Emotional Competence Self-efficacy and Leadership Development Among University Student Leaders in Shandong China

Abstract

Student leadership development is an important outcome of higher education, yet the relationships among emotional competencies, self-efficacy, and perceived leadership development remain insufficiently examined among university student leaders in Chinese higher education. This study examines the associations between six emotional competence dimensions and student leadership development and assesses the mediating role of self-efficacy among 394 undergraduate students holding formal leadership positions in private universities in Shandong Province China. Drawing on Emotional Intelligence Theory and Social Cognitive Theory, the study considers emotional awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, interpersonal communication skills, self-motivation, and conflict resolution skills as predictors of student leadership development, with self-efficacy specified as a mediator. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling with SmartPLS 4. Five of the six emotional competence dimensions showed statistically significant direct associations with student leadership development, with interpersonal communication skills showing the strongest direct relationship β = 0.227 p = 0.001. All six dimensions were also significantly associated with self-efficacy, while self-efficacy was significantly associated with student leadership development. The model explained 61.3 percent of the variance in student leadership development and 60.3 percent of the variance in Self-efficacy. The reported results further indicate statistically significant indirect relationships through self-efficacy, although the indirect effect estimates should be verified against the component path coefficients before final submission. Overall, the findings suggest that emotional competencies and self-efficacy are meaningfully associated with perceived leadership development among university student leaders in the study context. The study contributes contextual evidence from private universities in Shandong Province and highlights the need for further longitudinal and multi-source research to clarify the temporal and causal relationships among these constructs.