PERCEIVED EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND SELF-ESTEEM OF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS: AN EMPIRICAL APPROACH
Abstract
This study was sought to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-esteem among prospective teachers during a pre-service teacher education program. It was hypothesized that EI is a strong predictor to self-esteem of prospective teachers. The sample consisted of 253 participants enrolled in the teacher education program at one public university. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg (1989) and the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (Reuven Bar-On (2002), were used to assess emotional intelligence and self-esteem with alpha reliability of .82 and .81 respectively. A significant positive relationship was found between emotional intelligence and self-esteem of prospective teachers. The results of linear regression analysis revealed that interpersonal and general mode were found significant leading predictors of self-esteem. It is concluded that teacher education program should revive its curricula by designing such intervention strategies to enhance prospective teachers’ EI and self-esteem. Future research study implications and directions for policy makers are discussed.