Assessment of emotional intelligence among post-graduating agricultural students

Abstract

The present study focuses on assessing the level of emotional intelligence (EI) among post-graduating students of agriculture, a critical competency in modern professional and social environments. Emotional intelligence, as defined by Daniel Goleman, encompasses five major components: self-awareness, managing emotions, motivating oneself, empathy, and social skills. A total of 173 students from three agricultural colleges affiliated with VNMKV, Parbhani, were surveyed using a standardized emotional intelligence scale. The findings revealed that a majority (67.63%) of students exhibited a medium level of emotional intelligence, followed by 17.92% with low and 14.45% with high EI. Component-wise analysis also showed medium dominance across all five domains, with slightly higher high-level scores in empathy and self-awareness. These results emphasize the need for integrating emotional development strategies into higher agricultural education to prepare emotionally resilient professionals capable of navigating both academic and real-world challenges in agriculture.