A Comparative Study of Emotional Intelligence and Teaching Effectiveness among Primary and Secondary School Teachers in India

Abstract

This comparative study focuses on the correlation between emotional intelligence (EI) and teaching effectiveness of primary and secondary school teachers in India. The research aims were to evaluate EI level of both group and to understand the effect of EI competencies on teaching effectiveness. The study used a cross-sectional design that involved 450 teachers (225 primary and 225 secondary) from five states in India who were selected using stratified random sampling. The results of hypothesis testing showed that secondary school teachers had higher scores of EI (M=118.3, SD=14.2) than primary teachers (M=112.6, SD=15.8) and there was a positive correlation between EI and teaching effectiveness (r=0.687, p<0.001). The results of the ANOVA analysis showed that the differences of teaching effectiveness between the different levels of EI were statistically significant (F=45.23, p<0.001). The results show that emotional intelligence skills, especially emotional regulation, empathy and social awareness, play a significant role in improving the effectiveness of teaching. The findings have implications for teacher training and professional development programs in Indian educational institutions, as incorporating emotional intelligence training in teacher education may substantially enhance the effectiveness of the classroom and student learning.

Keywords: Emotional intelligence, teaching effectiveness, teacher competence, emotional regulation, Indian education