An investigation of teachers' emotional intelligence and the relationship between the behaviors of African American males in high poverty schools

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between teachers’ pre- and posttest emotional intelligence appraisals after completing comprehensive professional development training. Six hours of professional development on practicing emotional intelligence in the classroom was provided as an intervention following the pretest. Using the pre- and posttest emotional intelligence appraisal scores, discipline referrals, and the NWEA scores of African American male students, a paired t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson’s Correlation Test were used to investigate four research questions. The quantitative study analysis indicated a statistically significant increase on teacher emotional intelligence appraisal after participating in researched-based professional development on how to practice emotional intelligence in the classroom. Significant results also indicated that teachers who taught ELA scored higher and had more gains than teachers who taught math/science. However, there was no statistically significant data to establish a relationship between the teachers’ emotional intelligence appraisal scores and the behavioral outcomes or academic achievement of African American males students. The implications discussed include spending more time focusing on the possible explicit and implicit biases that might negatively impact teacher beliefs and influence teacher-student interactions. This would include helping teachers develop their culturally relevant pedagogy and make relevant connections to their emotional intelligence and implicit biases. A second implication includes the lack of accountability and oversight needed to ensure strategies and professional development takeaways are implemented in classroom practices with fidelity.