A growing number of studies have suggested that teachers' personal competencies, and
more specifically Emotional Intelligence (EI), are particularly important for teacher
effectiveness. Recently, there has also been a growing recognition of the importance of
social-emotional competencies to students' learning and academic achievement.
However, there has been a neglect of emotions in the field of teaching, and little is
known about the impact of training aimed at developing teachers' EI on their EI levels
and their practice. The current study investigates the impact of a teacher- centered EI
training on teachers' EI in Israel. The study followed a two-year EI training in one
school, employing group workshops and personal coaching. The study used a mixed
methodology, making use of pre-post EQ-i assessment and semi-structured interviews.
The findings illustrate that the training programme was perceived by the participants to
have enhanced their EI competencies, as defined by the Bar-On model. Most participants
integrated these competencies into their personal, professional and group identities and
modified their EI-related behaviours.peer-reviewe
