Emotional intelligence and social support of teachers: Exploring how personal and social resources are associated with job satisfaction and intentions to quit job

Abstract

Although previous research has indicated that emotional abilities substantially affect teacher work-related well-being and motivation, studies examining the potential paths in which emotional intelligence relates to job satisfaction and intention to quit are limited. The current study examined a serial mediation model including a personal resource, i.e., emotional intelligence, as a predictor of job resources (i.e., perceived support from colleagues and supervisors), job satisfaction, and intention to quit. A total of 1,079 teaching professionals (651 female; M_age = 44.07 years) took part in this study. The teaching levels include: preschool, primary and secondary schools. A serial mediation model was tested with the SPSS macro PROCESS (model 80). Results supported a model showing that higher emotional intelligence was associated with lower teachers’ intention to quit via two indirect pathways: (a) higher job satisfaction and (b) higher perceived support from supervisors followed by higher job satisfaction. This study adds to our understanding of how personal and contextual resources may allow teachers to feel satisfied at work and less likely to consider withdrawal from work.