Emotional Intelligence for the Culinary Industry: Perspectives of Community College Instructors Participating in a Collaborative Inquiry Project

This qualitative descriptive case study documents the experiences of culinary instructors furthering their learning of emotional intelligence fundamentals. Research participants included a total of 6 participants. The study was implemented as a collaborative inquiry project and was guided by the experiential learning cycle. The research questions guiding the study were: (1) What can culinary instructors gain from participating in a collaborative inquiry project focusing on emotional intelligence fundamentals? (2) How do they describe their learning experiences and understanding of emotional intelligence? (3) How does participation in this project impact curriculum planning and instructor's views to promote change? Data collection sources included an online questionnaire, a 3-hour emotional intelligence workshop, three collaborative sessions, a group interview, participant written reflections, field notes, and the research journal. Creswell and Poth's (2018) data analysis spiral served as the method for data analysis. Study findings are presented in three chapters under participant profiles, participant's learning experiences and understanding of emotional intelligence, and impact on curriculum planning. This study highlights the important role that EI fundamentals play in the professional lives of culinary educators as they train and build relationships with their students, the next generation of food service professionals. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]