ABSTRACT
This study investigated emotional intelligence and work environment as correlates of job satisfaction and commitment among secondary school counsellors in Kano State, Nigeria. The study was guided by ten research questions and ten hypotheses. The research design adopted for the study was correlational design. The population for the study was made up of 1,526 secondary school counsellors. A sample size of 740 (243 female and 497 male) secondary school counsellors was used for the study. The sample was obtained using multi-stage sampling procedure involving stratified proportionate sampling and simple random sampling. The study used four research instruments to collect data: Secondary School Counsellor’s Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (SSCEIQ), Secondary School Counsellor’s Work Enviroment questionnaire (SSCWEQ), Secondary School Counsellor’s Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (SSCJSQ), and Secondary School Counsellor’s Job Commitment Questionnaire (SSCJCQ). The instruments were validated by three experts and the trial-tested instruments yielded reliability coefficients of 0.75 for SSCEIQ, 0.74 for SSCWEQ, 0.84 for SSCJSQ, and 0.85 for SSCJCQ. The data collected for the study were analysed using Pearson correlation analysis to answer the research questions; simple regression analysis was used for first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth hypotheses, and multiple regression analysis was used for the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth hypotheses. All the hypotheses were tested at the significance level of 0.05. The findings of the study revealed that (i) the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and job satisfaction (JS) and between EI and job commitment (JC) of secondary school counsellors is of a very high positive relationship; (ii) the relationship between work environment and JS and between work environment and JC of secondary school counsellors is of a very high positive relationship; (iii) the relationship between gender and JS and between gender and JC of secondary school counsellors is of a very low negative relationship; (iv) there is significant relationship between EI and JS of secondary school counsellors and between EI and JC of secondary school counsellors; (v) there is significant relationship between work environment and JS and between work environment and JC of secondary school counsellors; (vi) there is no significant relationship between gender and JS and between gender and JC of secondary school counsellors; (vii) there is significant relationship between EI, gender and JS and between EI, gender and JC of secondary school counsellors; and (viii) there is significant relationship between work environment, gender and JS and between work environment, gender and JC of secondary school counsellors. The study, therefore, recommended that (i) the Nigerian education authorities should recognize the importance of EI and incorporate it in the identification, selection and training of secondary school counsellors, (ii) counsellor preparation institutions and other relevant education stakeholders should be organizing EI workshops for existing secondary school counsellors and research studies on EI with respect to school counsellors at the basic, post basic, and tertiary education levels in Nigeria should be sponsored, and (iii) relevant education stakeholders in the study area should ensure the provision of working environment to their secondary school counsellors which is conducive in terms of clear policies and procedures, security, freedom, positive emotional climate, and better interaction opportunities.
