EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A PREDICTOR OF PRINCIPALS’ JOB PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

The study investigated emotional intelligence as a predictor of principals’ job performance in secondary schools in Anambra State. Five research questions guided the study, while five hypotheses were tested at a 0.05 alpha level. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of all 12,080 teachers from the 266 state government-owned secondary schools in the six education zones of the State. The sample size for the study consisted of 744 teachers from state government-owned secondary schools. Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (EIQ) and Job Performance Questionnaire (JPQ) were used to collect data. EIQ and JPQ were validated by three experts. The reliabilities of the EIQ and JPQ were established using Cronbach's alpha method. Coefficients of 0.74 and 0.80 were obtained for EIQ and JPQ, respectively. Data collected were analyzed using linear regression. The findings of the study revealed that intrapersonal intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, stress management, adaptability and general mood positively and significantly predicted principals’ job performance in secondary schools. It was recommended, among others, that the Ministry of Education should continually organize seminars and workshops for principals on the need to prioritize general mood. This will enable the principals improve their job performance in secondary schools.