Emotiona; Intelligence of Principal and Teachers Job Satisfaction

7/28/2019 Emotiona; Intelligence of Principal and Teachers Job Satisfaction

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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF THEPRINCIPAL AND TEACHER JOB SATISFACTION

John B . Craig

A DISSERTATIONin

Educational and Organizational Leadership

Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillmentof the Requirements for the Degree of D octor of Education

2008

A-Jfct.Dean, Graduate School of Education


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UMI Number: 3310476Copyright 2008 by

Craig, John B.

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COPYRIGHTJohn B. Craig

2008


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Dedicat ionThis dissertation is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, M s. Virginia S.Robinson, who taught me the value of hard work and perseverance. I learned so much from youmom . I will always love you. This is also dedicated to my great grandmother, the late M s. Lena

Scott, you alwa ys believed in me regardles s. For this I will always be grateful. I know you aresmiling down on me from heaven right now. And, to my great grandfather, the late John W . B.Scott, thank you for your pearls of wisdom.


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AcknowledgementsI wish to thank the following people for your encouragement, love and support over the

years: My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am nothing without you. Thank you for opening doorsin my life which no man can shut. My wife Liza, I love you so much for your support andlistening ear; our children John and Breanna, daddy loves you and wants to give you the world.To my church family at the Philadelphia Revival Temple Church, I thank you all for your prayersand words of encouragement; and, in particular, to my uncle, father in the Gospel, confidant andfriend Bishop Robert T. Robinson, DD, for your guidance, love and support over the years.Bish op, the "just is still living by faith." To all my family, particularly, my father Minister JohnScott Robinson, I love you dad! To my un cle, Bishop James Darrell Robinson, DD, I love andrespect you greatly. To my uncle, Mr. Keith Robinson, one thing I love about you is that youalways keep it real. Yo u're one of the funniest people I know. I love you, man. To my AuntGwendolyn (aka aunt Gwenny), thank you for always believing in me and for your love andsupport over the years. To my cousins Nicholas and Scott Reed, you guys have always beensupportive of me througho ut the years . I love you both! To all my brothers and sisters, I loveeach of you. Big brother has finally graduated from Pen n. No w, I should have some more freetime.

My University of Pennsylvania family, in particular, my Center of Excellence family, Dr.Jerry C. Johnson, Ms . Beverly T. W illiams, JD, D r. S. Lynne Taylor, and Ms. Patricia Rainey.Your support and love will never be forgotten. Dr. Judith A. W. Thomas, your support and wordsof encouragement are always on point. Thank you so much for always taking time with me overthe years. My friends at Lincoln University of PA , I will never forget you, Dr. Louise Nichols,Ms. Kathleen Ham ilton, Ms . Lois Boyer, Ms. Maria McG ill (my big sis), M s. Nancy K enner (thewo rld's greatest academic advisor and counselor), Dr. Richard W inchester (thank you for

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believing in me), Dr. Conchita Battle (you w ere there when I needed you), Dr. Marilyn Button (ahuge thank you), Dr. Patricia Joseph (your encouraging words and humor alw ays brightened m yday) to all of the adm inistrators and faculty with wh om I have worked at Lincoln, thank you. Toall my former students there, you will always have a special place in my heart.

My family of the Pennsylvania B lack Conference on Higher Education, I love workingwith each of you. I have learned so much ove r the years from yo u, in particular, Mr. LarryDow dy (my confidant and adv isor), Dr. Richard E. Arnold (my big brother and friend), Dr.Brenda Sanders Dede (another big sister, mentor and confidante), Dr. Francene Haymon (you'realways so encouraging, thank you), my Eastern Region Fam ily, particularly, M s. PamelaBlanding-Godbolt (Y ou've proven yourself to be a great friend), M s. Madeline S omerville-Reeves (Thank you for your support and prayers), Prof. Shantia McCoy (Thanks for your candorand support), Ms. Cherylynn Rush (Your humor is always contagious), Ms. Shirley W ashington(Thank you for being encouraging), Ms. Shirley Dixon (Keep telling it like it is). To Dr. EdwinGordon, thank you for all you did for the Mid-Career program and for me. I wish you and yourfamily love and blessings. Finally, but certainly not least, I want to thank my advisor, Dr. HarrisJ. Sokoloff for pushing me to do my best work . Yo ur leadership and guidance are trulyappreciated, Harris. Also, to the other mem bers of the wo rld's greatest dissertation comm ittee,my dream team, Dr. John Deflaminis and Dr. Annie McK ee. You both are very talentedindividuals, who helped to make this dissertation and this entire doctoral process for me amem orable one. Annie, you were right!

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ABSTRACTTHE RELATIONSHP BETWEEN THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE OF THE

PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER JOB SATISFACTIONJohn B . Craig

Harris J. Sokoloff, Ph D

Understanding the relationship between the prin cipal's em otional intelligence andteacher job satisfaction is the main focus of this exploratory study. The variables of

emotional intelligence and teacher job satisfaction have been studied independently andare both very well researched and docum ented. This study takes the works of DanielGoleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee (2004; Boyatzis & McKee, 2005) as theframework for understanding emotional intelligence, specifically consideringcompetencies related to self-awareness, self-management, social awaren ess, andrelationship management.

Highly effective principals are emotionally intelligent and have satisfied teachers.Emotionally intelligent principals are those who are attuned to their own and others 'emo tions. They are also adept at manag ing their emotions and those of others andbuilding positive relationsh ips. Teacher jo b satisfaction is defined as "an affectiveresponse to on e's job as a whole or to particular facets of it" (Cooley & Yovanoff, 1996,p. 341).

Three public school principals were interviewed using a critical incident protocoland teachers from those three schools were asked to comp lete Section VII of the Schools

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and Staffing Survey (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005). The surveymeasured teacher job satisfaction, w hile the responses to the principal interviews werecoded for behaviors that correspond to fundamental competencies of em otionalintelligence as defined by Goleman, Boyatzis and McK ee in Primal Leadership (2004)and Resonant Leadership (2005).

This study found a positive relationship between the com petencies related toemotional intelligence dem onstrated by the principal and teacher job satisfaction. Eachprincipal exhibited the following competencies of em otional intelligence: Op timism,

Emotional Self-Awareness, Empathy, and Achievement O rientation. These arefundamental competencies of em otional intelligence which create resonance in theschool. Much research has been conducted about leaders who create resonance in theirorganiza tions and how successful those organiza tions are. Part of this success is becausethe workers are satisfied. Thus, it is incumbent up on principals to cultivate the kind ofrelationships with their teachers that will be meaningful and that can be sustained evenwhen there are disagreements and/or other m oments of angst between the teacher(s) andprincipal.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT viTABLE OF CONTENT S vii iLIST OF TABLE S xiiLIST OF FIGURES xiiiC H A P T E R O N E : INTRODUCTION, STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM,IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY, LITERATURE REVIEW, ME THODS,AND LIMITATIONS 1

Introduction 1Statement of the Problem 5Importance of the Study 6Literature Review 8

Emotional Intelligence (EI) 9Emotional Intelligence in Context 11The Dom ains and Com petencies of Em otional Intelligence 14The Neuroanatom y of Emo tional Intelligence 15Creating Resonan ce 17Teacher Job Satisfaction (TJS) 22Teacher Mo rale and Teacher Job Satisfaction 25Linking Emo tional Intelligence with Teacher Job Satisfaction 27

Methods 34Study Design 34

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Sample Selection and Description 35Emotional Intelligence: Data Collection and D ataAnalysis 38

Teacher Job Satisfaction: Data Collection and DataAnalysis 40Connecting the Two Constructs 42

Limitations 43CHAPTER 2: STUDY FINDINGS ABOUT PRINCIPALS' EM OTIONALINTELLIGENCE AND TEACH ER JOB SATISFACTION 45

Findings about Principals' Emotional Intelligence 46Findings from First Round Interviews 46Findings from Second Round Interviews 47

Principal 1: Forging a Relationship with a Teacher 48Principal 2: Developing a School Portfolio 52Principal 3: Helping a Teacher See That Her ChronicAbsences Hurt Children 56

Summ ary of Emo tional Intelligence Findings 59Empathy 60Emo tional Self-Awareness 60Achievement Orientation 60Optimism 61Connecting the Four Com petencies 61

Findin gs about Teache r Job Satisfaction 63ix


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School 1 64Influence Scale Averages 65Satisfaction Scale Av erages 66Correlation betw een Influence and Satisfaction 69Regression Analysis 70Control Scale Averages 71Correlation betw een Con trol and Satisfaction 71Regression Analysis 73

School 2 73Influence Scale Averages 74Satisfaction Scale Av erages 75Correlation betw een Influence and Satisfaction 77Regression Analysis 78Control Scale Averages 78Correlation betw een Contro l and Satisfaction 79Regression Analysis 80

School 3 81Influence Scale Av erages 81Satisfaction Scale Av erages 82Correlation s betw een Influence and Satisfaction 83Regression Analysis 84Control Scale Averages 85

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Correla t ion betw een Control and Satisfact ion 86Regression Analysis 87

Summary of Teacher Job Satisfaction Findings 87CHAPTER 3: DISCUSSION 91

Linking Emotional Intelligence and Teacher Job Satisfaction: TeacherMotivation 91Linking Em otional Intelligence and T eacher Job Satisfaction:Limbic Resonance 95Connecting Relevant Em otional Intelligence Com petencies to Specific

Aspe cts of Teacher Job Satisfaction 96Recom mendations for Principals 100Recom mendations for Principals with Regard to Teachers 103Recom mendations for Superintendents 105Recom mendations for Further Study 106

APPE ND IX A: Interview Protocol for the Principal 108APPENDIX B: Techn ical No tes of the Schools and Staffing Survey 109APPE ND IX C: Emotional Intelligence Dom ains and Com petencies 112APPE ND IX D: Survey Results for School 1 118APPE ND IX E: Survey Results for School 2 127APPE ND IX F: Survey Results for School 3 135REFERENCES 143

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LIST OF TABLESTable 1Profile of teac hers at School 1, based on teac her survey responses 36

Table 2Profile of teac hers at School 2, based on teac her survey responses 37Table 3Profile of teac hers at School 3, based on teac her survey responses 37Table 4Presence of El Com petenc ies in Inte rview Set #1 47Table 5Presence o f El Competencies in Interview Set #2 48Table 6School 1 teac hers' perceptions of the ir influence on school-wide decision making 65Table 7School 1 teac hers' responses to indicators of job satisfact ion 68Table 8School 1 teac hers' perceptions of the ir c ontro l over classroom ac tivit ies 71Table 9School 2 teac hers' perceptions of the ir influence on school-wide decision making 74Table 10School 2 teac hers' responses to indicators of job satisfac tion 76Table 11School 2 teac hers' perceptions of the ir c ontro l over classroom ac tivit ies 78Table 12School 3 teac hers' perceptions of the ir influence on school-wide decision making 81Table 13School 3 teac hers' responses to indicators of job satisfac tion 83Table 14School 3 teac hers' perceptions of the ir c ontro l over classroom ac tivit ies 85

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LIST OF FIGURESFigure 1The Limbic System 16Figure 2The Sacrifice Syndrome 19Figure 3School 1: Influence to Satisfaction 69Figure 4School 1: Control to Satisfaction 72Figure 5School 2: Influence to Satisfaction 77Figure 6School 2: Control to Satisfaction 80Figure 7School 3: Influence to Satisfaction 84Figure 8School 3: Control to Satisfaction 86

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION, STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM, IMPORTANCE OF TH ESTUDY, LITERATURE REVIEW, METHODS, AND LIMITATIONS

IntroductionThe question which guides this study is, "Is there a relationship between the

emotional intelligence (EI) of the principal and teacher job satisfaction?" Effectiveleaders, according to researchers such as Goleman , Fullan, and others, are em otionally

intelligent. This chapter includes a detailed description of what emotional intelligence isthrough the lenses of the major researchers on this topic, including G oleman, Boyatzisand McKee (2004), Boyatzis and McKee (2005), Mayer, Salovey and Caruso (2000), andBar-On (1997).

As the literature review reveals, not all of these researchers agree on w hatconstitutes EL Thus, the definitions and the major concepts of these researchers, and theconflicts amon g these concepts, will be discussed. This critical comparison provides arationale for the use of the Golem an, Boyatzis and M cKee (2004) definition o f EI andillustrates the connections between this model and the research question. After presentingthe mode l, which was elaborated in Resonant Leadership (2005), in detail, the b ehavioralindicators of this model of EI are highlighted. These indicators are imperative forunderstanding the emotional intelligence of leaders, and were used to understand the EIof the three public school principals who participated in this study. The responses to acritical incident interview protocol were used to qualitatively assess the competencies of


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emotional intelligence dem onstrated b y the principals using the behavioral indicators as aguide.

Leaders' emotional intelligence is connected to their ability to build resonancethroughout an organization, which, in turn, is important to their ability to achievecollective goals (Goleman, Boy atzis & McK ee, 2004). Building resonance leads toimproved relationships between leaders and subo rdinates, as demonstrated in PrimalLeadership (Goleman, Boyatzis & McKee, 2004) and Resonant Leadership (Boyatzis &McKee, 2005).

A b rief overview of the neuroscience associated w ith this theory is also includedin the literature review that follows. Limbic resonance is "a symphony of mutualexchange and internal adaptation" whereby two people harmo nize their emotional states(Goleman et al., 2004, p. 48). This framework is useful for understanding how peopleconnect with others on an em otional level, which is impo rtant for leading o rganizations.The degree to which school leaders are emotionally intelligent is likely to create animproved relationship between principals and teachers, thus positively affecting teacherjo b satisfaction. Moreover, as "resonance flows from a leader" (Goleman et al., 2004, p.49), a discussion of how creating resonance is important to the leadership work ofprincipals is also included. To further explore the importance of relationship building bythe principal, the literature review turns to the work of Michael Fullan (2001), whomaintains that relationship building in school settings is crucial for leaders as they seek to

improve w orking relationships w ith teachers.

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The literature review o n teacher jo b satisfaction will focus on the research ofCooley and Yovanoff (1996); Gersten, Keating and Harniss (2001); and the NationalCenter for Education Statistics (NCES ) Report on Teacher Job Satisfaction (19 97).Although this research will provide the major framework for the discussion on teacherjo b satisfaction, other relevant work is also reviewed, such as Lu m sden 's (1998) work onteacher morale, which highlights the differences between teacher mo rale and teacher jobsatisfaction. As a case in point, Norm ore and Flo yd 's (2005) article describing a teach er'srelationship w ith her principal is also discussed. Each of these additional works will

provide the basis for understanding teacher job satisfaction.The definition of teacher job satisfaction u sed herein comes from the work of

Cooley and Y ovanoff (199 6), who state that teacher jo b satisfaction is "an affectiveresponse to one 's job or to a particular facet of it" (p. 336). The indicators of teacher jo bsatisfaction used in this study have been draw n from the work of Cooley and Yovanoff(1996), Keating, Gersten and Harniss (2001), and the 1997 NC ES R eport on Teacher JobSatisfaction, which each list indicators such as teachers' perceived control over theirclassroom activities and teacher influence on school-wide decision m aking, which areinfluenced by such factors as principal expectations and the princip al's support o fteaching staff. The specific indicators of teacher job satisfaction were chosen becausethey are directly under the control of the principal and will therefore serve to illustrate theprincip al's influence. The teacher survey used in this study (NC ES, 1997, included asAppen dix B) includes specific questions directly related to the indicators chosen. Theseindicators of teacher jo b satisfaction may be linked to and affected by the emotional

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intelligence of the principal, w hereas other indicators of teacher jo b satisfaction (such aspay, benefits, and years of teaching) are not directly under the control of the publicschool principal, and are not likely to be affected by the emotional intelligence of theschool leader.

Principals who have positive wo rking relationships with their teaching staff moreoften have successful sch ools (Fullan, 2001). The success of schools is mea sured bymaking Adeq uate Yearly Progress (AYP). One could speculate that when schools makeAYP, there are myriad reason s for this achievement, not the least of which is principal

leadership.Principals who are effective leaders are adept at developing meaningful

relationships with their teaching staff. This relationship building consists ofcomm unicating with teachers in ways that are positive and supportive. In short, theseprincipals are not just intelligent; they are emotionally intelligent. Emo tionally intelligentleaders are those wh o have a strong sense of their own em otions and those of others.They have positive outlooks for themselves, students and teachers. These leadersencourage teacher input in school-related d ecisions and work to create a positive learningenvironment for the school community.

Are the teachers of these successful sch ools satisfied in their positions? Do theyhave influence over school-wide decision-making and have control over classroomactivities? Do they feel that they are valued as professionals by the principal? This studyaddresses these questions as the potential relationship betw een the em otional intelligenceof the principal and teacher jo b satisfaction is examined.

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Statement of the ProblemAccording to the NCES Schools and Staffing Survey and its companion, the

Teacher Follow U p Survey, in the year 2000, there was a 15.1 percent national turnoverrate among public school teachers (NCES 200 1). Am ong the reasons cited by this studyand other researchers such as Ingersoll (200 1) is teacher dissatisfaction. In his 2001article, Teacher Turnover, Teacher Shortages, and the Organization of Schools, Ingersollsays that teachers in schools that provide m ore support from administrators and w herethey have higher levels of decision-making and influence and autonom y have lower

levels of turnover (Ingersoll 2001, p. 18). Also, according to this study, in many schoolsacross the nation, teachers are not included in the decision making p rocess; and, they arenot encouraged to act autonomously, thus teacher turnover.

Teacher shortages and increasing teacher turnover are issues facing pub lic education.Thus, one reason of this shortage/turnover is teacher dissatisfaction; and thus, som eindicators of teacher dissatisfaction are a lack of administrative support, decision-makingopportunities and autonomy. Also, low retention rates of teach ers' can lead to decreasedstudent achievement. Moreover, according to Katherina Michaelow a (2002), there is astrong correlation between teacher jo b satisfaction and student achievement. One candraw the inference from the aforementioned statement that if teachers are not satisfied,student achievement may eventually be compromised.

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Importance of the StudyThis study is important because it explores whether there is a relationship betw een

the emotional intelligence of principal and teacher job satisfaction. Emotionallyintelligent principals and teachers who are satisfied with their schools often impactmeaningful and measurable student achievement (M ichaelowa, 2002, p. 18). Theseleaders create and maintain env ironments w here teachers and students feel v alued.

Emo tionally intelligent principals are very much aware of and are increasinglysuccessful at managing their emotions and the em otions of others around them, including

teachers. Consequently, this relationship between the principal and teacher, if cultivatedand nurtured, can make the difference between optimal student achievement and m arginalto no student achievement (Fullan, 2001). Thus, this exploratory study is important inthat it may provide add itional ways to understand the relationship between the princ ipal'sem otional intelligence and teacher jo b satisfaction. In addition , this study can lead tofurther comprehensive research that may identify best practices for current and futureprincipals.

According to Charlotte Advocates for Education 's 2004 report, "to impact teacherretention, they [principals] also need to put in place key strategies that will create theenvironment w here teachers will want to remain" (p. 11). The following are some ofthose strategies that these successful principals believe are most important in retainingteachers:

Dem onstrate strong leadership - leadership that is not afraid to take a risk Build approp riate relationsh ips with staff so they know the principal is a caringteam member Know ing teachers as individuals

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Having an open door Creating social opportunities within staff to build a sense of family Meeting with new teachers personally at least once a mon th Support teachers Ensure teachers believe the principal is their advocate and the principal is here to

"work for them ," not vice versa Rem ove barriers so teacher can be successful in class - e.g. policies, parents,behavior issues Prov ide resourc es (often creatively) needed for teachers to be successful Keep "stressors" at bay: keeping extra duties and paperwork to a minim um Publicly support teachers Continually and publicly recognize teachers for "job well don e" Give small tokens and notes to say thank you Include teachers in decision-making making certain they understand thenegotiables vs. nonnegotiables Alway s asking "w hat is in the best interest of the studen ts?" Empower staff- knowing when it is proper to "give power" and how to do iteffectively Continually build leadership capacity within school Provide opportunities for teachers to grow in their profession - including givingteachers outstanding professional development in-house (designed specifically forneeds of teacher and school) and the opportunity to go off site for training and toobserve master teachers Be accessible for teachers: open-door policies for teachers to share with principal Provide both individual and team structured planning time for teachers - protectthat time Ensure within the team planning there is a mixture of new and veteran teachers.(Charlotte Advocates for Education, 200 4, p. 12)

This report highlights the need for principals to develop "approp riate relationships" w ithteachers and "include teachers in decision m aking ." According to the authors of thisstudy, when principals use the aforementioned strategies, they w ill increase teachersatisfaction and thus increase teacher retention. Also, according to Tye and O'Br ien

(2002), teachers leave the profession because of a lack of administrative support, amon gother factors. Thus, the present study is important because it examines a possible

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relationship between the em otional intelligence of the principal and teacher jo bsatisfaction.

Effective school leaders, according to researchers such as Fullan, are emotionallyintelligent (Fullan, 2001 ). The relationship with the teachers will be strengthened whenthe principal is available, supportive and concerned about the teach ers' ongoingprofessional learning (Fullan, 2001). The hypothesis of this study is that a principal wh oexhibits these characteristics can positively affect teacher job satisfaction.

Literature Review

Do em otionally intelligent principals have teachers who experience a high level ofjo b satisfaction? In order to address the aforemen tioned question, this exploratory stud yfocuses on on e essential research question: Is there a relationship between the emotionalintelligence of the principal and teacher jo b satisfaction? In order to understand themeaning o f emotional intelligence, the work of Daniel Golem an, Richard Boyatzis andAnnie McK ee, specifically Primal Leadership (2004), is used as the conceptualframework for emotional intelligence in the context of this study. The work of severaladditional researchers provides the lens through which teacher job satisfaction isexplored.

In short, this study looks wh ether there is a relationship between the em otionalintelligence of the princip al and teacher jo b satisfaction. Specifically, it is posited in thisstudy that emotionally intelligent principals foster and maintain positive relationshipswith teachers and that these relationships are positively correlated w ith teacher jobsatisfaction.

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Emotional IntelligenceGRE AT LEA DER S move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us.Wh en we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, orpowerful ideas. But the reality is muc h more primal: Great leadership worksthrough the emotions. (Goleman et al., 2004, p. 3)What is emotional intelligence? A review of the literature on em otional

intelligence has revealed a lack of consen sus on a definition of this concept. There arethree competing definitions with differences that, although subtle, serve nonetheless tomak e the definitions distinct. For examp le, in their 2004 article, "Emotional Intelligence:Theory, Findings and Implications," Mayer, Caruso and Salovey define EI as:

The capacity to reason about emotions, and of emotions to enhance thinking. Itincludes the abilities to accurately perceive em otions, to access and generateemotions so as to assist thought, to understand em otions and em otionalknow ledge, and to reflectively regu late emotions so as to promote em otional andintellectual growth, (p. 197)In an earlier article, "Emotional Intelligence m eets Traditional Standards for Ex cellence,"Mayer, Caruso and Salovey (2000) assert,

Emotional intelligence refers to an ability to recognize the meanings of em otionsand their relationships, and to reason and problem-solve on the basis of them .Emotional intelligence is involved in the capacity to perceive em otions, assimilateemotion-related feelings, understand the information of those emotions, andmanage them. (p. 267)Mayer et al. are very clear throughout their w ritings that the ability to recognize emotionsand their meanings, and to problem-solve on the basis of these mean ings, refers to theindivid ual's ability to do so with his/her own emotions rather than the emotions of others.Mayer et al. (2004, p. 396) do not attribute aspects such as teamw ork and collaboration toem otional intelligence. In fact, they are not convinced that those and other chara cteristics

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(competencies) as outlined in Gole ma n's earlier work, specifically in Working withEmotional Intelligence, "have anything to d o with em otions, intelligence or theircombination" (Sternberg, 2000, p. 401).

Bar-On (1997), in The Emotional Q uotient Inventory (EQ-i): Technical Ma nual,posits, "Emo tional intelligence is . . . an array of non-cognitive capab ilities, comp etencies,and skills that influence on e's ability to succeed in coping with environmental demandsand pressures" (1997, p. 14). In this definition, Bar-On asserts that emotionalintelligence can help people "cope" with outside "pressu res." Ba r-O n's definition is

similar to Mayer, Caruso and S alovey 's (2000, 2004) as both definitions assert theindivid ual's capacity to handle his/her own em otions. This differs from Golem an,Boyatzis and M cK ee's (2004) definition in that they believe that not only can anemotionally intelligent person assess and manage his/her own em otions, but he/she canassess, understand and influence the emotions of others.

In Working with Emo tional Intelligence, Goleman (1998) says emotionalintelligence "is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, formotivating ourselves, and for man aging em otions well in ourselves and in ourrelationships" (p. 8). This characterization of emotional intelligence is quite differentthan the previous two in that Golem an suggests that persons who are emotionallyintelligent are not only adept at recognizing and man aging their own feelings, they arealso able to recognize and manage the em otions of others. For the purposes of this study,it is appropriate that Gole ma n's definition b e used in assessing school leaders' emotionalintelligence because it includes the ability of the leader to assess and influence the

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emotions of others, namely the teachers in this case. This viewpoint of emotionalintelligence is the bedrock of this study, which argues that principals' ability to m anagerelationships w ith their teachers is key in understanding ho w they affect teachersatisfaction.

Further elaboration of the ways in w hich em otional intelligence affects th ebehaviors of others occurs in later works by Goleman, B oyatzis and McK ee, who refer tothe ability to influence the emotions of others in a positive way as resonance.

In a school setting, resonance is the ability of a principal to b e attuned, not just to

his or her own emotions, but to the em otions of their administrative team , the faculty andother staff me mb ers. It is from this attunem ent that the principal can begin to assess hisor her own EI and begin to resonate in a positive manner w ith the teaching staff, thusincreasing teacher m orale and ultimately teacher job satisfaction.

According to G oleman et al. (2004), the emotionally intelligent leader is one whoresonates positively with others in an organization. These are the leaders who are apleasure to work for and who retain their employees. For example, "optimistic,enthusiastic leaders more easily retain their people, compared with those bosses w ho tendtoward negative moo ds" (George and Bettenhausen, 1990, p. 698).Emotional Intelligence in Context

Goleman, Bo yatzis and McKee (2004) speak in detail about how leaders canassess and manage their own and othe rs' em otions in Primal Leadership: Learning toLead w ith Emotional Intelligence. Using data derived from thousands of interviews w ithleaders from myriad organizations, including schools, and citing research from various

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disciplines, including psychology and neu rology, the authors of Resonant Leadership(2005) developed and identified four core dom ains of emotional intelligence: Self-Aw areness, Self-Management, Social Aw areness, and Relationship Manag ement. Theybelieve these four domains are essential for understanding what it means for leaders to beemotionally intelligent. Related to these core domains are 19 emotional intelligencecomp etencies. The authors make very plain that "these EI competencies are not innatetalents, but learned abilities, each of which has a un ique contribution to m aking leadersmore resonant and therefore m ore effective" (G oleman et al., p. 38). Finally, the authors

outline several "behavioral indicators" of these competencies wh ich are used to code andassess the competencies (see Appendix C ). These 19 competencies are the result of theevolution of ongoing research which was conducted with leaders from variousorganizations from the time Primal Leadership (2004) was written to the time ResonantLeadership (2005) was published. That is, these competencies changed as a result ofongoing factor analysis of the research data, such that some of the original 25competencies wh ich are presented in Primal Leadership were collapsed into othercomp etencies, thus, the 19 presented in Resonant Leadership.

In Resonant Leadership, Boyatzis and McK ee (2005) define resonant leaders asthose who "are in tune with those around them. This results in people working in syncwith each other, in tune with each oth ers' thoug hts (what to do) and emotions (why to doit)" (p. 4). Put simply, "great leaders move u s" (p. 3). The emotionally intelligent leaderis one who can assess and manage his or her own em otions and the emotions of

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subordinates. Principals are leaders. Therefore, these concepts relate to them in theirroles.

According to Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, leaders who are out of touch withtheir organizations are dissonant leaders. Principals who are dissonant (leaders whocreate and sustain bad feelings in their organization) m ay have teachers wh o are notsatisfied. Goleman , Boyatzis and McKee (200 4) put forth the notion that emotions arecontagious. Thus, leaders whose mo ods are often n egative, pessimistic and dow ntroddenwill impact the moods of employees in the same negative mann er. As "everyone w atchesthe bo ss" (p. 8), the bo ss' positive or negative em otions can spread:

How easily we catch lead ers' em otional states, then, has to do with ho wexpressively their faces, voices, and gestures convey their feelings. The greater alead er's skill at transmitting emo tions, the m ore forcefully the em otions willspread. Such transmission does not depend on theatrics, of course; since peoplepay close attention to a leader, even subtle expressions of emotion can have greatimpact. Even so, the more open leaders areh ow well they express their ownenthusiasm, for example the mo re readily others will feel that same contagiouspassion, (p. 11)

Put simply, if leaders seek to have more positive and effective relationships withtheir employees, they must manage their own feelings and em otions effectivelytheymust be em otionally intelligent. The consequences for failing to do so can be severe:"The num ber one reason that people cite for quitting is dissatisfaction with the bo ss"(Goleman et al., 2004, p. 83). Beyond the potential loss of employees, the prevalence ofnegative feelings has other cyclical, harmful effects:

Our negativi ty causes us to c lose dow n and to s top functioning effect ively . At thesame time, our stress and negative em otions are actually contagious, so our peoplealso begin to feel frustrated, em pty, and unfulfilled not to m ention ineffective.

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It becomes a vicious cycle: pow er stress, sacrifice, d issonance, more stress, andmo re sacrif ice . (Boyatzis & McK ee, 20 05, p . 18) .

The Domains and Competencies of Emotional IntelligenceThe emotionally intelligent leader must be one w ho is in tune with him or herself,

able to manage his or her emo tions, aware of the em otions of others, and able to m anagerelationships effectively in order to create the type of environment w here em ployees aresatisfied. The authors of Primal Leadership (Goleman et al, 2004) identify the followingfour core dom ains of the emotionally intelligent leader:

S Self-Awareness: "having a deep understanding of on e's em otions, as well ason e's strengths and limitations and one's values and m otives" (p. 40).S Self-Management: "the focused drive that all leaders need to achieve their goals.Without knowing w hat we 're feeling, we'r e at a loss to manage those feelings" (p.45).S Social Awareness: "Em pathy" (p. 48). Empathy is the ability to understand thefeelings of others.S Relationship Management: "handling (or working with) other people'semo tions" (p. 50).

W ithin each of these dom ains there are a num ber of com petencies which illustrate how aperson who is skilled in a given domain m ight act:Self-AwarenessCompetencies: Emotional self-awareness: Reading on e's own emotions and recognizing theirimpact; using "gut sen se" to guide decisions Accurate self-assessment: Know ing on e's strengths and limits Self-confidence: A sound sense of on e's self-worth and capabilitiesSelf-ManagementCompetencies:

Emotional self-control: Keeping disruptive emotions and impulses under control14


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Transparency: Displaying honesty and integrity; trustworthiness Adaptability: Flexibility in adapting to changing situations or overcomingobstacles Achievement: The drive to improve performance to meet inner standards ofexcellence Initiative: Readin ess to act and seize oppo rtunities Optimism: Seeing the upside in events

Social AwarenessCompetencies: Empathy: Sensing other s' emo tions, understanding their perspective, and takingactive interest in their concerns Organizational awareness: Reading the currents, decision networks, and politicsat the organizational level Service: R ecognizing and meeting follower, client, or customer needsRelationship ManagementCompetencies:

Inspirational leadership: Guiding and motivating with a compelling vision Influence: W ielding a range of tactics for persu asion Developing others: B olstering other s' abilities through feedback and guidance Change catalyst: Initiating, man aging, and leading in a new direction Conflict managem ent: Resolving disagreements Building bond s: Cultivating and maintaining a web of relationships Teamw ork and collaboration: C ooperation and team building(Goleman et al., p. 38)

These competencies can be developed over time; they are not innate, according to theauthors. They can be developed with training and the appropriate willingness of theindividual to want to grow emotionally. Moreover, "each of these EI competencies.. .has a unique contribution to making leaders more resonant, and therefore m oreeffective" (p. 38).The Neuroanatomy of Emotional Intelligence

The part of the brain which has been found to control em otions is called thelimbic system:

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The limbic system is a complex set of structures that lies on both sides andunderne ath the thalam us, just under the cerebrum . I t includes the hypo thalam us,the hippocampus, the amygdala, and several other nearby areas. It appears to beprimarily responsible for our emotional life, and has a lot to do with the formationof mem ories. (Boeree, 2002, f 2)

hypothalamuspituitary

hippocampusamygdala

Figure 1.The Limbic System (reproduced from Boeree, 2002)Goleman , Boyatzis and McKee (2004) cite the limbic system as an important brainstructure that helps us to understand ho w people p rocess emo tions and react to theemotions of others. Through their discussion on "social awareness," or empathy, theauthors of Primal Leadership explain what role the limbic system p lays in causingleaders to create resonance: "Emotionally intelligent leaders build resonance by tuninginto peo ple's feelingstheir own and othe rs'a nd guiding them in the right direction"

(p . 26).Limbic resonance is "a symphony of mutual exchange and internal ada ptation"

(Goleman et al., 2004, p. 48) whereby tw o people harm onize their emotional state. Thisframework for understanding how people connect w ith others on an emotional level is 16


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important for principals, and for all leaders. The degree to which leaders forge theseemotional connections is likely to create an improved relationship between said leadersand em ployees, thus positively affecting employee job satisfaction. M oreover, the leaderis uniquely placed to set the tone to which others will harmo nize: "Resonance flows froma leader, who expresses feelings with conviction because those em otions are clearlyauthentic, rooted in deeply held values" (Goleman et al., 2004, p. 49). Further, "bybeing attuned to how others feel in the mom ent, a leader can say and do w hat 'sappropriate whether it be to calm fears, assuage anger, or join in good sp irits" (p. 49).

Another hy pothesis of this study is that through limbic resonan ce, leaders caninfluence staff behavior by creating resonance in their respective organizations.Moreover, in light of limbic resonance, it is reasonable to believe that school principalswho are effective are able to forge and sustain meaningful relationships with their faculty.The mann er in which leaders leverage these relationships, when they con sist of positiveinteractions, even in times of disagreement, may help to sustain and improve employeejob satisfaction.Creating Resonance

Great leaders are awake, aw are, and attuned to themselves, to others, and to theworld around them . They comm it to their beliefs, stand strong in their values, andlive full, passion ate lives. Great leaders are emo tionally intelligent and they aremindful: they seek to live in full consciousness of self, others, nature, and society.Great leaders face the uncertainty of today 's world w ith hope: they inspirethrough clarity of vision, optimism, and a profound belief in theirand theirpeople's ability to turn dreams into reality. Great leaders face sacrifice,difficulties, and challenges, as well as opportunities, with empathy andcompassion for the people they lead and those they serve. (Boyatzis & M cKee,2005, p. 3)

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In Resonant Leadership, Boyatzis and McKee (2005) provide an in-depthdiscussion about h ow and w hy leaders who are emotionally intelligent create resonance.Being an em otionally intelligent leader who creates resonance in the workplace is anarduous task; it requires a high energy level and a w illingness on the part of the leader towant to learn more about him or herself. Furthermore, the leader must learn about others:"In other wo rds, they [resonant leaders] are leaders who are in touch w ith the peoplearound them . Resonant relationships require people to know each other" (p. 178).

To this end, with all of the demands placed on leaders, many find it difficult jus t

to manage the mounting sea of work that comes with the territory. W ith increasingpressure to improve productivity and meet other deman ds, leaders are in many way soverwhelmed and constantly stressed. Even the resonant leader can slip into dissonantbehaviors if they do not "sustain their effectivenessand resonanceover time"(Boyatzis & McKee, 200 5, p. 3).

According to Boyatzis and M cKee (200 5), there are three reasons why otherwiseresonan t leaders slip into dissonan ce: "the Sacrifice Syn drom e, defensive routines andorganizations where dissonant behaviors are encouraged" (p. 40). These dissonantbehaviors are often the result of crises and other threats. The resonant leader must b eable to handle these mom ents of angst without losing control of their em otions:

As leaders, we face crises, small and large, as part of a day's work. We findourselves putting out fires, running from one crisis to the next. And w e are goodat this: the most talented among u s are smart, focused, independent, and highenergy . W e have a great deal of self-control and are effective in ma nagin g ourimpulses and leading others. We give a lot, strive for excellence, achieve ourgoals, and get results. We are influential, and we use our power for the greatergood. .. .we are effective leaders for a tim e. (p. 41 ).

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"Good leaders need a great deal of self-control, which takes emotional energy and effort"(p . 41). When leaders are not in control of their emotions and allow stress to gounchecked, they slip into "The Sacrifice Sy ndrom e." The following figure provides anillustration of this syndrom e:

R e s o n a n tRe la t ions h ips Effect ivele a de rs h ip

Sa c r i f i c eS y n d r o m et

T h r e a t

Cr is is

Inef fec t ive orN o n s u s t a i n a b l ele a de rs h ip

Figure 2.The Sacrifice Syndrom e (adapted from Boyatzis & McK ee, 2005, p. 41)Leaders who allow a crisis or a threat to negatively impact their emotions will fall intothis sacrifice syndrome and their once-resonant relationships with employees w ill becomedissonant relationships. These dissonant relationships may prom ulgate throughout thebuilding and may eventually lead to staff dissatisfaction, not to mention ineffectiveleadership.

Sustaining resonance calls for continual renewal. Boyatzis and McKee (20 05)argue that leaders must continue to renew themselves in order to remain resonant. This isaccomplished when the following three elements of resonance are at work: mindfulness,hop e and com passion. Mindfulness is "the capacity to be fully aw are of all that one

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experiences inside the self body, mind, heart, spiritand to pay full attention to what ishappening around us people, the natural world, our surroundings, and events" (p. 112).Mindfulness helps people restrain themselves, and helps them to avoid d issonance.

The second way in w hich leaders build resonance is by being full of hope. Th ishope is closely connected to setting and attaining leadership goa ls: Leaders do this byclearly articulating goals, having belief that they can attain said goals, mapping out a planof action and arriving at the goal, all while realizing a sense of well-being as a result ofthe process (Boyatzis and McKee, 2005) (Snyder, 2000). How do leaders build upon

this skill to renew themselves as they seek to sustain resonance? Boyatzis and McK eehighlight the following key lessons from leaders whose hope contributes to theireffectiveness:

The leader needs to have dreams and aspirations, but also be in touch withthose of the people around him or her. This helps to form the desired im ageof the future. The leader needs to be optimistic and believe in his or her ability to make

change. The leader mu st see the desired future as realistic and feasible, (p. 152)

In sum, being hopeful requires the ability of the leader not to allow the pressures of thejo b to cause him or her to lose sight of his or her mission and/or leadership philosophy.

Com passion is the third key way in which leaders build resonance, and it is also ameans to renewal:

To be resonant with others, you have to be in tune with them, something deeperthan having a mental model or an intellectual insight about another person. Beingin tune with others involves caring about them and that is what ev okescompassion. You feel curiosity, respect, and real empathy. Being in touch withothers and feeling comp assion has other benefits: it arouses renewal. So,20


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compassion is a key to renewal, and to unlocking the chains of the SacrificeSyndrome. (Boyatzis & McK ee, 2005 , p. 178)

Boyatzis and McKee (2005) define compassion as "empathy and caring in action" (p.178). Thus, in order to be a resonant leader, it is important for principals to care abouttheir teachers. They must "desire to reach out and help others" (p. 179). The authorsidentify three com ponents of com passion:

Understanding and empathy for othe rs' feeling and experiences Caring for others W illingness to act on those feelings of care and emp athy, (p. 179).

Faced with the usual pressures of the job, it is easy for leaders to become pessimistic anddiscouraged. Given that emotions are contagious, as was discussed earlier, the peoplearound pessimistic leaders will eventually be negatively influenced. This is why renew alis necessary. Mindfulness, hope and compassion are the keys to continuous renewal;renewal is key to being a resonant leader and to sustaining resonant relationships.

Resonant leaders strive to be empathic to the need s of their staff. They arecompassionate and truly care about their employees, even w hen they do not necessarilyagree. They lead with compassion. This leads to an organizational culture ofcompassion. In short, "If the leader emphasizes compassion in an o rganization,emotional contagion alone will likely help it spread, and it will eventually become anorm, with the result of increased feelings of comm itment to the organization" (p. 189).Another hy pothesis of this study is that when leaders create resonance, employeesexperience increased feelings of com mitment to the organization, which may lead to andsustain employee job satisfaction.

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Teacher Job Satisfaction (TJS)The review of the literature has identified a succinct definition of teacher job

satisfaction: "An affective response to on e's job as a whole or to particular facets of it"(Cooley & Yovanoff, 1996, p. 341). For the purposes of this study, job satisfaction isdefined as how an employee feels about his or her job . More specifically, teacher jobsatisfaction refers to how muc h the teacher enjoys teac hing as a profession as well as hisor her current assignment.

Teacher job satisfaction is influenced b y many factors. These factors have been

identified through the pioneering work of Herzbe rg, Mausner and S nyderman, w hoseresearch distinguishes between satisfying and dissatisfying factors. This "Tw o-FactorThe ory" by Herzberg et al., aligns the satisfying factors, "m otivators," with wo rkers 'higher order needs and the dissatisfying factors, the "hygiene factors," with their lowerorder needs (Dinham & Scott, 1998). The different orders of needs refer to differentaspects of work, namely intrinsic and extrinsic aspects:

The higher order nee ds, the satisfiers, apply to the intrinsic aspe cts of work, suchas achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, and opportunity foradvanceme nt. The lower order needs, the dissatisfying factors, correspond toextrinsic matters of work, such as working co nditions, supervision, work policy,salary, and interpersonal relationships. (Bogler & Ronit, 2001, p. 665).For instance, the 2004-2005 M etLife Survey of the Am erican Teacher identified thefollowing as indicators of jo b satisfaction:

a) Teacher attitudes, expectations and challengesb) Relationships with colleagues and mentoringc) Teaching responsibilities

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d) Length of serviceThus, the MetLife survey indicator s of jo b satisfaction link to the higher order nee ds citedearlier in that these indicators speak to intrinsic or (higher order needs) aspects of jobsatisfaction. In short, teacher s need to feel connected to their work place and feel a senseof accomplishment about their work.

The National Center for Education Statistics Report on the Schools and StaffingSurvey (SASS) of 1997 cites "workplace co nditions," which include the relationship w iththe principal, paperwork and pay issues as factors w hich influence teacher jo b

satisfaction (N CE S, 1997). In this survey repor t, both intrinsic and extrinsic mo tivatorsare present; however, because the developers of this survey were not using Herz berg 'smodel, both the research and the findings m ix intrinsic and extrinsic. Additionally, whilethe report acknowledges that the paperwork and pay issues are of concern, according tothe report these factors are not as influential as the teacher's relationship with theprincipal as concerns teacher job satisfaction. Additional findings from the survey thatconcern teacher job satisfaction are the following:

Adm inistrative support and leadership, student behavior and school atmosphere,and teacher autonomy are working conditions associated with teachersatisfaction; the more favorable the working conditions were, the higher thesatisfaction scores were. In public schools, younger and less experienced teachers have higher levels ofsatisfaction than older and m ore experienced teachers. In private schools, therelationship is bipolarthe very youngest and very oldest teachers had thehighest levels of satisfaction, as did the least and most experienced teachers. Although certain background variables, such as teacher's age and years ofexperience, are related to teacher satisfaction, they are not nearly as significant inexplaining the different levels of satisfaction as are the workplace cond itionfactors, such as administrative support, parental involvement, and teacher controlover classroom procedures.

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Ad min i s t ra t ive suppor t , s tuden t beha v io r , and fee l ings o f con t ro l we reconsistently shown to be associated with teacher job satisfaction. Workplace conditions had a positive relationship with a teach er's job satisfaction

regardless of whether a teacher is in a public or private school, or an elementaryor secondary school, and regardless of the teach er's background characteristics orthe school demographics. (National Center for Education Statistics, 1997, p. 25)

Adm inistrative support for teachers refers to the professional relationshipprincipals have with teachers. The SAS S asks specific questions about administrativesupport, such as, "the principal comm unicates with m e frequently about my instructionalpractices " and, "the school administration's behavior towards the staff is supportive andencoura ging." The responses to these questions provide a glimpse into an element ofwhat the literature on T JS says leads to job satisfaction.

Teachers w ho reported high levels of jo b dissatisfaction w ere those who did nothave good relationships w ith their principals, did not connect well with their students,and felt overwhelm ed w ith the amou nt of paperwork and teaching loads for which theywere responsible. Persistent feelings of jo b dissatisfaction lead to eventual teacherburnout. As a result, teachers leave the profession altogether (Gersten, Ke ating,Yovanoff, & Harniss, 2001). Conversely, the literature reveals that teachers who aresatisfied with their jobs are those who have good rapport with their principals, students,and other stakeholders, and they tend to stay in the profession longer than theirunsatisfied colleagues do. The Harris Poll, which has conducted nine telephone surveysregarding teacher job satisfaction over the past twenty y ears, reported in 2004 that teacherjob satisfaction among 1017 public school teachers who w ere surveyed had risen to 57%from 35 % in the year 1984 (Taylor, 2004). This suggests that teac hers' sense of

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satisfaction is increasing, however, 5 7% is not an impressive number. This increase isattributed to improved relationships with principals, improved working conditions andhigher salaries (Taylor, 2004).Teacher Mora le and Teacher Job Sa tisfaction

Over the years, there have been m any studies that suggest that "schools mu st givemore attention to increasing teacher job satisfaction" (Heller, Clay & Perk ins, 1 993, p.75). While teacher job satisfaction seems closely connected to teacher mo rale, the term sare not always synonym ous. Teacher morale has been defined in various ways by

researchers over the years. For example, Men del defines mo rale as "a feeling, a state ofmind, a mental attitude, and an emotional attitude" (Mendel, 1987 as cited in Lum sden,1998, p. 2). Washington and W atson (1976) define morale "as the feeling a worker hasabout his job based on how the w orker perceives himself in the organization and theextent to which the organization is viewed as meeting the work er's ow n needs andexpectations" (p. 4).

However, other researchers have identified morale as "the professional interestand enthusiasm that a person displays towards the achievem ent of individual and groupgoals in a given jo b situation" (Bentley & Rem pel, 1980, p. 45). Each of thesedefinitions illustrates a comm on them e: in Me ndel's definition, feeling, state of mind andmental and em otional attitude characterize an emp loyee's m orale; central to W ashingtonand W atson 's (1976) definition is how the worker feels about his profession and how heperceives himself as part of the larger organization; B entley and R empel emphasize theem ploy ee's "interest and enthusiasm" in relation to goals. The common them e here is the

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involvement of the emp loyee's em otions with regard to how he/she feels abouthim/herself as part of the larger organization and/or profession.

Of course, morale is influenced by ma ny factors. One of these factors is theteach er's current placement and the type of school in which the teacher wo rks. To thisend, Macm illan found that "traditional, rigid, bureaucratically administered schools resultin low teacher com mitment and jo b satisfaction," w hereas "progressive and flexibleschools that use collaborative problem-solving strategies promote a feeling of affiliationwith the school and raise teacher mora le" (Macm illan, 1998 as cited in Black, 2001, p. 3).In these findings, M acmillan seem s to equate teacher morale and teacher jo b satisfaction.Moreover, W ashington and W atson 's (1976) definition resonates here, in that whenteachers have the opportunity to participate in decision-making, they perceive themselvesas part of the organ ization. This feeling o f affiliation leads to a highe r sense ofconnectedness and raises their morale.

Principals play a part in raising teacher morale in several important w ays. Asmentioned earlier, principals who include teachers in the decision mak ing process canraise teacher morale. This is important because "people are more personally invested intheir work with an organization when 1) they have a voice in what happens to them; and2) their work has meaning and significance in contributing to a higher purpose or goal"(Maehr, Midgley, & U rdan, 1993, p. 5). Further, Lumsden says, "by treating teachers inways that empow er them, such as involving them in decisions about policies andpractices and acknow ledging their expertise, administrators can help sustain teachermorale" (1998, p. 3).

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Principals can also "strengthen teacher morale by actively standing b ehindteachers" (Lumsden, 1998, p. 3). In any job, when a subordinate has the support of his orher supervisor, it can build the confidence of the employee and lead to better workingrelationships. Further, when teachers have the support of the principal, teachers have anadvocate, supporter and leader whom they believe has their best interest at heart andcares for them. This has important imp lications for students: "Wh en teachers areprovided w ith what they need to remain inspired and enthusiastic in the classroom,students as well as teachers will be beneficiaries" (Lum sden, 1998, p. 3).

Finally, another way in w hich principals can influence morale is by motivatingteachers. According to the authors of "Understanding M otivation and SupportingTeacher Ren ewal," principals can motivate teachers by being supportive, active listenersand encouraging teacher autonomy (N orthwest Regional Educational Laboratory, Pg. 12,2001).

Linking Em otional Intelligence (EI) with Teacher Job Satisfaction (TJS)As the literature on teacher job satisfaction has revealed, those teachers w ho

report that they are satisfied cite their relationship with their principals as a majorcontribu ting factor. Also , literature on teache r motivation has suggested that principalswho m otivate their teachers can improve their relationship with their teachers by beingsupporting their autonomy, being empathetic and by supporting them. This research alsosuggests that whe n principals effectively motivate teachers, teachers' m orale andsatisfaction are increased (Northwest Regional E ducational Laboratory, pg. 15, 2001).

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According to Fullan (2001), em otionally intelligent leaders develop positive andlong-lasting relationships with their staff in an effort to impact school-wide success.Thus, principals must work at building and sustaining these relationships, and they dothis in part by being attuned to their teachers' emotions. As Fullan says, "Effectiveleaders work on their own and others' em otional development" (p. 35). Fullan quotesStein and Book, who say, "If relationships are (almost) everything, a high EQ [emotionalquotient] is a must. Moreover, the good new s is that emotional intelligence can belearned; in other words, you can improve yo ur EQ by w orking on it (Stein & Book,

2000)" (p. 27).Of particular interest is the relationship the teacher has w ith the principal.

Specifically, exploring whether this relationship can lead to the teacher having a sense ofjo b satisfaction is the main thrust of this study. Resear chers such as Fullan (2001) claimthat it is important for principals to build meaningful relationships with their teachingstaff if they want to lead effectively. Effective relationsh ips betwee n the principal and th eteachers, where teachers are included in d ecisions, could lead to increased teacher jobsatisfaction for those teache rs. Thu s, as Fullan argue s, ma intaining a positive relatio nshipis paramount. One way principals do this is by "kn owledge-sharing":

Good relationships purge a knowledge-creation process of distrust, fear, anddissatisfaction, and allow organizational members to feel safe enough to explorethe unknown territories of new m arkets, new customers, new products, and newmanufacturing technologies. Establishing know ledge-sharing practices is as mucha route to creating collaborative culture as the organization must frame the givingand receiving of knowledge as a responsibility and must reinforce such sharingthrough incentives and opportunities to engage in it. (Fullan, p. 76)

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determine which principal behaviors new teachers valued most. The 2003 studydetermined that "the power of caring, the power of respect and the power of praise andacknowledgement proved to be the behaviors valued most" (Richards, 2005, p. 5). Thesupport principals provide for teachers when dealing w ith parents and in matters ofstudent discipline were valued highly as well. In the 2005 study, teachers in all threegroups rated the same principal behaviors as their top 5:

(1) Respects and values teachers as professionals;(2) Has an open door policy accessible, available, willing to listen;(3) Is fair, honest, trustworthy;(4) Supports teachers with parents; and,(5) Is supportive of teachers in matters of student discipline, (pp. 5-6)These behaviors have been measured o n the Schools and Staffing Survey five

times since the National Center for Education Statistics began administering the survey in1985. Rich ards' (2005) study also compared the differences between the three careerlevel groups regarding several items. For example,

Item 1: Holds consistent, high standards for all members of the school family.This behavior is ranked most highly by the group (3) teachers (11+ years) and leastvalued by the group (1) teachers (1-5 years). . . .New teachers often lack confidence and asteachers gain confidence, their appreciation for this behavior may increase, (p. 7)Item 5: 'Is supportive of teachers in matters of student discipline' ranked firstwith group (3) teachers (11+ years). This behavior is valued in this study as teachers gainexperience, (p. 8)Item 8: 'Encourage s teachers to improve in areas of teaching practice andprofessional de velopm ent' not reported as behavior that is highly valued. The principalmay be viewed as an evaluator and the 'encou ragemen t to im prove ' as criticism, (p. 8)Item 13 : 'Gives praise and acknowledgement for a job well don e' among the top10 behaviors for all teacher groups, (p. 9)Item 14: 'Is fair, honest, trustworthy ' is top 5 among all teacher groups. Thisresult suggests that teachers view this trait as more important as teachers progress

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through their career. For all groups, the only behavior considered more imp ortant is' respect as a profession al . ' (p . 10)These items are important to note b ecause these are consistent with research on teachermotivation; and, these behaviors are consistent with emotional intelligence comp etencies,which this study identifies.

In sum, this study offers the following observations of teachers at the three stagesstudied. W hen asked the reason for leaving the profession, most teachers responded withanswers related to the absence of the top 5 valued principal behaviors. Teachers who leftthe profession cited a lack of respect, a lack of emotional support, or a lack of supportregarding student discipline as major contributing factors to their decision to leave theprofession. Accordingly, since all teacher groups agree on the same five behaviors asmost im portant to job satisfaction, this m ay mean that principals would most likelyimprove the school environment by examining these teacher perceptions closely. If theprincipal "supports teachers in matters of student discipline and p arents," (Richards,2005, p. 11), this also may lead to teacher jo b satisfaction.

With respect to teachers in their first five years in the profession, the study foundthat these teachers require emotional support and safety. An 'open-doo r policy' w ould behighly valued. Ne w teachers need to know they are improving and need to be supportedwith encouragement, praise and positive feedback (Richards, 2005, p. 11). Teachers w ith6-10 years of experience need to be respected as professionals. Support in studentdiscipline and in parental issues, confidentiality and lack of favoritism are the mostimportant principal behaviors to this group of teachers (p. 12). Veteran teachers, w itheleven or more years of experience, want the principal to respect their know ledge and

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experience. They feel that the principal should ask their opinion, value their input andoffer them an opportunity to be involved in the decision making process. Thecharacteristics of honesty, fairness and trustworthiness are the top issues of concern forthis group of teachers (p. 12).

Wh ile principal behavior may be a strong contributing factor to a teac her's levelof job satisfaction, it should be noted that p rincipals value administrative behaviors(Richards, 2005, p. 13), while teachers value em otional and professional support.Principals seeking to make a positive impact on teacher job satisfaction should be willingto adopt the valued behaviors suggested in this study, specifically, the top five behaviorslisted by all three groups . Fullan, in Leading in a C ulture of Change (2001) says thateffective principals are those who build and sustain meaningful relationships with theirteaching staff.

Moreover, principals who involve teachers more in the decision making proce sshave teachers w ho have a high level of job satisfaction. Principals can impact teacher jobsatisfaction in a number of ways:

School administrators also control a large portion of teac hers 'job satisfaction andmorale. For instance, teachers wh o are happy in their positions tend to report thattheir administrators respect and va lue their input on innovative school prog ramsand keep "a dministrivia"~such as paperwo rk and extra dutiesto a minimum .Principals spearhead their school's climate and c ulture: In schools where theatmosphere is open and collegial, Ma cmillan notes, teachers have more jobsatisfaction and higher morale. In schools where the atmosphe re is tense andwhe re teachers feel isolated, they tend to have less job satisfaction and low ermorale. (Black, 2001, p. 45)What M acmillan found, in short, is that principals who create a resonant climate are mo relike to have satisfied teachers. Even though M acmillan does not use the term

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"emotionally intelligent" in this particular study, if one review s the behavioral indicatorsof emotional intelligence (see Append ix C ), it is clear that what M acmillan is describingare elements of emotional intelligence, as outlined and explained by Boyatzis andMcKee (2005).

How ever, when principals are less emotionally intelligent, teachers are moreprone to be dissatisfied and have lower morale. Consider Normore and F loyd 's (2005),"A Roller Coaster Ride: The Twists and Turns of a Nov ice Teac her's Relationship withher Principal," in which they recall the experience of a first yea r teacher by the nam e ofKristine. Kristine entered her first year of teaching in language arts. During her first yearof teach ing, Kristine felt com pletely alone and frustrated. Kristine sough t help from he radministrator, who promised to help but did not follow through. Kristine evenconsidered leaving the field of education altogether.

At the end of her first year, her department head expressed co ncerns that theprincipal stated to her about Kristine. Kr istine's department ch air went on to listKris tine's professional shortcomings, but offered no solutions. Kristine felt betrayed byher principal. Kristine went to her princ ipal's office in an attempt to openly discuss herconcerns. The principal stated she did not feel comfortable around Kristine. Kr istine'sprincipal had an opportunity to "inspire and mold " with constructive criticism. Instead,the principal's evasive behavior contributed to Kristine's "discouragement anddisenchantment" (Norm ore & Floyd, 2005, pp. 767-771).

The principal should have been accessible and willing to comm unicate. It was theprinc ipal's responsibility to provide K ristine w ith concrete direction and guidan ce.

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Although N ormore and Floyd (2005) do not directly reference emotional intelligence,they provide an excellent exam ple of the potentially neg ative relationships principals wholack emotional intelligence hav e with teachers. Leade rs need to lead with compassion andnot allow negative interactions with others to interfere w ith their relationships w ith theirstaff. Leaders set the tone for their staff to share thoughts and feelings by sharing theirown:

There is another reason why leade rs, both male and female, may considercarefully how muc h of their own em otional reactions they share with their staff.People may be concerned that we won' t be able to oversee events and attend tothe staffs or community mem bers' needs while we are feeling and displaying ourown em otions. In the face of other people 's discomfort, we might decide not toshare or process our feelings w ith the group. We need to resist this option. Bybeing authentic about our feelings, as well as our thoughts, we also may make itfeel safer for others to share their feelings or opinions. (Villani, 1999, p. 41)Had this principal been emotionally intelligent, he or she would have reached out to thisfirst-year teacher and followed through on that initial promise. Golem an, Boyatzis andMcKee (2004), Fullan (2001) and a host of other researchers have found that principalswho are willing to comm unicate foster meaningful relationships.

MethodsStudy Design

This study looks at whether there is a relationship between the emotionalintelligence of the principal and teache r job satisfaction. A mixed methods approach,using both qualitative and quantitative too ls, was used to gather and analyze data for thisstudy.

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Sample Selection and D escriptionFor this study, three school sites were selected. The sample w as selected on the

basis of three major co nsiderations. The first criterion was the p rincipal's interest inimproving his or her practice. Each of the participating principals felt that this studycould assist them in that manner. The second criterion was dem ographic sim ilarity acrossthe sites on a number of different dimensions. W ith regard to the principals, each hadbeen practicing as such for at least 5 years and had bee n at his/her school for at least 3years. W ith regard to the schools, they showed comparable student and schooldemog raphics, such as number of students enrolled and num ber of full time/certifiedteachers on staff. For the purposes of this study, schools wh ose total number of full-timeteachers was manageable we re chosen. The modest numbe rs of teaching staff at theseschools make it less difficult to an alyze the survey respo nses. The third criterion w as thateach school made Adequ ate Yearly Progress (AY P) for at least 2 consecutive years,which suggested that they were all experiencing success in improving studentachievemen t. According to public docume nts, all of these schools mad e AY P because ofacademic progress and improved attendance rates. The remainder of this section willdescribe the characteristics of each of the schools selected.

School 1. This school is an inner city magne t high school with approximately 680students (85 % African-American, 10% Caucasian, 3% Latino, and 2% Asian) and ateaching staff of 30 full-time and fully certified teachers. Principal 1 has led this schoolsince 2002 and has been a principal for over 10 years. Prior to becom ing principal, she

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spent several years as a high school Social Studies teacher. This principal holds ama ster's degree in education and over 60 credits towards a doctorate in education. She isan African-Am erican female who has been in public education for over 25 years.

The following table illustrates the teachers ' years of experience, their years ofteaching experience at this school and their years of teaching under Principal 1:

Table 1Profile of teachers at School 1, based on teacher survey responses (87% respon se rate).Years ofteaching1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020 +

#

67157

Yearsteaching atthis school1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020 +

#

165311

Yearsunder thisprincipal1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020 +

#

260000

School 2. This school is a suburban public elementary school with approximately450 students (50% African A merican, 45 % Caucasian and 5% O ther) and 25 teachers.This principal (Principal 2) has been p rincipal at this school since 1998 and has been aprincipal for nearly 20 years. This principal is a Puerto Rican female who holds ama ster's degree in education. She has also mentored aspiring principals during her tenureboth in this district and in her previous district.

The following table illustrates the teache rs' years of experience, their years ofteaching expe rience at this school and their years of teaching under Principal 2:

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Table 2Profile of teachers at School 2, based on teacher survey responses (3 8% response rate).Years ofteaching1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020 +

#

13212

Yearsteaching atthis school1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020+

#

24030

Years underthis principal1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020 +

#

27000

School 3. This school is a suburban public elementary school with approximately450 students (7 5% Caucasian, 15 % African A merican and 10% Other) and a teachingstaff of 24. The principal (Principal 3) has been at this school since 2004; however, thisperson has been a principal for over 5 years. This principal is an African Am ericanfemale w ho holds a doctorate in education.

The following table illustrates the teach ers' y ears of experience, their years ofteaching experience at this school and their years of teaching un der Principal 3:Table 3Profile of teachers at School 3, based on teacher survey responses (64 % response rate).Years ofteaching1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020+

#

51424

Yearsteaching atthis school1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020 +

#

75103

Years underthis principal1 - 56 - 1 01 1 - 1 51 6 - 2 020+

#

160000

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Em otional Intelligence: Data Collection and Data AnalysisThree public school principals were interviewed for this exploratory study. The

principals were interviewed using a critical incident interview protocol (see Appendix A ),which entailed each principal recounting incidents in their professional practice that w eresignificant. This technique of interviewing asks the interviewee to tell a story or a seriesof stories about any given incident. From these stories, specific behaviors of theinterviewees are identified. The purpose of the interviews was to discover behaviors

principals engaged in when working w ith teachers and to determine whether thosebehaviors indicated em otional intelligence.

This qualitative me thod of exploring behavior wa s practical and appropriate forthis exploratory study because of its focus on be haviors, which could then be connectedto emotional intelligence comp etencies. Flanagan (1954) provides the followingdefinitions:

An "incident" is best thought as "any observable human activity that issufficiently complete in itself to permit inferences and predictions to be m adeabout the person performing the act." In order for the incident to be considered"critical," it "must occur in a situation where the purpose or intent of the act seemsfairly clear to the observer and where its consequences are sufficiently definite toleave little doubt concerning its effects, (p. 4)To identify the behaviors which c orrespond to competencies a ssociated with em otionallyintelligent leaders, this methodological approach is appropriate. In order to make theconnection between principal behaviors and emotional intelligence com petencies, it wa snecessary to m ake inferences about the principals and to identify the ir intentions, both ofwhich are afforded by the critical incident interview method (Flanagan, 1954). Inasmuch

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as this study looks at ways in which the emotional intelligence of the principal relates toteacher job satisfaction, it is imperative that, if present, the behaviors of the principal thatare indicators of emotional intelligence are clearly a rticulated, which the critical incidentmethodology seeks to achieve. Also, this method is not extremely time-consum ing forprincipals, as their time is often very limited. Each one-hour interview wa s designedsuch that the principals could recall stories about their leadership experiences. Insumm ary, the principals' responses to the interview questions provide a lens throughwhich their leadership behavior can be observed. This provides an opportunity for these

responses to be coded for behaviors that are indicative of elements of em otionalintelligence (W illiams, 2004).

The 4 core domains of em otional intelligence, the 19 associated com petencies andthe corresponding beha vioral indicators as outlined in Resonant Leadership (Boyatzis andM cKe e., 2005) were used to code principal behavior. Coding was done by sentence ratherthan by conversation, which makes it a more accurate read of the principals' behavior,which is to say what they were thinking, what they said and what they felt. SeeApp endix C for a list of Behavioral Indicators. Ne xt, a thematic analysis was con ductedacross the set of principal interviews to identify emerging them es from across the dataset. Richard Bo yatzis' m odel of thematic analysis, as outlined in TransformingQualitative Information: Thematic Analysis and Cod e Development (1998), guided thisprocess. He defines a theme as "a pattern found in the information tha t at minimumdescribes and organizes the possible observations and at maximu m interprets aspects ofthe phenomenon. A theme may be at the latent level (underlying the phenom enon )" (p.

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4). This process allowed for the identification of patterns across the emotionalintelligence of the principals.

Two rounds of interviews were necessary because conducting a thematic analysisof the first round was unsuccessful, as the data did not highlight the principals' behaviorclearly enough, which also led to several competencies being m iscoded. Thus, in order tosolicit behavioral responses, the interviewer asked the sam e questions as were askedduring the first round, how ever, these questions we re followed by the interviewer askingprobing questions such as "What did you think? " "Wh at did you say?", "What did youfeel?" and/or "What did you do?" This allowed the principals to keep their responseslimited to their ow n behaviors. In the first round of interviews, the principals tended to bemore descriptive about the behaviors of teachers rather than themse lves, which is theprimary reason a second round was necessary.

Teacher Job Satisfaction: Data Collection and Data AnalysisSection VII of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS ) was adm inistered to the

78 teachers from the schools of the three principals interviewed. This section of theSASS measures the teach ers' report of their influence on school-wide policy, control overclassroom activities, the teac hers' pe rceptions of the level of support they have from theprincipal, and student behavior, each of which research ha s shown influences satisfaction.The section concludes by asking if the teacher w ould enter the profession again and h owlong the teacher plans to stay in the field. Three additional questions were asked to gainan understanding of how long each respondent has taught, how many co nsecutive years

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they have taught at their present school and how long they have taught under the presentprincipal. The SASS is designed and administered by the National Center for E ducationStatistics to determine job satisfaction of teachers in public and private schools across thenation and has been administered five times since 1987. See Appendix B for the surveybeing used for this study, along with a summ ary of the "technical notes" about thissurve y's validity and reliability.

All teachers from each school were invited to participate in the survey.Com pletion of the survey was voluntary and was completed at the teacher's leisure over afive-day period. Section VII takes no longer than twenty (20) minutes to complete. Allsurveys were placed in teacher mailboxes w ith the permission of each principal. Aconsent form w as included with each survey. All completed surveys were placed in anenvelope marked "John Craig" and were retrieved 5 business days after distribution.87% of the surveys from school 1 were completed and retrieved, 38 % from school 2, and64% from schoo l 3. Ov erall, fifty-one teache rs, or 65 % of the teachers at the threeschoo ls, com pleted the survey. All survey participants were full time/certified tea chers.

The survey data analysis provides a framework for quantifying th e levels ofteacher job satisfaction as related to the "control over classroom activities" and"influence over school-wide decision making " variables. Furthermore, these variablesare correlated to the "satisfaction" variable as a means of furth

Documents

Emotiona; Intelligence of Principal and Teachers Job Satisfaction