Article Title

The Relationship Between Summer Camp Employment and Emotional Intelligence

Authors

Jeffrey A. Jacobs, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Leo H. McAvoy, University of Minnesota
Andrew J. Bobilya, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

Print Reference

p. 73-89. 17p.

Abstract

Camping professionals have long claimed that summer camp employment provides camp staff with a number of benefits. The summer camp staff experience has been shown to have a positive effect on the staff members' personal, social and emotional growth (Bialeschki, Henderson, & Dahowski, 1998; DeGraff & Glover, 2002). Yet, some influentia. others such as parents and human resources professionals have questioned the wisdom of a college student spending a summer of "fun in the sun", working at a summer camp for low pay.

The concept of emotional intelligence has been recently gaining favor in the human resource management arena, and it may be a:fruitful concept to apply to the potential benefit of summer camp employment. Emotional intelligence refers to a 'type of·social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one's thinking and actions" (Mayer & Salovey, 1993, p. 433).

The purpose of this study was to identify how the summer camp experience impacts staff members and to better understand if emotional intelligence is developed through summer camp employment.

Recommended Citation

Jacobs, Jeffrey A.; McAvoy, Leo H.; and Bobilya, Andrew J. (2004) "The Relationship Between Summer Camp Employment and Emotional Intelligence," Research in Outdoor Education: Vol. 7, Article 8.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.cortland.edu/reseoutded/vol7/iss1/8