Emotional Intelligence and Self-efficacy of Pre-service Teachers

Abstract

In an era of technological innovations which had ushered in a range of occupations and when the states are grappling with a shortage of quality teachers, is there something that motivates individuals to join the teaching profession? Limited career opportunities, high demands of teaching, and low pay deter new recruits from joining the teaching profession. The objective of the present study is to find the relationship between pre-service teachers’ emotional intelligence and their perceptions of self-efficacy. The study randomly selected 103 student teachers who have enrolled in the two-year Bachelor of Education program. Data collected using questionnaires were analysed by employing Pearson product-moment correlation to examine the correlation between the variables. Results of the study revealed that there exists a statistically significant positive correlation between pre-service teachers’ emotional intelligence and their perceptions of self-efficacy. The results of the study might help researchers, teacher educators, and curriculum designers of teacher education to focus on aspects that might enhance their emotional intelligence and self-efficacy, which will help young recruits in the teaching profession to excel in their profession as well as governments and institutions to retain the teachers in the profession.