Emotional Intelligence and Performance of Employees in Secondary Schools in Anambra State; Principals Dynamics

Abstract

The rancour observed in many secondary schools in Anambra State Nigeria and the consequent poor performance of teachers, necessitated this study to examine the nexus existing between emotional intelligence and the teacher's performance. The work was anchored on the Emotional Intelligence Theory (Eq-Emotional Quotient) by Pahl in 2008 and the Ability-Based Theory by Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso in 2008. A survey research design was adopted for the study, with a population and sample size of 650 and 242 respectively. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire, which was subjected to both reliability and validity tests. Data analysis was done using correlation analysis and hypotheses tested at a 5% level of significance. Results showed that self-control has a statistically significant influence on employees’ creativity and that empathy has a statistically significant influence on employees’ commitment in secondary schools in Anambra State. The study, therefore, concluded that emotional intelligence affects the performance of teachers in secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria and recommended among others that the principals need to exhibit self-control as it has been shown to go a long way in influencing employees’ creativity and output of teachers.