The Extent of Practicing Emotional Intelligence among Principals and its Relationship to Leadership Styles in Jordan

Abstract

The current study seeks to identify the degree of emotional intelligence among principals and its relationship to their leadership styles. The sample consisted of (80) male and female principals, who randomly chosen from the principals of Irbid schools in Jordan for the academic year 2015/2016. Two research instruments utilized for data collection: Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and Questionnaire of Leadership Styles. The results showed that the degree of emotional intelligence among principals was high, and that democratic style was in the first place, followed by the coaching style in the second place. The results showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the degree of emotional intelligence among principals due to variables of gender, scientific qualification and work experience, and the lack of statistically significant differences in applying the leadership styles due to the impact of gender, scientific qualification and work experience. The study resulted in a statistically significant positive correlation between the practice of emotional intelligence among principals and all leadership styles except for commanding style. The study recommended the need to disseminate the culture of emotional intelligence among employees of educational institutions as an essential skill required for those who aspire to occupy a managerial position