Socially Perceptive Assistant Principals: A Descriptive Study of Secondary School Administrators in Johnson County, Florida

Abstract

A study of secondary assistant principals in Johnson County, Florida was conducted to assess their needs in the areas of emotional intelligence and determine if professional development was warranted. Over the last 35 years, many psychologists, researchers, and academics have noted the importance of emotional intelligence in organizations, classrooms, and relationships and have encouraged its development. Emotional intelligence may be linked to job satisfaction and may have an impact on school climate. Studies have linked leadership success with higher levels of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence can be split into two areas: the ability to understand and control one’s own emotions, and understanding other’s emotions and feelings to react appropriately. Emotional intelligence levels are also correlated with the leadership skills necessary for school leadership and with 21st-century school leadership characteristics and standards.|Preliminary data collected at the end of the 2014–2015 school year indicated a need for support for secondary school leaders utilizing the conducted climate surveys. Additional data, collected from the Florida Department of Education, indicated a high teacher attrition rate in the school district. Assistant principals in the district’s middle and high schools were invited to participate in the study. Of the 81 potential participants, 20 agreed to take the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal—Me Edition and participate in the background survey. The results indicated 90% of participants could benefit from support, development, or training in emotional intelligence. In this study, 10% of the participants earned a score in the top bracket of emotional intelligence reflecting mastery in emotional intelligence skills. The data did not show a significant relationship in this sample between need and gender, age, or years of experience. Recommendations were offered with regard to a specific support program that can be implemented to increase domains of emotional intelligence through an administrative training program for those already in assistant principal positions and recommendations for implementation in educational programs for administration.