Emotions in the classroom: The role of teachers’ Emotional Intelligence ability in predicting students’ achievement

School days can be a difficult time especially when students are faced with subjects which require motivational investment along with cognitive effort, such as mathematics and sciences. In the present study, we investigated the effects of teachers’ Emotional Intelligence (EI) ability, self-efficacy, and emotional states and students’ self-esteem, perceptions of ability and metacognitive beliefs in predicting school achievement. We hypothesized that the level of teacher EI ability would moderate the impact of students’ self-perceptions and beliefs regarding their achievements in mathematics and sciences. Students from Italian junior high schools (N = 338) and their math teachers (N = 12) were involved in the study and a multilevel approach was employed. Findings showed that that teachers’ EI has a positive role in promoting students’ achievement, by enhancing the effects of students’ self-perceptions of ability and self-esteem. These results have implications for the implementation of intervention programs on the emotional, motivational, and metacognitive correlates of studying and learning behaviour