In the modern education system, principals may be regarded as mediating agents standing at the school doorstep, between the extraschool and intraschool worlds (Shaked & Schechter, 2017). However, current education research has focused mostly on teachers and students, neglecting principals. Principals, as leaders, must balance multiple needs and face conflict pressures (Mahfouz, 2020). This professional feature requires principals to have a variety of abilities, including communication, coordination, decision making, and insight. These qualities are closely related to emotional intelligence, which refers to the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and influence emotions in oneself and others (Goleman, 2020). In education settings, high levels of emotional intelligence have been linked to better performance (Keefer et al., 2018), yet its specific impact on principals’ career decisions requires further exploration.

 

According to conservation of resources (COR) theory (Hobfoll, 1989), emotional intelligence is an emotional resource for principals to handle stressors. When they manage these effectively, conflict stress may decrease and job satisfaction may rise. Thus, the mediating roles of conflict stress and job satisfaction are key to understanding the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention. By applying COR theory, in this study we sought to establish if emotional intelligence influences principals’ turnover intention through the mediators of conflict stress and job satisfaction, and how these mediators interact to shape this relationship.

Emotional intelligence is conceptualized as comprising four dimensions: emotion self-appraisal, regulation of emotions, use of emotions, and appraisal of others’ emotions (Wong & Law, 2017). Many studies have shown that emotional intelligence is significantly related to employees’ job attitude, job performance, conflict management, and happiness (e.g., Doğru, 2022). Additionally, emotional intelligence plays a critical role in leadership, enabling leaders to navigate challenges and enhance their social and emotional functioning, ultimately fostering a positive organizational culture (Falahat et al., 2014).

 

Turnover intention refers to an individual’s conscious desire to leave their current position (Tett & Meyer, 1993). Factors such as working conditions (Yan, 2020) mean that high turnover in principal roles has become a significant issue in education, with studies having explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention. Extremera et al. (2020) showed that emotional intelligence can mitigate burnout and job dissatisfaction, which are key precursors to turnover intention. However, some research has suggested that emotional intelligence may have the opposite effect, and lead to negative consequences for the individual. For instance, Davis and Nichols (2016) noted that emotional intelligence can lead to poor mental health, stress, and emotional manipulation, which may increase turnover intention. Specifically, individuals experiencing these negative outcomes may feel overwhelmed in their work environment, which can motivate them to leave their position. Further, Sun et al. (2019) stated that emotional intelligence in the workplace could potentially result in emotional manipulation and counterproductive behaviors.

 

To summarize, although emotional intelligence can help individuals to effectively solve difficult problems at work, in some cases it may cause them to more accurately identify dissatisfaction in the work environment and inspire the courage to seek better job opportunities, thus intensifying their intention to leave. This suggests that the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention may not be linear. Thus, in the education context, the complex impact of principals’ emotional intelligence on their turnover intention remains a matter for further research.

Conflict stress involves the psychological strain from interpersonal conflict and role ambiguity (Giebels & Janssen, 2020). In educational settings, conflict stress is particularly salient for principals (Saha et al., 2023). Specifically, all four dimensions of emotional intelligence (i.e., emotion self-appraisal, regulation of emotions, use of emotions, and appraisal of others’ emotions) can guide individuals to effectively reduce their conflict stress (Salovey & Mayer, 1990).

 

The relationship between conflict stress and turnover intention has been extensively documented in previous studies (e.g., Bhayo et al., 2017). Principals facing persistent conflict stress may find it challenging to sustain their commitment to their profession. Jalees et al. (2023) found that employees who effectively manage their emotions tend to experience lower stress levels, leading to higher job satisfaction and reduced turnover intention.

Job satisfaction primarily refers to an individual’s overall evaluative judgment regarding their work (Brief & Weiss, 2002). In a meta-analysis Miao et al. (2017) demonstrated that emotional intelligence positively impacts job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This is likely because emotional intelligence helps individuals to manage their emotions and cope with stress, which contributes to higher levels of job satisfaction. Further, a substantial body of research has indicated that job satisfaction is a negative predictor of turnover intention (e.g., Alam & Asim, 2019). When job satisfaction declines, employees may perceive their psychological resources as being under threat, therefore prompting them to leave.

Previous studies have reported finding a significant correlation between job stress and job satisfaction (e.g., McVicar, 2016). Principals with high levels of conflict stress tend to expend more energy on dealing with various disputes. In the process of constantly dealing with conflicts, they may gradually become disappointed with their work environment, leading to lower levels of job satisfaction.

On the basis of our literature review, we proposed the following hypotheses:

Hypothesis 1: Principals’ emotional intelligence will negatively predict their turnover intention.

Hypothesis 2: Conflict stress will mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention.

Hypothesis 3: Job satisfaction will mediate the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention.

Hypothesis 4: Conflict stress and job satisfaction will act as chain mediators of the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention, with emotional intelligence predicting lower turnover intention through reduced conflict stress and increased job satisfaction.

 

The proposed sequential mediation model is shown in Figure 1.

In July 2024, we collected data from primary and secondary school principals across several provinces in Mainland China. Of the 460 responses we received, 415 were valid (rate of response = 90.2%). The demographic distribution of the sample is shown in Table 1.

We conducted our survey online using the Wenjuanxing platform (https://www.wjx.cn), inviting principals to complete the 33-item questionnaire. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Biological and Medical Ethics Committee of Minzu University of China (ECMUC2024005CO). Before starting the survey, participants provided informed consent and were assured of the anonymity of their responses. After completion, the research team thanked the participants and briefly explained the purpose of the study.

All scales were adapted and back-translated for the Chinese context. First, bilingual researchers translated the scales from English into Chinese. Second, the Chinese versions were back-translated into English by another set of bilingual researchers to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the translation. Any discrepancies between the original and back-translated versions were discussed and resolved, ensuring that the final Chinese versions accurately reflected the meaning of the original scales. The results of confirmatory factor analysis of all scales are presented in Table 2.

 

We used the Emotional Intelligence Scale, adapted from Wong and Law (2017), to measure emotional intelligence. The scale contains 16 items divided evenly across four dimensions: emotion self-appraisal (e.g., “I really understand what I feel”), regulation of emotions (e.g., “I have good control of my emotions”), use of emotion (e.g., “I am a self-motivating person”), and other-emotion appraisal (e.g., “I am a good observer of others’ emotions”). Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. We treated emotional intelligence as a second-order latent variable.

 

We used the Conflict Stress Scale, adapted from Giebels and Janssen (2020), to measure conflict stress. The scale originally contained four items; however, we removed one item (“How often do you feel nervous during or directly after a conflict with colleagues?”) to better align with the focus of our study. A sample item is “How often do you become upset during or directly after a conflict with your colleagues?” Items are rated using a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree.

  

We used the Job Satisfaction Scale, adapted from Brayfield and Rothe (1951) and later adapted by Judge et al. (2017), to measure job satisfaction. The scale contains five items, such as “I find real enjoyment in my work.” Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.

 

We used the Turnover Intention Scale, adapted from Bothma and Roodt (2013), to measure turnover intention. This scale originally contained six items. We removed two items to better fit the model. A sample item is “I often think about leaving my job.” Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree.

We analyzed the data using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrapping mediation analysis, conducted via SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.3. Using the bootstrapping method, we used 5,000 resamples to generate 95% confidence intervals for the indirect effects.

The descriptive statistics and correlations among all variables are presented in Table 3.

As shown in Table 4, the fit indices of our study model all met the commonly accepted criteria for structural equation models (Schermelleh-Engel et al., 2003). The nonsequential mediation model also showed an adequate fit to the data, χ²/df = 3.27, comparative fit index = .95, Tucker−Lewis index = .94, standardized root-mean-square residual = .08, root-mean-square error of approximation = .072. Compared to the nonsequential mediation model, the sequential mediation model offered a significantly better fit.

We conducted a structural equation modeling analysis, which revealed that all hypothesized paths in the sequential mediation model were statistically significant at p < .05. The estimated path coefficients are illustrated in Figure 2, demonstrating the relationships among emotional intelligence, conflict stress, job satisfaction, and turnover intention.

We used the bias-corrected nonparametric percentile bootstrapping method to test the mediation effect. As shown in Table 5, the total effect of emotional intelligence on turnover intention was negative, with significant mediating roles of conflict stress and job satisfaction, thereby supporting Hypotheses 2, 3, and 4. However, contrary to our prediction, emotional intelligence was found to positively predict turnover intention. These findings partially supported Hypothesis 1.

In this study we used structural equation modeling to test a sequential mediation model exploring how emotional intelligence influences turnover intention, both directly and indirectly through conflict stress and job satisfaction. The findings provide nuanced insights into the complex effects of emotional intelligence on turnover intention.

We found a positive direct effect of principals’ emotional intelligence on turnover intention before introducing mediating variables. This result contrasts with the widely accepted view that emotional intelligence typically serves as a protective factor against turnover intention. Some studies have reported similar findings (e.g., Kartono & Hilmiana, 2018), demonstrating that emotional intelligence positively influences turnover intention, as reflected in behaviors such as considering and planning resignation, and job searching. Previous work has attributed this relationship to job burnout, suggesting that employees with high emotional intelligence may experience greater emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal accomplishment, ultimately increasing the likelihood of leaving their job. These findings indicate that while emotional intelligence is generally regarded as being a protective factor, its effects may vary depending on contextual factors such as job demands and stress levels. Possible explanations for this phenomenon could be that principals with high levels of emotional intelligence may be more sensitive and empathetic, allowing them to perceive dissatisfaction more acutely. Subsequently, principals with high emotional intelligence tend to adopt collaborative and conciliatory approaches when dealing with internal school conflicts. This could lead to emotional exhaustion over time. Furthermore, principals with high emotional intelligence often possess excellent problem-solving capabilities (Brinia et al., 2014), which provide them with high competitiveness in the workplace. If a principal perceives limited opportunities for professional growth, they may pursue alternative positions that align better with their career-development goals.

This study revealed that conflict stress mediated the relationship between principals’ emotional intelligence and their turnover intention. By skillfully navigating emotion in their work environments, principals with high emotional intelligence can lessen the frequency of job-related conflicts, thereby reducing the turnover intention of staff. Further, our study revealed that job satisfaction significantly mediates the relationship between principals’ emotional intelligence and their turnover intention, which is consistent with findings indicating that higher job satisfaction is associated with lower turnover intention (Kurniawan & Susanto, 2023). Finally, our study examined the chain mediation effect of conflict stress and job satisfaction on the impact of emotional intelligence on principals’ turnover intention. Our findings show that emotional intelligence may reduce conflict stress and enhance job satisfaction, thereby indirectly influencing turnover intention.

 

According to COR theory (Hobfoll, 1989), principals with high emotional intelligence who manage conflict stress will conserve personal resources. This will enhance job satisfaction by allowing them to better meet emotional and professional needs, in turn reducing resource depletion and turnover intention, and thereby fostering a virtuous cycle.

Our study has expanded the application of COR theory by highlighting the importance of emotional resources in maintaining stability in educational leadership. This challenges the traditional view that emotional intelligence only reduces turnover intention by instead revealing its dual effect. While emotional intelligence helps principals to manage conflicts and build positive relationships, the associated emotional demands of this process may also contribute to stress and job dissatisfaction, increasing the likelihood of turnover. In terms of practical implications, our study emphasizes the need for principals to engage in regular self-reflection and proactive career planning, such as attending emotion-management workshops. Education administrators should focus on mitigating conflict stress and enhancing job satisfaction, providing conflict-management training and structured peer support to help principals effectively navigate workplace challenges. Additionally, reducing administrative burdens may help sustain the commitment of school principals.

First, the structural equation modeling approach used in this study revealed variable correlations rather than providing strong causal evidence. Future research could use causal inference techniques to better understand the predictive relationships among principals’ levels of emotional intelligence, conflict stress, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. Second, we found that emotional intelligence can be a double-edged sword. While it helps principals manage stress and build supportive relationships, it may also heighten their sensitivity to workplace dissatisfaction, leading to emotional exhaustion or career shifts. Researchers could consider incorporating more situational factors and individual differences into the research model, using longitudinal studies to capture the multifaceted role of emotional intelligence in different professional settings.

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