The Effect of Perceived Social Support on Students Academic Motivation with the Mediating Role of Emotional Intelligence

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of perceived social support on students’ academic motivation with the mediator role of emotional intelligence. Methodology: The research method was descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional in terms of time. The statistical population was all physical education students of Shahrood University of Technology in the academic year 2021-2022. 210 questionnaires were analyzed out of 230 available samples. The data collection tool was a questionnaire. The face and content validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by the opinion of 10 sports management professors. In order to determine the reliability of the research tool, Cronbach’s alpha and Composite reliability were used. Data analysis was done by structural equation modeling method in Smart PLS software. Results: The results showed that perceived social support has a significant effect on students’ emotional intelligence and academic motivation. Emotional intelligence has a positive effect on academic motivation. The mediating role of emotional intelligence was also confirmed in the relationship between perceived social support and academic motivation (P≤0.05). Conclusion: Effective support from the family and the community can be useful for raising the emotional intelligence and academic motivation of students, and as a result, they can play an effective role in the growth and development of society.