The Relationship Between Principal and Staff Emotional Intelligence and the Culture of an Elementary School

Magers, Crystal

The Relationship Between Principal and Staff Emotional Intelligence and the Culture of an Elementary School

Public Deposited

Creating and sustaining a healthy school culture is the charge of every principal who leads an elementary school (Missouri DESE, 2013). Low levels of emotional intelligence in staff could result in conflictual interactions between students, staff, and parents, creating a toxic school culture. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the self-perceived level of emotional intelligence of staff members and the culture of an elementary school, and the relationship between the self-perceived level of emotional intelligence of the principal and the culture of an elementary school. The researcher conducted two studies measuring school culture and emotional intelligence in elementary school staff. For both studies, the researcher used the Assessing Emotions Scale, which addressed the four factors of emotional intelligence that Mayor and Salovey (1990) identified. Principals and certified school staff completed the surveys. Separate but similar measures of school culture were used in Study 1 and Study 2. The large school district in Missouri was already administering the Panorama Learning and Culture Survey; therefore, it became the measure of school culture. In Study 2, the School Culture Triage Survey was administered to a sample of elementary school staff in Missouri. In Study 1, a moderate, negative correlation was found, confirming a relationship between total school culture and total emotional intelligence scores. In Study 2, when analyzing individual level data, a moderate but significant positive correlation was found between the perceived culture of an elementary school and the emotional intelligence of staff. In Study 1 and Study 2, emotional intelligence of the principal was not tied to the school culture score. Ultimately, individual level data did indicate that individuals who have higher levels of emotional intelligence will also perceive a positive school culture.

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