Emotional Intelligence, Self-Concept, and Socio-Economic Status as Predictors of Career Maturity among Senior Secondary Students

Abstract

The present study investigates the prediction of Career Maturity based on Emotional Intelligence, Self-Concept and Socio-Economic Status among senior secondary school students. A descriptive survey approach was used and a sample of 600 students aged 16 to 18 years (300 boys and 300 girls) from senior secondary schools in government as well as private located at three districts of Haryana namely Rohtak, Jhajjar and Bhiwani. Participants were sampled randomly to where there was gender, school type and locality balance. Career maturity, emotional intelligence self-concept and socio-economic status were assessed by the use of standardized instruments. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0 and tools such as mean, standard deviation, regression analysis and ANOVA were used to lay the groundwork for results discussion. Stepwise regression analysis found the most powerful predictor was Emotional Intelligence, explaining 63.5% of the variance in Career Maturity. When Self-Concept was included, the explained variance increased to 67.8%, and with the addition of Socio-Economic Status, a total of 70.5% was captured by the model. All three models demonstrated statistical significance at p < .001, indicating that each independent variable contributed meaningfully to the overall model. The results of the ANOVA further substantiated the regression findings, revealing that each successive model accounted for a significantly greater proportion of the variance in the dependent variable. These findings highlight the co-acting effects of affective, cognitive, and contextual sources on the development of high school students' career preparedness. The results also highlight the need to embed EI training, self-image formation and a more equal access to career guidance in education. These findings have important implications for practitioners that focus on educators, counselors, and policy makers who are interested in developing holistic career development programs that meet both psychological and socio-economic needs of the students.