THE ROLE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE TEACHING CAREER OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century school is to rethinking teacher training according to new social digital trends. A lot of study underlines that teacher’s competences hierarchy has been changed: new competences as digital competences, pedagogical creativity or socio-emotional competences are a priority. Teachers must be aware of this major change and accept that the students of the 21st century have different ways of thinking, different activities and interests. The purpose of this research was to identify the factors of emotional intelligence, which are involved in the teaching profession and shape the student`s learning and behavior. The present study was conducted in a mixt methods structure, which employed both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection, embedded in a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm. One of the main conclusions of the research is that emotional intelligence and social skills are important tools for adaptation to learning and development for the student’s needs. A study has shown that a teacher with a high level of emotional intelligence, above average, positively influences the relationships formed within the class, namely the "student-teacher" and "student-student" relationships. The student-teacherrelationship is based on communication, understanding, and friendship, and mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning