The Structural Relationships between Social Support, Emotional Intelligence, Self-esteem, and Hope in Rural Elementary School Students

Background/ Objectives: This research aimed to verify the structural relationships among social support, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and hope in 240 elementary school students located in rural areas in Korea. Methods/ Statistical Analysis: In order to accomplish this, frequency analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and Sobel’s test analysis were conducted. Findings: First, social support, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and hope were positively correlated with each other. Second, social support of rural elementary school students had an impact on emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and hope. Moreover, emotional intelligence and self-esteem also had impacts on hope. Third, there was a mediating effect of emotional intelligence and self-esteem between social support and hope. Applications/Improvement: These findings will be used to increase hope level of elementary students through social support, emotional intelligence, and self-esteem.