Emotional competence and help-seeking intentions as predictors of educational success in vocational training students

Abstract

Given the high prevalence of psychological distress among vocational training (VT) students, this study aimed to assess the role of interpersonal emotional competence as a resilience factor promoting the educational success of this population. We postulated that emotional competence would promote educational success, both directly and indirectly by fostering students’ help-seeking intentions when facing a personal or school-related problem. To test these hypotheses, we used a sample of 219 VT students from the Canadian province of Quebec (68% women, Mage = 24.58; SDage = 7.95) enrolled in various programs (e.g. institutional and home care assistance, welding and fitting, secretarial studies, and professional cooking). These students were assessed two times, during the first half of their training and again after their training. Results from structural equation modelling revealed that emotional competence was a positive predictor of help-seeking intentions and educational success. However, having the intention to seek help did not translate into higher levels of educational success. Overall, these results highlight the importance of supporting VT students in the development and strengthening of their emotional competence to promote their educational success. Future research is needed to further understand the help-seeking process among VT students and its implications for their academic outcomes.