The Relationship Between Social Intelligence and Academic [B1] Achievement in Anesthesiology and Operating Room Students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Students' academic achievement is one of the important parameters in higher education system. By timely identification of students at risk of dropping out and taking the necessary measures, their academic status can be improved. Social intelligence can greatly predict students’ academic achievement. Objective: The current study aimed at determining the relationship between social intelligence and academic achievement in anesthesiology and operating room students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: The current cross sectional study was conducted on anesthesiology and operating room students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2018. A total of 140 subjects were selected by convenience sampling method. Demographic questionnaire and the Bradbury and Tromso standard questionnaire for social intelligence were employed as data collection instruments. To measure academic achievement, the overall GPA of the students was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24 and P <0.05 was considered as the level of significance. Results: The mean age of students was 20.54 ± 1.33 years. Mean score of social intelligence was higher in male students than female ones (4.75±0.85 vs. 4.65±0.77) (T= 0.743, df=138, P= 0.459). Pearson correlation coefficient showed a positive and significant correlation between academic achievement and social intelligence (r=0.613) and all its dimensions (i e, social information processing (r=0.581), social skills (r=0.445), and social awareness (r=0.481) (P=0.000). Discussion and Conclusion: The mean score of students' social intelligence and its dimensions was in the desired level. There was a positive and significant relationship between social intelligence and all its dimensions with academic achievement. Therefore, it is suggested to plan for the improvement of social intelligence to promote students’ academic achievement.