Vol. 2, Issue 2, Part A (2025)

The study sought to examine the relationship between Social Intelligence (SI) and Professional Effectiveness (PE) among elementary school teachers in Kerala, as well as to analyse the differential influence of selected socio-demographic factors on this relationship. Adopting a descriptive correlational design, the study employed the normative survey method to collect data from a stratified random sample of 627 elementary school teachers drawn from the Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Kozhikode districts of Kerala, India. Data were gathered using the Professional Effectiveness Scale for Elementary School Teachers and the Social Intelligence Test for Teachers. Two null hypotheses were tested using Pearson’s product-moment coefficient of correlation and Fisher’s z-transformation test. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between social intelligence and professional effectiveness for the total sample as well as across various subgroups of teachers. Significant gender-based differences were observed in the strength of this relationship, with a stronger association found among male teachers. Educational qualification also emerged as a significant moderator, with trained postgraduate teachers exhibiting a stronger relationship between social intelligence and professional effectiveness than trained graduate teachers and diploma-holding teachers. The findings were interpreted in the context of recent literature, and implications for teacher professional training and practice were discussed.