EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TRAINING: FROM THE SCHOOL LEADERS' PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This dissertation was designed to explore how selected principals enrolled in the National College for Educational Leadership (NCEL) Emotional Intelligence training program perceive whether the training has influenced their practice. While serving in various capacities as an educational professional, I have developed a strong appreciation for the significance of effective leadership in ensuring quality education is achieved. This dissertation is based on using emotional intelligence theoretically to explore the constructs of effective leadership, establish a model for understanding leadership, and create a program to support the systematic development of educational leaders. This study uses a qualitative research design, employing interviews as the main data collection method. The research sample comprises ten participants (all principals are located in the small Caribbean Island of Jamaica). The approach employed by the researcher to analyze the data was the thematic analysis method, which identifies the common insights and themes exploring the participants' perception of the National College for Educational Leadership, Emotional Intelligence training module. The primary research question explored whether K-12 principals perceive emotional intelligence as useful for improving their leadership. The study's findings indicated that participants found the emotional intelligence training program valuable and believed it added value to the quality of their leadership. The principals that participated in the research reported specific behavioral changes attributable to their participation in the emotional intelligence training. The research presents a nuanced exploration of local principals and their perception of the emotional intelligence training they participated in. The study explores how emotional intelligence training adds value to their practice as educational leaders to effect educational transformation in their schools. The research also presents tangible recommendations for policymakers to improve the emotional intelligence training program.