SPECIFICITIES OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES IN RESOLVING CONFLICT SITUATIONS AMONG PEDAGOGUES OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study of the relationship between emotional intelligence and behavioral strategies in conflict resolution among pedagogues. Pedagogical conflicts have been determined to arise at the level of interpersonal and intergroup relations within the educational space of the subjects of pedagogical or educational activities. The professional qualities of a modern pedagogue include the development of their emotional competence and emotional intelligence. The ability to discern the emotional expressions of subjects in the educational space enables the educator to maintain their professional stance, avoiding assimilation with the destructive emotional reactions of colleagues and parents. Such assimilation could lead to unbearable emotional stress and misunderstandings. The empirical study involved 30 pedagogues of a combinedtype preschool educational institution in Brovary. It has been discovered that the research subjects exhibit low and moderate levels of the integral indicator of emotional intelligence. There was no high level identified during the research. The correlation analysis indicated that emotional intelligence and conflict management strategies can be considered interconnected: the higher the level of emotional intelligence of the research subjects, the more prioritized such strategies as "compromising," "collaborating," and "avoiding"; the lower the level of emotional intelligence, the more likely the "accommodating" strategy is chosen. These results may indicate a direct correlation between the ability to analyze and recognize emotions, empathize, and choose more favorable behavioral strategies. Specific components of emotional intelligence, such as the locus of role conflict and the overall level of social control, influence the choice of conflict management strategies by individuals in both groups, such as "compromising," "collaborating," "avoiding," and "accommodating."