Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Cognitive Flexibility: Gender Perspectives among Student Entrepreneurs
Keywords:
Cognitive flexibility, emotional intelligence, student entrepreneurs, gender perspectives, entrepreneurshipAbstract
Abstract
Background: India's startup scenario is gaining momentum, thanks to government interventions and an efficient workforce. Student entrepreneurs play an integral part, holding the promise of the future.
Objectives: This study evaluates emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility among male and female student entrepreneurs. Studies in this area are rare, and there are no studies on the Kerala population.
Method: 60 student entrepreneurs aged 18–25 years, consisting both males and females from Kerala, were administered the Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test by Dr. Nichola Schutte 1998 and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory by Dennis and Vander Wal 2010. Karl Pearson’s correlation, linear regression analysis, and the Student’s t-test were carried out.
Results: The results revealed a significant positive correlation between emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility. Additionally, a significant difference in cognitive flexibility was observed between male and female student entrepreneurs. It was found that managing own emotions, a component of emotional intelligence, predicted cognitive flexibility.
Conclusion: Emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility have distinct role in entrepreneurship. The results have implications for entrepreneurship education programs as well as for gender-related research in the fields of psychology and business.
Keywords: Cognitive flexibility, emotional intelligence, student entrepreneurs, gender perspectives, entrepreneurship
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Milu Maria Anto, Mariya Ters Shoby
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