Emotional intelligence among post-secondary students in The Bahamas
Implications for businesses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v32i1.650Keywords:
Human resource development, Soft skills, Employability, Bahamas, Organizational behaviourAbstract
This study examines trait emotional intelligence (EI) among post-secondary students in The Bahamas using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test. Data were collected in Fall 2025 from 773 survey respondents at Bahamian institutions of higher education; after exclusions, 551 participants constituted the sample. The mean total EI score (M = 125.6, SE = 0.58) exceeded the published population benchmark of 124, t551 = 2.72, p = .007, 95%, though the effect size was small (Cohen's d = 0.12). One-way ANOVA revealed no statistically significant overall sex difference in total EI; however, females scored significantly higher than males on two subscales: Emotion Recognition from Self, F1, 546 = 5.44, p = .02, and Emotion Recognition from Others, F1, 546 = 11.35, p < .001. Item-level analysis identified prosocial appraisal and positive expectancy items as the highest-scoring domains, whereas emotional sharing and self-regulation items were comparatively lower. These findings are situated within the post-colonial, collectivistic socio-cultural context of The Bahamas and contribute to a growing body of EI research beyond Western normative samples, with implications for the Bahamian business environment.
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