Emotional intelligence (EI) has been widely researched, but it has not been studied within the context of school leadership in Abu Dhabi. The present study aimed to explore EI in the praxis of school leaders and managers by applying Goleman’s five EI dimensions—self-awareness, empathy, managing emotions, motivating oneself and others, and social skills—which underpin professional attributes. Both quantitative and qualitative data captured the EI attributes demonstrated by Abu Dhabi public school leaders and managers, challenges pertaining to their EI skills, and areas and aspects of EI that require development to enhance school improvement. Fifty-item open-access quantitative Intelligence Questionnaire-Leadership (IQL) survey was utilized. The qualitative component (interviews) of the research followed the initial quantitative survey. Each interview lasted approximately 40–50 min. All 123 research participants who completed the survey were invited to take part in a semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Moreover, the study’s focus on paths for school leadership development from an EI perspective lays the groundwork for further research into the needs and scope for EI in schools. The study findings recognize the need for PD to further develop school leaders in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi on EI competences.

情商 (EI) 已得到广泛研究，但尚未在阿布扎比的学校领导背景下进行研究。本研究旨在通过应用 Goleman 的五个 EI 维度——自我意识、同理心、管理情绪、激励自己和他人以及社交技能——来探索学校领导和管理人员实践中的 EI，这些维度是专业属性的基础。定量和定性数据都记录了阿布扎比公立学校领导和管理人员展示的情商属性、与他们的情商技能相关的挑战，以及需要发展以加强学校改进的情商领域和方面。使用了 50 项开放式定量情报问卷-领导力 (IQL) 调查。研究的定性部分（访谈）遵循最初的定量调查。每次采访大约持续 40-50 分钟。完成调查的所有 123 名研究参与者都被邀请参加半结构化的面对面访谈。此外，该研究从 EI 的角度关注学校领导力发展的路径，为进一步研究学校 EI 的需求和范围奠定了基础。研究结果认识到 PD 需要进一步培养阿布扎比酋长国学校领导的 EI 能力。