INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCE RESEARCH
IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY

This study investigates the interaction between emotional intelligence (EI) and effective leadership and their combined influence on executive functioning among principals in Catholic higher secondary schools in Kerala. With increasing administrative and pedagogical challenges in educational institutions, understanding the cognitive and emotional drivers of effective school leadership has become imperative. Grounded in Goleman’s model of emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness theories such as transformational and servant leadership, this research adopts a quantitative approach using structured scales. A total of 120 principals across Catholic schools in Kerala were surveyed using standardised instruments: the Emotional Intelligence Scale by Schutte et al. (1998), the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass & Avolio, 1995), and the BRIEF-A scale for executive functioning. The data were analysed using SPSS, including correlation, multiple regression, and interaction/moderation analysis. Findings revealed that both emotional intelligence and effective leadership independently have significant positive effects on executive functioning (p<.01). More importantly, their interaction significantly predicts higher executive functioning levels, suggesting that principals who combine emotional competence with transformational or participative leadership styles are better equipped to plan, manage, and make strategic decisions.