TEACHERS’ EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND CLASSROOM CLIMATE IN PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between teachers’ emotional intelligence and classroom climate in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. Specifically, it focused on two sub-variables of emotional intelligence, self-awareness and emotional regulation and their relationship between classroom climate. A correlational research design was adopted, and the population comprised 6,174 teachers across 311 public senior secondary schools. A representative sample of 360 teachers was selected using multistage sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with high reliability indices (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.82 for emotional intelligence and 0.85 for classroom climate). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation) were used for data analysis at a 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed significant positive relationships between teachers’ self-awareness (r = 0.512, p < 0.05) and emotional regulation (r = 0.478, p < 0.05) with classroom climate. These results indicate that teachers who are aware of their emotions and able to regulate them effectively tend to create supportive, orderly, and engaging classroom environments. The study concluded that teachers’ emotional intelligence is a critical determinant of classroom climate in public senior secondary schools and recommended integrating emotional intelligence development into teacher training programs, promoting reflective practices, and providing counseling support to enhance teachers’ emotional competencies. The findings underscore the importance of emotional skills in fostering positive classroom environments that facilitate students’ academic, social, and emotional growth.