INFLUENCE OF INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’

<p style="text-align:justify;">Academic achievement at the Senior High School level remains a central concern in educational systems across the world because it determines students’ progression into higher education, employability, and long-term socio-economic mobility. In developing countries such as Ghana, concerns about declining academic performance and unequal educational outcomes continue to attract attention from policymakers, researchers, and educational stakeholders. Although governments have invested heavily in curriculum reforms, teacher recruitment, infrastructure expansion, and educational financing, disparities in students’ academic achievement persist across schools and regions. Contemporary educational research increasingly suggests that academic success is not determined solely by cognitive ability or access to learning materials, but also by the interaction between instructional processes and students’ psychological characteristics. Recent studies indicate that instructional quality, emotional intelligence, and self-efficacy are among the most influential factors shaping students’ learning experiences and academic outcomes in secondary education settings (Engida, 2024; Teig et al., 2024).</p>