EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN DEVELOPING SOCIAL COMPETENCE FOR FAMILY PARTNERSHIP AMONG FUTURE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

This article examines the role of emotional intelligence and reflective practice in the development of social competence for family-school partnership among pre-service primary school teachers. While cognitive and communicative dimensions of teacher preparation for parent collaboration have received considerable attention in the research literature, the emotional and reflective dimensions — which research increasingly identifies as equally if not more important for professional effectiveness — have been comparatively neglected. The article draws on emotional intelligence theory, reflective practice frameworks, and the empirical literature on teacher resilience and professional wellbeing to argue that emotionally intelligent, reflectively oriented teachers are better equipped to build and sustain productive partnerships with the diverse and sometimes challenging families they serve. A comprehensive pedagogical model is proposed that integrates emotional intelligence development, structured reflective practice, and family partnership skills training within a coherent pre-service preparation framework. The article examines the specific emotional demands of family-school partnership interactions — including the management of parental anxiety, criticism, and cultural difference — and proposes pedagogical approaches for developing the emotional competencies these demands require. It concludes with implications for teacher education program design and for the professional support of newly qualified primary teachers as they navigate the emotional dimensions of family-school partnership.