The effects of teacher’s emotional intelligence on team-member exchange and job performance: The moderating role of teacher seniority

This study aims to examine the effects of teachers’ seniority, emotional intelligence (EI), and team-member exchange (TMX) quality on their job performance in primary schools. In particular, the mediating role of TMX on the relationship between EI and job performance, and the moderated mediating effect of teacher seniority on EI-TMX-job performance relationships were scrutinised. Data were collected from 387 teachers of primary schools in Taiwan. The SPSS PROCESS macro and structural equation modelling (SEM) were applied to test the hypotheses using SPSS 26.0. The research findings indicated that primary teachers’ EI positively affected their TMX and job performance. The findings also provide empirical evidence for the positive mediating effect of TMX on the relationship between EI and job performance, as well as the negative moderating effect of teachers’ seniority on the linkage between EI and TMX. Recommendations are made on the enhancement of teachers’ EI and the relationship of TMX in teachers’ professional development programs, educational policies, and practice. Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).