Does Emotional Intelligence Change After 1 Year of Courses for the Diagnostic Medical Sonography or Radiography Students?

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine whether emotional intelligence (EI) changes after completion of 1 year of courses for diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) or radiography (RAD) students. Materials and Methods: The participants of this study were 26 imaging undergraduate students. The convenient sample included 10 DMS and 16 RAD students, enrolled in an Associate Degree in Applied Sciences program, within a community college. The study was conducted by administering the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) that collected EI data and demographic data of the participants in both programs. These data were gathered at the beginning of each respective program, as well as 1 year later. Results: The analysis of the findings determined that there was no significant change in global EI and four factors such as wellbeing, self-control, emotionality, and sociability of EI among this cohort of DMS and RAD students after 1 year. However, one of the three trait EI subscales “Optimism” revealed a significant increase after 1 year for this cohort of RAD students. Interestingly, this cohort of DMS students did not show the same outcome. Conclusion: The results of this study provide limited empirical evidence that one of the three trait EI subscales “Optimism” increased after completion of 1 year of courses in this RAD student cohort. This is an important finding that should be carefully considered. This outcome shows that RAD students in this cohort felt significantly more optimistic after 1 year, which reflects their emotional state. However, DMS students in this cohort did not demonstrate the same results.