance and
well-being separately, relying on single mediators such as test anxiety or basic
psychological needs. The present study proposes an integrated structural model in
which EI affects both happiness and academic performance through two parallel
pathways. Using data from 205 university students, the analysis incorporated five
sequential components: (1) Emotional Intelligence, (2) Cognitive Test Anxiety, (3)
autonomy, competence, and relatedness, (4) Happiness, and (5) Academic
Performance (GPA). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to examine how
EI predicts both happiness and academic performance through complementary
emotional-cognitive and motivational-affective routes. Results showed that EI
negatively predicted CTA and positively predicted autonomy, competence, and
relatedness. CTA was a significant negative predictor of GPA, whereas the three
needs strongly predicted happiness. EI indirectly influenced academic performance
through CTA and indirectly influenced happiness through the basic psychological
needs. These findings position EI as a dual-pathway resource that supports
academic functioning through the reduction of cognitive test anxiety and enhances
students’ well-being through the satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and
relatedness. Implications for higher education include the importance of fostering
emotional skills, supporting basic psychological needs, and creating learning
environments that minimize evaluative stress.