Academic Self-efficacy, Emotional Intelligence, Personality Traits on Academic Performance of Teacher-trainees With Special Needs in Ghana

Abstract

The research assessed the influence of self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and personality traits of teacher trainees with special needs on academic performance in colleges of education (CoEs) in Ghana. The study used descriptive survey design. The population was all teacher trainees with special needs in CoEs in Ghana. Census method was used to include all the 66 respondents. Questionnaire with a reliability co-efficient of .755 to .837 was used to collect data analysed using descriptive (frequency, percentages, means and standard deviation) and inferential (Multiple Linear Regression and Hayes‟ Conditional Process) statistics. The study found that teacher trainees with special needs had a high level of self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and personality traits. There was statistically significant positive effect of self efficacy, emotional intelligence and personality traits on academic performance. Further, the study found that gender moderate the relationship between academic performance, emotional intelligence (social competence) and personality traits (extraversion). However, gender does not moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and academic performance. Also, age does not moderate the relationship between academic performance, self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and personality traits of teacher-trainees with special needs. The study recommended that college tutors and administrators should continue to increase the self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and personality traits level among teacher trainees with special needs through developmental and intervention programmes. This can be done by proving effective communication, honest feedback, healthy learning environment and positive pedagogical strategies.