Abstract
The purpose of this research was to determine the level of social intelligence of future teachers and to evaluate their views on the basic methods of developing social intelligence. This study was designed as a mixed-methods investigation. The research group consisted of 541 teacher candidates. The research data were collected with the social intelligence assessment scale developed by the researchers and a semi-structured interview form with teachers about the main methods of developing social intelligence. The quantitative data of the study were analyzed using a statistical program. The descriptive analysis method was conducted through the utilisation of qualitative analysis. The study revealed that teacher candidates assigned high ratings to their problem-solving skills, communication skills, and social intelligence. Research findings reveal that there is no significant difference between the social intelligence levels of male and female teacher candidates. Teacher candidates with high academic achievement demonstrated high levels of social intelligence. The results of the study demonstrate that the majority of teacher candidates subscribe to the belief that social intelligence can be cultivated. The majority of prospective teachers seek to cultivate their social intelligence through the application of fundamental methodologies. The proposal included the creation of course content for developing social intelligence at all levels of education.