Determining the Relationship Between Midwifery Students’ Emotional Intelligence Levels and Their Perception of Clinical Learning Experience

Introduction: Emotional intelligence is a multifaceted concept that involves the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and utilize one's own emotions as well as those of others. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between midwifery students’ emotional intelligence levels and their perceptions of clinical learning experiences. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with the midwifery students in a public university. Data were collected using the "Descriptive Information Form," the "Emotional Intelligence Scale," and the "Perceptions of Midwifery Students Toward Clinical Learning Experiences Scale."
Results: Two hundred five midwifery students completed the study. Of the participants, 35.6% were first-year, 24.4% second-year, 24.9% third-year, and 15.1% fourth-year students. Among them, 72.7% were graduates of Anatolian high schools, 74.1% lived in nuclear families, and 65.9% reported being raised in democratic family environments. In addition, 31.2% resided in metropolitan areas, and 62.9% were staying in dormitories. According to the findings, there was a statistically significant difference in emotional intelligence levels and perceptions of clinical learning experiences across the year levels (p<0.005). First-year midwifery students were found to have higher levels of emotional intelligence and more positive perceptions of clinical learning experiences compared to students in other years (p<0.05). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the total score of the Emotional Intelligence Scale and the total score of the Perceptions of Clinical Learning Experiences Scale (r=0.263, p<0.05). Discussion and Conclusion: As midwifery students' emotional intelligence levels increase, their perceptions of clinical learning experiences also improve.

Keywords: Clinical learning; Emotional intelligence; Health sciences students