ESL Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence and Favoritism’s Effects on Students’ Motivation in Pakistani Public and Private Sector Universities: A Computational Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32350/jcct.72.01%20Abstract
The study aims to explore how ESL teachers' emotional intelligence and favoritism hinder the quality of education in Pakistani private and public sector universities, focusing on students' perceptions. Previous studies have overlooked the relationship between emotional intelligence, favoritism and students' motivation under a single study. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how these factors negatively affect students' motivation and well-being, which have a lasting impact on their academic experience. This study is guided by Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. This study adopted a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were collected from 150 BS and MS English students using a Likert-scale questionnaire to answer Research Questions 1 and 3. To address Research Questions 1, 2, and 3 in greater depth, qualitative data were collected through group discussions with 50 ESL teachers. The quantitative and quantitative data were analyzed through R to see how the selected themes reflect teachers' perception. The participants of the study were selected through a purposive sampling technique. The analysis shows students’ mixed perceptions as an area for future improvement in teacher training. The findings conclude that university administrators and English department heads should consider policies to minimize favoritism and promote socioemotional learning. The findings also reveal that students are aware of gendered and class-based advantages, which could feed into a broader dialogue on equity in Pakistani higher education.
Downloads
References
Abbou, Y. (2021). The influence of emotions on cognitive progress in learning context. RIMAK International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(1), 129–141. https://doi.org/10.47832/2717-8293.1-3.11
Ahmed, A., Pereira, L., & Jane, K. (2024). Mixed methods research: Combining both qualitative and quantitative approaches. ResearchGate. https://tinyurl.com/2p6na8vm
Ali, A., Muhammad, D., & Hussain, M. (2018). Causes of teacher’s favoritism and its effects on the university students: A case study. Global Social Sciences Review, 3(2), 369–384. https://doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2018(III-II).21
Ali, M. M., Fareed, M. Y., Phulpoto, M. A., & Ujjan, M. Z. (2023). The impact of Pakistani ESL college teachers’ emotional intelligence on their students’ ESL proficiency, self-efficacy and motivation. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 7(1), 1820–1835.
Altmann, B., Lauseker, K., & Ligges, U. (2025). R for Windows. CRAN. https://cran.r-project.org/CRAN_team.htm
Amjad, R., & MacLeod, G. (2014). Academic effectiveness of private, public and private–public partnership schools in Pakistan. International Journal of Educational Development, 37, 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2014.02.005
Anwar, R. H., Sajida, Z., Natasha, M., & Ramayah, T. (2021). Exploring the interplay of trait emotional intelligence and ESL teacher effectiveness: Is self-efficacy the mechanism linking them? SAGE Open, 11(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211061378
Arasli, H., Cengiz, M., Arici, H. E., Arici, N. C., & Arasli, F. (2021). The effect of abusive supervision on organizational identification: A moderated mediation analysis. Sustainability, 13(15), Article e8468. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158468
Arockia, M., & Sangeetha, R. (2013). The relationship between emotional intelligence and the academic performance among final year undergraduates. Universal Journal of Psychology, 1(2), 41–45. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujp.2013.010203
Arshad, A. (2023). Effects of teachers’ favouritism on students’ motivation towards learning at university level. Bulletin of Business and Economics, 12(3), 935–942. https://doi.org/10.61506/01.00421
Attiah, J., & Alhassan, I. (2023). Favouritism in higher education institutions: Exploring the drivers, consequences and policy implications. European Journal of Human Resource, 7(1), 31–45.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall.
Bayram, I., Duyar, Y., Karaköse, T., & Kaplan, H. I. (2024). An investigation of teachers’ perspectives on favoritism in schools: Implications for educational policy and practice. Educational Process: International Journal, 13(4), 102–114. https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2024.134.6
Bhatt, A. S. (2024). The role of emotional intelligence in leadership development: A multi-industry analysis of performance outcomes. Environment and Social Psychology, 9(10), Article e3117. https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v9i10.3117
Buriro, G. S., Ehsan, U., & Barich, S. N. (2026). Ratio of women education in Pakistan at university level. Contemporary Journal of Social Science Review, 4(1), 63–72. https://doi.org/10.63878/cjssr.v4i1.1831
Dewaele, J.-M., Gkonou, C., & Mercer, S. (2018). Do ESL/EFL teachers’ emotional intelligence, teaching experience, proficiency and gender affect their classroom practice? In J. de Dios Martínez Agudo (Ed.), Emotions in second language teaching: Theory, research and teacher education (pp. 125–141). Springer.
Donzelli, M. (2026). Unconscious bias awareness study. HLB International Limited.
Dorrough, A. R., Glöckner, A., Hellmann, D. M., & Ebert, I. (2015). The development of ingroup favoritism in repeated social dilemmas. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, Article e476. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00476
Doyle, L., Easterbrook, M. J., & Harris, P. R. (2022). Roles of socioeconomic status, ethnicity and teacher beliefs in academic grading. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(1), 91–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12541
Edwin, Sudatha, I. G., Suartama, I. K., & Santosa, M. H. (2025). Emotional intelligence in education: A systematic literature review of its influence on student performance and well-being. Jurnal Penelitian Pendidikan IPA, 11(7), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.29303/jppipa.v11i7.11417
Erasmus, S., van Eeden, R., & Ferns, I. (2022). Classroom factors that contribute to emotional intelligence in the case of primary school learners. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 12(1), Article e1072. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v12i1.1072
Feng, Q., Luo, H., Li, W., Chen, T., & Song, N. (2023). Effects of gender diversity on college students’ collaborative learning: From individual gender to gender pairing. Heliyon, 9(6), Article e16237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16237
Friedmann, E., & Efrat-Treister, D. (2022). Gender bias in STEM hiring: Implicit in-group gender favoritism among men managers. Gender & Society, 37(1), 32–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912432221137910
Ghaith, A., Alshirbini, M., & Huimin, M. (2025). The impact of emotion regulation and emotional intelligence on the relationship of dispositional mindfulness and collective mindfulness. EuroMed Journal of Business. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-11-2024-0316
Hamilton, S., Boehnke, J. R., Humphrey, N., & Qualter, P. (2025). Teachers’ perceptions of the differential impacts of a universal, school-based social and emotional learning intervention: A thematic framework analysis. PLOS ONE, 20(7), Article e0328482. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328482
Heinz, M., Daid, R. M., & Keane, E. (2025). The essential role of teacher diversity in creating equitable and inclusive learning environments: An interdisciplinary conceptual framework. Learning Environments Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-025-09540-5
Im, H., & Chen, C. (2020). Cultural dimensions as correlates of favoritism and the mediating role of trust. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, 27(3), 417–445. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-09-2019-0165
Isabel, C.-M., & María-Dolores, B.-M. (2023). Emotional intelligence, leadership, and work teams: A hybrid literature review. Heliyon, 9(10), Article e20356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20356
Jaberi, A. T., Alzouebi, K., & Khurma, O. A. (2024). An investigation into the impact of teachers’ emotional intelligence on students’ satisfaction of their academic achievement. Social Sciences, 13(5), Article e244. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13050244
Johari, M. E., Zainuddin, K. S., Najid, A. H., Ridzuan, A. A., Azhar, A. B., & Mazuki, A. A. (2025). Favouritism in the classroom: A barrier to educational equity. The Asian Journal of Professional & Business Studies, 6(1), Article e427. https://doi.org/10.61688/ajpbs.v6i1.427
Kanwal, S., Sohail, M., & Inamullah, H. M. (2018). Emotional intelligence of lecturers and its impact on teaching effectiveness at public universities of Peshawar. Global Regional Review, 3(1), 415–427. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2018(III-I).31
Keefer, K. V., Parker, J. D. A., & Saklofske, D. H. (2018). Emotional intelligence in education: Integrating research with practice. Springer.
Khassawneh, O., Mohammad, T., Abdallah, R. B., & Alabidi, S. (2022). The relationship between emotional intelligence and educators’ performance in higher education sector. Behavioral Sciences, 12(12), Article e511. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12120511
Khattak, M. F., Ullah, Z., Imran, S., & Khattak, W. (2025). Bridging emotional intelligence and inclusive education: Empowering teachers to support diverse classrooms. The Critical Review of Social Sciences Studies, 3(2), 1755–1765. https://doi.org/10.59075/vzqhyx73
Khoso, A. K., Ali, D. M., Anwar, M. M., & Farhat, N. (2022). The impact of ESL teachers’ emotional intelligence on ESL students’ academic engagement, reading and writing proficiency: Mediating role of ESL students’ motivation. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 14(1), 3267–3280. https://doi.org/10.9756/INT-JECSE/V14I1.393
Lasisi, T. T., Constanţa, E., & Eluwole, K. K. (2022). Workplace favoritism and workforce sustainability: An analysis of employees’ well-being. Sustainability, 14(22), Article e14991. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214991
Marlina, R., & Xu, Z. (2018). English as a lingua franca. In J. I. Liontas (Ed.), The TESOL encyclopedia of English language teaching. John Wiley & Sons.
Muhammad, G., & Sheikh, S. (2023). Students’ learning: Exploring the role of teacher favoritism and classroom management. Journal of Management Practices, Humanities and Social Sciences, 7(5), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.33152/jmphss-7.5.3
Muse, I. (2010). Class size and student performance at a public research university: A cross-classified model. Research in Higher Education, 51(8), 701–723. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-010-9179-y
Muzafar, A., Younis, F., Ali, P. A., & Zamir, U. (2023). The impact of Pakistani ESL college teachers’ emotional intelligence and students’ ESL proficiency. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 7(1). https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/17164
Nabavi, R. T., & Bijandi, M. S. (2012). Bandura’s social learning theory & social cognitive learning theory. ResearchGate. https://mlsu.ac.in/econtents/4556_BandurasTheory.pdf
Naeem, S., Khan, A. A., & Butt, A. M. (2025). A computer-assisted analysis of teachers’ perception about course development process. Journal of Applied Linguistics and TESOL, 8(2), 81–94.
Noreen, S., & Kazim, B. (2022). Impact of teachers’ emotional intelligence abilities on student motivation and their interaction with students in secondary school classrooms. Journal of Educational Psychology and Pedagogical Sciences, 1(1), 17–37. https://doi.org/10.52587/jepps.v1i1.17
Rahman, M. H., Amin, M. B., Yusof, M. F., Islam, M. A., & Afrin, S. (2024). Influence of teachers’ emotional intelligence on students’ motivation for academic learning: An empirical study on university students of Bangladesh. Cogent Education, 11(1), Article e2327752. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2327752
Randa, L., & Tasnim, B. (2025). Investigating the relationship between teachers’ emotional intelligence and students’ engagement. Abdelhafid Boussouf University Center, Mila, Algeria. https://tinyurl.com/4xhmc9aa
Ranganathan, P., & Caduff, C. (2023). Designing and validating a research questionnaire—Part 1. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 14(3), 152–155. https://doi.org/10.4103/picr.picr_140_23
Sadig, Z. (2024). Fostering emotional intelligence in language learners. Journal of Azerbaijan Language and Education Studies, 1(1), 67–76. https://doi.org/10.69760/jales.2024.00106
Saleem, A., & Akhtar, Z. (2025). Exploring teacher–student favoritism in university classrooms: A qualitative inquiry into students’ learning experiences. The Knowledge, 4(4), Article e120. https://doi.org/10.55737/tk/2k25d.44111
Shahzad, K. (2025). Emotional intelligence: An empirical study on mentor-student in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Psychological Research, 40(1), 113–133. https://doi.org/10.33824/PJPR.2025.40.1.08
Shoaib, M., & Ullah, H. (2026). Gender differentials in academic performance in Pakistani higher education. Educational Research and Evaluation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2025.2542582
Tahira, M., Hassan, A., Malik, A., & Yousuf, I. (2020). Teacher education in Pakistan: Issues and problems. ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED608314.pdf
Tariq, A. R., Bilal, H. A., Sandhu, M. A., Iqbal, A., & Hayat, U. (2013). Difficulties in learning English as a second language in rural areas of Pakistan. Academic Research International, 4(6), 1–11.
Thao, L. T., Thuy, P. T., Thi, N. A., Yen, P. H., Thu, H. T., & Tra, N. H. (2023). Impacts of emotional intelligence on second language acquisition: English-major students’ perspectives. SAGE Open, 13(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231212065
Thoman, D. B., Yap, F. A. M.-J., & Smith, J. L. (2021). Diversity interventions in the classroom: From resistance to action. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 20(4), Article ear76. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.20-07-0143
Todmal, A., Rao, G., & Gagare, K. (2023). The role of emotional intelligence in effective teaching and classroom management. European Chemical Bulletin, 12(Special Issue 1-B), 4859–4872. https://doi.org/10.31838/ecb/2023.12.s1-B.479
Trad, M., Alayoubi, M. O., Khalek, R. A., & Khaddage-Soboh, N. (2022). Assessing the influence of emotional intelligence on teachers’ performance in Lebanese private education institutions. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 12(3), 556–571. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-12-2020-0268
United Nations. (2026, July 7). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2026/
UNESCO. (2023). Gender equality in and through the teaching profession. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/gender-equality-and-through-teaching-profession
Usmani, A., Dilshad, M. A., & Rasool, T. (2023). Factors responsible for developing emotional intelligence competence of teachers in Pakistan: Academics’ perceptive. Research Journal for Societal Issues, 5(3), 96–113. https://doi.org/10.56976/rjsi.v5i3.136
Verma, R. (2023). Does emotional intelligence make you an effective teacher? A study of higher education institutions. American Journal of Education and Technology, 2(4), 24–29. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajet.v2i4.2108
Wansink, B. G.-J., Mol, H., Kortekaas, J., & Mainhard, T. (2023). Discussing controversial issues in the classroom: Exploring students’ safety perceptions and their willingness to participate. Teaching and Teacher Education, 125, Article e104044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104044
Wasti, S. P., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. R., & Sathian, B. (2022). The growing importance of mixed-methods research in health. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 12(1), 1175–1178. https://doi.org/10.3126/nje.v12i1.43633
Xu, F., Wang, L., & Xu, J. (2025). The impact of teachers’ motivating style and student-teacher relationships on adolescents’ class participation: The indirect role of learning motivation. Acta Psychologica, 257, Article e105105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105105
Xuan, Q. (2025). Emotional intelligence and holistic student development: An assessment of psychological and social efficacy in vocational university English education. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1664645. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1664645
Zaidi, S., Naeem, S., & Butt, A. M. (2024). English grammar test app: An assessment of grammar skill from the lens of computerized software. Academy of Education and Social Sciences Review, 4(3), 350–363. https://doi.org/10.48112/aessr.v4i3.811
Zaki, K. A., Rafiq, S., & Afzal, D. A. (2023). Impact of teacher-student favoritism on students’ learning outcomes at the university level. Journal of Social Research Development, 4(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.53664/JSRD/04-01-2023-01-01-14
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Salma Naeem, Faria Kiani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
