Emotional Intelligence and Digital Transformation Adaptation among University Lecturers: Evidence from the Faculty of Economics at Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment

Digital transformation has become a strategic priority for higher education, yet its success depends not only on infrastructure and digital platforms but also on lecturers' psychological readiness and adaptive capacity. This study examines how emotional intelligence (EI) is associated with lecturers' digital transformation adaptation (DTA) through technology-acceptance beliefs derived from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Drawing on the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale and UTAUT, the study conceptualises EI through four dimensions: self-emotion appraisal, others' emotion appraisal, use of emotion and regulation of emotion, and examines performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions as explanatory mechanisms. A survey of 115 lecturers at the Faculty of Economics, Hanoi University of Natural Resources and Environment, was analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity after removing two low-loading indicators. The structural results show that performance expectancy is the strongest direct predictor of DTA (beta = 0.431, p < 0.001), followed by facilitating conditions (beta = 0.294, p < 0.001) and effort expectancy (beta = 0.275, p < 0.001). Social influence has no statistically significant direct effect on DTA (beta = 0.097, p = 0.064). EI contributes to DTA mainly through indirect pathways: self-emotion appraisal and use of emotion increase performance expectancy, while self-emotion appraisal and regulation of emotion increase effort expectancy. The model explains 67.5% of the adjusted variance in DTA and shows positive predictive relevance. The findings suggest that digital transformation in universities should integrate technology training with emotional-capability development, practical support and evidence-based communication about the pedagogical benefits of digital tools.