Emotional intelligence and self-efficacy in a sample of Italian high school teachers

The aim in this study was to further analyze the construct of emotional intelligence and its relation to occupational self-efficacy in a sample of Italian teachers. The Italian version of the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: Short (Bar-On, 2002) and the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk-Hoy, 2001) were administered to 169 participants. Significant differences in emotional intelligence emerged with respect to age. In comparison to females, males obtained higher scores in the intrapersonal dimension, while women scored higher on the interpersonal dimension. Teacher self-efficacy was best explained by the intrapersonal dimension. The study indicates both a need for further analysis of the emotional intelligence of teachers and new areas of possible research.