Impact of the Student Teaching Internship on the Emotional Intelligence of Pre-Service School-Based Agricultural Education Teachers

Morgan E. Sweeney; Christopher J. Eck; Robert Terry, Jr.; Jon W. Ramsey

doi:10.5032/jae.v67i3.3390

Authors

Morgan E. Sweeney Oklahoma State University https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0664-013X
Christopher J. Eck University of Tennessee https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1645-3632
Robert Terry, Jr. Oklahoma State University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4485-0149
Jon W. Ramsey Oklahoma State University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3424-9237

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v67i3.3390

Keywords:

Emotional Intelligence, Pre-Service, Student Teaching, Teachers, Education

Abstract

This study sought to explore the impact the student teaching internship has on the emotional intelligence of pre-service teachers during the Spring 2025 semester. Objectives for the study were identified as: determine the emotional intelligence level of pre-service teachers prior to their first teaching experience, determine the emotional intelligence level of pre-service teachers just after their first teaching experience, and compare the difference in emotional intelligence scores from before and after the student teaching experience. The population of interest was pre-service school-based agricultural education teachers at Oklahoma State University. The instrument used was the Social-Emotional Competence Teacher Rating Scale (SECTRS) with a retrospective pretest-posttest approach. Teacher-student relationships and interpersonal relationships were found to be the two components of Emotional Intelligence impacted most by the student teaching internship. This study highlights the necessity of incorporating emotional intelligence training into teacher preparation programs to better prepare preservice teachers for the demands of teaching school-based agricultural education.

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References

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