THE IMPACT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP: A STUDY OF ITS INFLUENCE ON SCHOOL CLIMATE AND TEACHER MOTIVATION

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to contribute to the understanding of the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) for educational leadership especially in school climate and teacher motivation. As an umbrella term that covers aspects like self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills EI is rapidly gaining appreciation as one of the key leadership competencies that define the daily emotional and relationship reality of educational settings. This research argues that emotionally intelligent leaders foster positive school climates and consequently impact the motivation and job satisfaction of teachers, which in turn affects students. The participants in this research will be teachers who work in a school led by a person with high degrees of emotional intelligence. The outcome shows positive relationships between effective appreciation of emotions in leaders and positive school organizational climates that encompass effective cooperation, trust, and influence that provide emotional support to the learners. Furthermore, the mature leaders enhance the motivation of teachers thus improving teaching staff commitment for their duty. Hence, the study offers a call for the inclusion of emotional intelligence in leadership programs to nurture educational contexts for both educators and students and future research for such environments in various educational settings.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Educational Leadership, School Climate and Teacher Motivation