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Using an emotional intelligence framework to enhance early childhood development caregivers’ job performance : a case study

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dc.contributor.advisor Scherman, Vanessa
dc.contributor.author Mawere, Phylis
dc.date.accessioned 2023-06-28T05:47:57Z
dc.date.available 2023-06-28T05:47:57Z
dc.date.issued 2022
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/10500/30202
dc.description.abstract The case study explored how Early Childhood Development caregivers utilise emotional intelligence framework competences to enhance their job performance. The caregivers have a central and significant role in education given that they are leaders, role models and parents. Their emotional intelligence affects their teaching procedures and supports their educator duties. Goleman’s mixed and Mayer and Salovey’s emotional intelligence ability models served as the framework for this study. The qualitative approach, embedded in interpretivism, was utilised to explore behaviour, perspectives, experiences and feelings of participants on their use of emotional intelligence framework competences. An explanatory case design was employed to explain the link between ECD caregivers’ emotional intelligence and what transpired in the classroom environment. Nine schools with ECD centres from Gweru urban in Zimbabwe were purposefully sampled resulting in eighteen purposefully sampled female, qualified, experienced ECD caregivers aged between twenty- five and fifty- two years and nine female experienced teachers-in-charge aged from fifty years and above. Data generation methods included in-depth semi-structured interviews, focus groups and unstructured observations. A research dairy to record details of events and researcher’s views was used. Thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data for patterns and relatedness of participants’ lived experiences. The findings reveal that emotional intelligence framework dimensions of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management and the competencies within them, are useful to caregivers. Caregivers utilise competences to understand their own strengths and shortcomings, create environments conducive to learning, promote learner engagement, motivate and reduce absenteeism in children, develop competences in children, facilitate attachment between them and learners, allow effective teaching and learning enabling them to achieve their goals. The diverse emotional competencies were utilised to improve their teaching methods and in turn their job performance. Teachers-in-charge found several emotional intelligence framework competences to be useful in creating relations between caregivers and learners. However, high teacher pupil ratio affected utilisation of the competences. The study recommends incorporating emotional intelligence topics in in-service and pre-service teacher training and development to equip caregivers with expertise and ability to utilise emotional competences for the success of their teaching profession. Emotional intelligence competencies need to be given due consideration during recruitment and selection of ECD teachers. The 1: 20 policy on the teacher pupil ratio needs to be maintained and enforced to facilitate utilisation of emotion competences effectively to benefit children under caregivers’ care. en
dc.format.extent 1 online resource (xiii, 247 leaves) : color illustrations en
dc.language.iso en en
dc.subject Early childhood caregiver en
dc.subject Early childhood centre en
dc.subject Early childhood development en
dc.subject Emotion regulation en
dc.subject Emotional competences en
dc.subject Emotional intelligence en
dc.subject Emotional perception en
dc.subject Emotional intelligence framework en
dc.subject Emotional labour en
dc.subject Job performance en
dc.subject.ddc 372.21019
dc.subject.lcsh Child caregivers -- Zimbabwe -- Gweru -- Psychology -- Case studies en
dc.subject.lcsh Child caregivers -- Rating of -- Zimbabwe -- Gweru -- Case studies en
dc.subject.lcsh Early childhood education -- Zimbabwe -- Gweru -- Psychological aspects -- Case studies en
dc.subject.lcsh Performance -- Zimbabwe -- Gweru -- Case studies en
dc.subject.lcsh Emotional intelligence -- Zimbabwe -- Gweru -- Case studies en
dc.title Using an emotional intelligence framework to enhance early childhood development caregivers’ job performance : a case study en
dc.type Thesis en
dc.description.department Psychology of Education en
dc.description.degree Ph. D. (Psychology of Education)


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