The effect of students’ emotional intelligence on teacher-student relationships: The case of one Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Kazakhstan

Teacher-student relationships play a significant role in students‟ personal and learning development and, more specifically, influences the quality of relationships between teachers and students. However, emotional intelligence and teacher-student relationships are still considered to be understudied topics in Kazakhstan. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of students‟ level of emotional intelligence on teacher-student relationships in one Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Kazakhstan. The research questions that will lead this study are: RQ1: How do students describe their relationship with their teachers? RQ2: What is the level of students‟ emotional intelligence? RQ3: How do students‟ gender, language of instruction, and age affect teacher-student relationships and students‟ emotional intelligence? RQ4: How do students‟ emotional intelligence influence teacher-student relationships in one Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Kazakhstan? To answer these research questions, a quantitative cross-sectional correlational research design was implemented. The participant sample consists of 57 high-school students over 18 years of age. In general, the results of this study suggest that the participants of this study report positive relationships with their teachers, however, older students and those studying in the Kazakh language feel less positive about these relationships. Additionally, findings demonstrate students‟ gender, language of instruction or age do not have an influence on students‟ emotional intelligence. Finally, students‟ level of emotional intelligence influences to what extent their teachers can be satisfied with them. This study contributes to improving teacher-student relationships in Kazakhstan by providing relevant information about the influence of students‟ gender, age and language of instruction on their level of emotional intelligence and teacher-student relationships