Emotional Intelligence, Teacher Burnout, and Instructional Effectiveness in Secondary Schools in South South Nigeria

This study examines the relationships among teacher emotional intelligence, burnout, and instructional effectiveness in secondary schools in South South Nigeria, using structural equation modelling to identify direct and mediated pathways. Teacher burnout, characterised by emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment, is a growing concern in under-resourced Nigerian secondary schools where workload is high and professional support is limited. Emotional intelligence, the capacity to perceive, manage, and use emotions effectively, has been proposed as a protective resource against burnout and a facilitator of instructional quality. Data were collected from 350 secondary school teachers in Delta, Edo, and Bayelsa States. Emotional intelligence was measured using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test. Burnout was assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Educators. Instructional effectiveness was evaluated through supervisor classroom observation ratings. Structural equation modelling with full mediation testing was applied. Results establish that emotional intelligence has a significant negative direct effect on burnout and a significant positive effect on instructional effectiveness. Burnout partially mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and effectiveness, confirming that emotional resources protect instructional quality partly through burnout prevention. The study concludes that emotional intelligence is a significant professional resource for secondary school teachers in South South Nigeria. It recommends that teacher preparation programmes integrate emotional intelligence development modules and that school administrators monitor teacher wellbeing indicators as part of routine staff management to identify and support teachers showing early burnout signs.

Keywords: emotional intelligence, teacher burnout, instructional effectiveness, secondary school, South South Nigeria.