Impact of the student teaching internship on the emotional intelligence of pre-service school-based agricultural education teachers

This study sought to explore the impact the student teaching internship has on the emotional intelligence of pre-service teachers during the Spring 2024 semester. The 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. The instrument used was the Social-Emotional Competence Teacher Rating Scale (SECTRS) with a retrospective pretest-posttest approach. Social Awareness and Emotional Regulation were found to be the two components of Emotional Intelligence impacted the 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 the classroom.