A Comparative Study of Social Intelligence among Rural and Urban Higher Secondary School Students

Abstract

Social intelligence plays a vital role in helping students develop healthy interpersonal relationships, effective communication skills, empathy, cooperation, and social adaptability. During higher secondary education, students experience significant cognitive, emotional, and social changes that influence their personality and future success. The present study aimed to compare the level of social intelligence among rural and urban higher secondary school students. A descriptive survey method with a quantitative research design was adopted. The study was conducted on a sample of 100 higher secondary students, comprising 50 rural and 50 urban students selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a standardized Social Intelligence Scale. The collected data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and independent sample t-test. The findings revealed that urban students obtained a comparatively higher mean score in social intelligence than rural students. However, both groups demonstrated moderate to high levels of social intelligence. The study also highlighted the influence of educational environment, communication opportunities, peer interaction, and access to extracurricular activities on the development of social intelligence. The results emphasize the importance of incorporating social intelligence development programmes, collaborative learning, life skills education, and guidance activities in schools to enhance students' interpersonal competencies. The study contributes to educational planning by providing insights into locality-based differences in social intelligence and offers recommendations for educators, parents, and policymakers to create supportive learning environments that foster students' social and emotional growth.