Abu Dhabi school leaders' emotional intelligence: dimensions, deficits, and capacity building for school improvement

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been widely researched, but it has not been studied within the context of school leadership in Abu Dhabi. The present study aimed to explore EI in the praxis of school leaders and managers by applying Goleman's five EI dimensions-self-awareness, empathy, managing emotions, motivating oneself and others, and social skills-which underpin professional attributes. Both quantitative and qualitative data captured the EI attributes demonstrated by Abu Dhabi public school leaders and managers, challenges pertaining to their EI skills, and areas and aspects of EI that require development to enhance school improvement. Fifty-item open-access quantitative Intelligence Questionnaire-Leadership (IQL) survey was utilized. The qualitative component (interviews) of the research followed the initial quantitative survey. Each interview lasted approximately 40-50 min. All 123 research participants who completed the survey were invited to take part in a semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Moreover, the study's focus on paths for school leadership development from an EI perspective lays the groundwork for further research into the needs and scope for EI in schools. The study findings recognize the need for PD to further develop school leaders in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi on EI competences.