Friday, November 30, 2018

Graduate Programs’ Curriculum Should Explicitly Develop Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Skills


Emotional intelligence has been linked to effective leadership (Goleman, 2002, 2008b).  The curriculum of education division graduate programs must explicitly address leadership skill development (CAEP, 2013).  However, in these programs, emotional intelligence behaviors may be implicitly encouraged rather than explicitly taught.  Given results of empirical research by Anderson (2016), either graduate program development or revision of curriculum should seek to optimize development of potential educational leaders by explicitly teaching, developing, and expecting the exhibition of emotional intelligence skills.  
Without effective leadership, education reform cannot take place (Creighton & Jones, 2001).  Effective educational leadership programs result from program experiences as well as the quality of entering candidates (Creighton & Jones, 2001).  Unfortunately, teacher preparation and induction programs remain pressured to accept adequate numbers of candidates to justify the program’s cost and existence (Creighton & Jones, 2001).  Obviously, a graduate program’s need for tuition increases the need for optimal curriculum effectiveness to achieve desired outcomes.
Accountability of advanced-level teacher preparation and school leadership programs remain an ongoing process (CAEP, 2013).  Typically, students’ evaluation of faculty, pre-admission compared to post-graduation surveys, and the annual state/accreditation council review of the program, produce the data used to ascertain each program’s effectiveness.  Leaders of teacher preparation and school leadership programs may erroneously identify courses as ineffective because it takes years before graduates actually attain a school leadership position.  This may cause reform-based coursework to become either forgotten or outdated (Bottoms & O’Neill, 2001).  Therefore, implementation of processes that develop broader leadership skills in decision-making and problem solving must serve a significant role within school leadership preparation programs (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005; Short, 1997).
A quantitative study by Sanders’ (2010) examined the perceptions of professors who address educational leadership in their work within institutes of higher education (IHE).  Specifically, Sanders sought to identify the professors’ understanding of competencies related to emotional intelligence and the extent to which these competencies were being included within their IHE teacher leadership programs.  Left unanswered was how demonstrated emotional intelligence related to the perceptions of an optimal school climate.  Maulding, Townsend, Leonard, and Sparkman, (2010) sought clarification of the correlation between the twenty-one leadership behaviors identified by Marzano et al., (2005) and student achievement.  In contrast to findings posited by the Marzano et al., (2005) meta-analysis, as evidenced by the school’s performance level, subsequent studies by Maulding et al. (2010, 2012) clearly indicated a potential correlation between emotional intelligence of school leaders and student achievement.
A study by Byron (2001) found educational programs that focus upon emotional intelligence behaviors produced successful outcomes.  Byron (2001) cited the benefits of attending to “the cultures of learning, to the individual's current abilities, propensities, and current conceptions, and to fundamental reorganizations of behavior, not just acceleration and fine-tuning" (Grotzer & Perkins, 2012, p. 510).  However, Mayer and Salovey (1997) cautioned against focusing solely upon one dimension or a single sub-skill of emotional intelligence.  Any program seeking to develop emotional intelligence skills “should be empirically defensible, measurable, and clear enough to serve as a basis for curriculum development" (Cobb & Mayer, 2000, p. 18).  
Teaching is considered one of the most stressful occupations (Palomera, Fernandez-Berrocal, & Brackett, 2008).  This increases the importance of emotional intelligence skills training because professional development or training in emotional intelligence skills can support teachers’ coping skills within a stressful environment.  Teacher burnout becomes more predictable in relation to stress.
Alternatively, teachers exhibiting high emotional intelligence use more positive, well-adapted, coping strategies to deal with different sources of stress at school, thereby feeling greater job satisfaction (Palomera et al., 2008).  Surveyed teachers identified the ability to regulate emotions as indispensable for reaching academic goals (Palomera et al., 2008).  If emotional intelligence skills training become essential part of a preparation program’s curriculum to mitigate teacher burnout, the long-term benefit will be exhibited by an educator’s professional longevity, personal satisfaction, and student learning.
Studies involving teaching and learning typically focus upon knowledge, cognition, and skill.  Studies involving teacher beliefs or practices allow researchers to make observable measurements.  Despite this propensity, Hargreaves (2001) emphasized the need to address emotional practices since emotions are embedded within the conditions and interactions of teaching.  Thus, educator and leadership preparation programs will benefit from encouraging teaching practices that require increased competence in emotional awareness as well as cognition.
The results of a study by Rojas (2012) asserted three needs for optimal emotional intelligence development among prospective teachers:
1.      Development of emotional intelligence begins with a commitment to change.
2.      Application of emotional intelligence learning is optimized within environments favorable to emotional intelligence development.
3.      Pursuit of an ideal allows interdependent application of all other emotional intelligence competencies.
Action research projects within capstone courses assess most graduate programs’ measurable outcomes.  Results of program completion include competency development in subject matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and caring teacher leadership skills.
Course objectives need to align with these three competency areas (CAEP, 2013). Capstone research courses often require the students to identify research questions relevant to their program-based studies, review and analyze important research related to the topic, design an action-research study using qualitative or quantitative methodology, and reflect on the implications of their study to enhance the quality of teaching and leadership.  Currently, explicit course work in both emotional intelligence behaviors within the workplace and development of school climate based on Invitational Education theory is missing from surveyed education division graduate programs.
A correlation was found between the demonstration of a leader’s high emotional intelligence behaviors and the perception of a positive school climate (Anderson, 2017).  This suggests that students of teacher preparation and school leadership programs would benefit from measurable course objectives throughout each program that identify expectations for skill development aligned with emotional intelligence competencies and the advancement of optimal school climate.  Measurable outcomes that requires development of emotional intelligence competencies and the recognition of optimal school climate could be influential for mitigating stress, improving job satisfaction, and optimizing school climate that contributes to school success.

To cite:
Anderson, C.J. (November 30, 2018) Graduate programs’ curriculum should explicitly
develop emotional intelligence and leadership skills [Web log post]


References:
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