A TRI-STATE NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

Abstract

This study explored the importance and inclusion of emotional intelligence in the existing curriculum by agricultural education instructors. Although much research has been conducted about the importance of emotional intelligence in the realm of education, research in the area of emotional intelligence in agricultural education programs is limited. The concept of incorporating emotional intelligence into the agriscience curriculum is not a new idea. The very philosophy of agricultural education lends itself to the development of emotional intelligence. Agricultural education instructors identified eight out of twenty emotional intelligence competency areas identified through the review of literature as high-level success abilities. This means agricultural education instructors believe these competency areas are important and they are actually including them in their current curriculum. Eleven of the twenty emotional intelligence competency areas were identified as low-level needs. This indicates that agricultural education instructors do not believe these competency areas are important, and therefore they do not believe that the competency areas need to be included in their programs. One competency area, conflict resolution, was identified as being a critical need. This indicates that teachers believe conflict resolution is important, but they are not including it in their program curriculum.