Emotional competencies and emotional coeducation amongst university students

Abstract

This study examines the emotional competencies amongst 1,345 university students from three universities in northern Spain, focusing on emotional attention, clarity, and regulation by gender, academic discipline, and educational stage. Using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) as a measurement tool, statistical analyses, including normality tests, ANOVA, and t-tests, were conducted with the aim of identifying significant differences in emotional competencies based on these variables. Results indicate that female participants scored higher in emotional attention, while male participants excelled in emotional regulation, with no significant differences in emotional clarity. Social sciences’and humanities’ students showed the highest emotional attention scores, whereas technological sciences’ students led in emotional regulation. Postgraduate students outperformed undergraduates in both emotional attention and regulation, reflecting greater emotional maturity. These findings highlight the influence of gender socialisation and disciplinary context in shaping emotional competencies. and underscores emotional coeducation as a key strategy to reduce emotional inequalities and foster holistic development in education.