Transcending traditional metrics: Evaluating school leadership effectiveness through emotional intelligence and qualitative instruments

Abstract

This paper examines the integration of school leaders' emotional intelligence and qualitative instruments into commonly used metrics for measuring school leadership effectiveness. Traditionally, these metrics rely heavily on questionnaires to assess leadership effectiveness. However, a weakness of these metrics is their excessive reliance on numerical data, which overlooks the qualitative dimensions of leadership. This study utilises Trait Emotional Intelligence Theory and Team Emotional Intelligence as units of analysis to redefine school leadership assessment. To make sense of the related literature and theories used in the study, an integrative literature review was employed as the methodological approach. The findings indicate that emotional intelligence significantly contributes to leadership effectiveness. The study also reveals that leaders who are self-aware of their emotional composition and its impact are more effective than those who are not. Furthermore, the results suggest that leaders who are cognisant and responsive to the emotional dynamics of their teams benefit from enhanced team cohesion, collaboration, and goal attainment. The study emphasises the importance of incorporating adaptable qualitative tools alongside quantitative instruments to accurately measure leadership effectiveness. Thus, this study adds to the existing literature by proposing a theoretically informed and adaptable framework that integrates an emotional intelligence construct and qualitative instruments for assessing school leadership effectiveness.