ROLE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN TEACHING

Emotional Intelligence (EI) emerged in the 1990s as an ability-based construct comparable to general intelligence. However, later two different types of EI have emerged and they are “trait EI” and “mixed model EI”. EI can be defined as the ability to identify, express, understand, manage, and use emotions. The benefits of EI are many in both personal and professional success. The workplace represents a distinct social community and it has a growing appreciation that higher EI allows a person to understand themselves and others better, communicate more effectively, and cope better with challenging situations. EI has become a key factor in educational environment, which contributes to the improvement of teaching practice, enhance health and mental well-being of teachers, and has an impact on students’ educational development. This article presents an overview of the models of EI and includes a discussion on how and why the EI concept are important for Malaysian teachers.