The Relationship between Teacher Candidates' Emotional Intelligence Level, Leadership Styles and Their Academic Success

Abstract

Purpose: The personal characteristics as well as professional competencies of teachers are important in the formation of changes in student behaviors. This article examines the relation between emotional intelligence level, teacher leadership style and academic success of teacher candidates who are studying in a Pedagogical Teacher Education Program. Research Methods: A descriptive survey model is used in this study. The research group consisted of 80 teacher candidates determined by a random sampling method among teacher candidates who studying in a pedagogical teacher education program in a private University. The data collection tool of the study was a survey form which included questions demographic information and used to determine "Emotional Intelligence Scale" (EIS) and "Teacher Leadership Styles Scale. In the analysis of data acquired from the study; variance analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis are used. Findings: The findings suggested that there is a positive, medium-level significant relation between optimism sub-dimension of emotional intelligence and teacher leadership styles; a negative, medium-level significant relation in expression of emotions, no statistically significant relation between the Utilisation of Emotions, Emotional Intelligence total points and teacher leadership styles. Furthermore, no statistically significant relation is found between EIS points, teacher leadership styles and the academic success of teacher candidates. Implications for Research and Practice: The pedagogical teacher education process of developing teacher candidates' personality traits to assist them in serving as role models to students, in addition to gaining professional competencies during pre-service education, will be analysed and recorded in accordance with the study's results.