The Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Job Satisfaction of Special Education Integration Teachers in Secondary Schools in Malacca

Abstract

The responsibility of being a special education teacher is not an easy task to educate students with special educational needs (MBPK) because it requires high patience and wisdom in managing these MBPK on a daily basis. The duties of PPKI teachers are not only academic tasks and responsibilities but also non-academic tasks, which are very burdensome for teachers in the transformation of the national education system. This study aims to identify the level of emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, as well as to determine the influence of emotional intelligence on the job satisfaction of integrated special education teachers in the state of Malacca. This study is important in helping the administration to change management methods according to the specific suitability of staff or teachers to ensure excellent service, improve performance, and achieve the established goals. This quantitative study uses a survey method. A total of 180 respondents were selected from a population of 330 teachers from 20 secondary schools in the districts of Melaka Tengah, Jasin, and Alor Gajah in the state of Malacca using cluster random sampling. The questionnaires used are the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire by Daniel Goleman (1998) and the Job Descriptive Index by Smith, Kendall, and Hulin (1969). The study data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28. Descriptive analysis found that the level of emotional intelligence and job satisfaction of teachers is high. While Pearson correlation analysis found a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. This study contributes in terms of reference because studies related to the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction of PPKI secondary school teachers are still rarely studied. It is hoped that the findings of this study can provide useful information to those responsible for taking proactive steps to produce productive and innovative teaching staff.