Development of Emotional Intelligence During an Adventure and Experiential-Based Learning Course.

This article focuses on the United States Air Force Academy’s (USAFA) Adventure and Experiential Based Learning (AEBL) course, designed to develop emotional intelligence (EI) in sophomore cadets through outdoor experiential education. Using the Workgroup Emotional Intelligence Profile-Short (WEIP-S) in a pre/posttest design, the study found significant improvements across four EI subcomponents—awareness and management of one’s own emotions, and awareness and management of others’ emotions—after cadets completed the five-day AEBL program involving classroom instruction, challenge courses, and a 28-hour team adventure. The findings suggest that immersive, team-based outdoor experiences with guided reflection may effectively enhance EI skills in military cadets, supporting leadership development beyond traditional lecture-based methods. Limitations include lack of control groups, gender imbalance, and variability in facilitator expertise, indicating a need for further controlled research to confirm and expand these results.