Social intelligence and its relationship to decision-making in university students

Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the extent of the ability of university students to make decisions throughout their university studies and their relationship with the concept of social intelligence and their impact on academic achievement, identify the factors influencing them, attribute them, and direct future research in the field. Addressing social intelligence is important in enhancing students' interaction with the learning environment and consequently improves their ability to make correct decisions, boosts their social, intellectual, and scientific development, and equips them to withstand unexpected changes that may challenge them throughout the academic period. The researcher used a descriptive, analytical and inductive approach to review previous literature studies and analyse the current study related to social intelligence and the concept of decision-making. Data were collected from various sources of scientific articles, books and reports to contribute to the enhancement of the research. The researcher's main findings are that SI influences decision-making through three main aspects: empathy (social responsibility), flexibility (adapting to different situations), and cognition (predicting consequences). Gender differences are inconclusive, appearing only at specific age stages (high school) and disappearing in professional environments. There is a strong positive relationship between social intelligence and students' decision-making skills (especially in educational settings). Gender differences vary according to cultural context and educational stage. Social intelligence does not affect all decision-making skills (e.g. listening skills). Social intelligence models have a differential positive impact on decision-making, either directly or indirectly.