Участие в IT-стартапах как инструмент формирования soft skills у бакалавров IT-направлений

Skills development for software engineers: Systematic literature review

Relevance. In modern education, there is a great demand for the release of highly professional specialists who will cooperate and build constructive relationships with others, solve problems, and have unified skills or soft skills. The soft skills group includes a large group of skills that do not depend on training programmes, but have a great impact on the professional growth of a person and the successful development of solid professional skills.Purpose. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the problem of the development of soft skills in higher school students in the process of fostering their professional qualities, and to identify and create conditions (methods or courses) under which the complex development of soft skills of students will be provided.Methodology. The research methods chosen were questionnaires, surveys, psychological diagnostic methods, and the rank standardisation method.Results. The findings of the study determined which soft skills students need to develop (understanding of management, development of self-control and self-realisation, development of leadership and communicative qualities), and in which area. In addition, the state of development of these skills in students of higher educational institutions and the ways of their development were diagnosed. Moreover, scientific and methodological foundations were created for the development of soft skills in the educational process.Conclusions. In the course of the study, a model for the development of soft skills and a course programme were created that can be introduced into the educational process of higher education in order to develop high professional qualities. The results of the study, the model and the course can be used in further research on this problem.

The role of tourism and hotels faculties is not only focusing on academic knowledge and hard skills for students, but also including the development of soft skills in order to improve the quality of graduates and employability. Soft skills development is intended to enable and enhance personal development, participation in learning, and success in employment paths. Soft skills are to be considered as complementary to technical skills (hard skills) and knowledge that students acquire during their university study. This study aims to exploring the role of tourism and hotels faculties in Egypt in developing soft skills for undergraduate students. A survey tool is designed covering four main study dimensions including: Perception of Soft Skills Importance, Faculty’s Encouragement, Types of Soft Skills, and Practiced Methods for Soft Skills Development. A total of 388 completes are collected from students (255 completes) and faculty staff members (93 completes). The study found that the most serious obstacles for developing students’ soft skill were: lack of clear policies and programs, the absence of interest of students in developing their soft skills, some staff members give more attention to basic technical skills (hard skills) than soft skills. This study presented few recommendations that can help the faculties and staff members to better develop soft skills for students including: diversification of soft skills using a variety of methods, offering clear policies and programs for soft skills development such as training programs, seminars and workshops, embodying soft skills in curriculums, and increasing the level of students' activities encouraging them to participate in. Moreover, staff members should give attention to both basic technical skills (hard skills) and soft skills.

While employers still see the value in accessing hard skills, the current hiring process involves placing a greater emphasis on the transferable skills known as soft skills. These soft skills include critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, written and oral communication, and the ability to research independently. As such, hiring managers suggest the onus for developing soft skills rest with faculty as they equip these future employees with the soft skills necessary for a given role or industry. There exists an abundance of research in skill development and employability from the vantage point of the employer and of the graduating student, however, very little has been dedicated to faculty perception of the value of hard and soft skills. The purpose of this study therefore was to measure the emphasis sport management faculty place on soft and hard skills. Respondents (n = 106) provided the level of emphasis they give to soft and hard skills in the classroom and in their faculty meetings. Results indicate that sport management faculty place significantly greater emphasis on soft skills in the classroom and believe these skills have a greater impact on both initial hiring decisions and subsequent long-term career success.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship and influence between the competence of practical educators and the abilities and knowledge of early childhood in soft skills and hard skills. Problems or difficulties arise when learning does not always run smoothly, including a poor school environment, unattractive learning models and reduced early childhood abilities. This situation is often a problem that often arises in the learning process. Teaching and learning has many objectives to be achieved, including the development and improvement of student performance and skills. The method used is quantitative validation. The target of this study were students from several state early childhood education schools in DKI Jakarta Province with a total of 285 students, and the number of children selected using the purposive sampling method was 165 children. The results of the study show that there is a positive and significant relationship between the competence of practicing teachers and young children (soft skills and hard skills). Practical teacher innovation greatly influences the development of early childhood skills. Meanwhile, the competence and innovation of practicing teachers have a positive and significant effect on improving early childhood skills (soft and hard skills). Based on these findings, schools need to maintain children's achievements and develop children's skills in a sustainable manner by providing experienced and trained teachers

In addition to subject-specific (or technical) skills, so-called soft skills or 21st Century Skills, should be essential learning outcomes in almost any higher education curriculum. However, only a limited number of learning activities aiming at the development of soft skills are carried out in current higher education curricula. Multiplayer online games are considered as learning tools fostering soft skills. In this study, an elective course designed for teaching soft skills in engineering disciplines using the commercial multiplayer online game EVE Online is evaluated. Presented are the design of the online course, and evaluation results. Evaluation instruments include a questionnaire on social presence, intrinsic motivation, and expectations of students as well as semi-structured interviews. Overall, the evaluation renders multiplayer online games to be promising soft skills learning tools aiming at digital game-savvy students. Further, the evaluation provides guidance for enhancing the course design and thereby contributes to establishing multiplayer online games as learning tools for soft skills.

Problem-solving is an essential skill for students, necessary for both acquiring knowledge and preparing for future challenges. The Kampus Mengajar Program, part of the MBKM (Independent Learning Independent Campus) initiative by the Directorate General of Higher Education, aims to enhance students’ soft and hard skills, including problem-solving abilities. This study investigates the impact of the Kampus Mengajar Program on the problem-solving skills of Primary School Teacher Education students. This qualitative research focused on students from the Primary School Teacher Education program at Riau University who participated in the Kampus Mengajar Program Batch 3. Data were collected through case studies, with participants' problem-solving abilities being the primary focus. Descriptive analysis was used to present the findings. The findings revealed that the Kampus Mengajar Program had a positive impact on students' problem-solving skills. Through this program, students were able to develop their soft skills, particularly problem-solving, by engaging in real-world teaching experiences and addressing challenges in primary school education. The Kampus Mengajar Program provided a practical platform for students to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts, thereby enhancing their ability to analyze and solve problems. This hands-on experience proved effective in improving the students' problem-solving abilities, making it a valuable component of their teacher education. The Kampus Mengajar Program significantly contributed to the development of problem-solving skills in Primary School Teacher Education students, offering an effective approach to enhance both their soft and hard skills through practical, real-world engagement.

Increasing awareness of the productive potential of soft skills has sparked a discussion of their systematic and purposeful development. However, education systems pay only limited attention to this topic in most countries and remain focused on the development of hard skills. Is this approach rational or inadequate? This article provides new evidence on different aspects of the wage returns to soft skills (as an approximation of their productivity), and thereby contributes significantly to the discussion of the role of educational institutions in their development. It provides evidence that soft skills are as productive as hard skills. Moreover, it suggests that the productivity of hard skills stems from their combination with soft skills. These conclusions do not correspond to the fact that the value of education is intermediated mainly by hard skills, resulting in unequal development of soft and hard skills in schools. While concluding that education systems should pay more attention to soft skills development, the analysis recognises that this attention should be differentiated according to employers’ needs, owing to substantial differences in the value of soft skills across economic sectors. It is also noteworthy that while significant gender differences in returns to hard skills were identified, wage returns to soft skills appear gender neutral.

This study review evolved in tandem with experiential learning in a group of next generation leaders. It emphasizes several practices in achieving soft and hard skills through identifying three core phases: awkwardness, awareness, and familiarity in practice. Kolb's experiential learning theory supports the paradigm of skills acquisition through experience, reflection, conceptualization, and experimentation. Skills acquisition is essential for development as a necessity for enhanced employability, enhanced productivity, and overall individual growth due to constant adaptation and learning. The review methods included a literature review approach by evaluating existing published findings on critical aspects of developing soft and hard skills, and receiving group feedback on experiential application. The panorama of aspects evaluated include understanding soft and hard skills, phases of practice in the skills development process, the role of practice in skills development, levels of thinking in translating theory into practice, critical, practical and creative thinking, reflective thinking, insight, foresight, hindsight, combining levels of thinking into practice. Collectively, the findings were intended to provide a detailed understanding of amplifying learning development and advancing human capabilities through soft and hard skills. Hard skills are defined as the technical competencies required to perform tasks, and are acquired through knowledge. At the same time, soft skills are required to integrate the hard skills into practice. Notably, skills development occurs in phases, including awkwardness, consciousness, and assimilation. Practice also plays a critical role in skills development by helping the brain to translate knowledge into practical skills. Translating theory into practice also requires levels of thinking, including critical, practical, and reflective thinking. Creative thinking at the workplace involves establishing new, unique aspects by considering various perspectives of the problem to develop a solution. Reflective thinking is a critical soft skill that allows individuals to navigate an unpredictable situation, allowing for the evaluation of actions. In reflective thinking, insight involves developing a coherent and in-depth understanding of aspects that were not transparent previously. Foresight entails drawing from previous experiences to predict the future and solve problems based on the individual's understanding of the problem. Hindsight provides a comprehensive understanding of the consequences of previous experiences, emphasizing the accuracy of insight into a specific aspect of the business. In sum, skills development is an essential concept in the modern human resource and talent acquisition sector, and thereto, developing both soft and hard skills is essential as shown by the reviewed literature. Furthermore, it is vital to comprehend that skills development occurs in phases, all drawn from Kolb's experimental learning theory, including awkwardness, consciousness, and assimilation. Overall, the learning process is crucial as it ensures that an individual can eventually perform these skills autonomously.

This study was conducted to find out the effect of New Normal Education which was described in terms of online and distance learning on teachers? skills in management as to soft and hard skills. Specifically, it aimed to determine the extent of new normal education as to online distance learning in terms of computer competency, virtual classroom behavior management and web resources utilization; and the extent of new normal education as to modular distance learning in terms of lack of communication, learning materials and time management. It also sought to find out the level of teachers? soft skills in management relative to adaptability/flexibility, communication, conflict resolution, creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and problem solving; and the level of teachers? hard skills in management relative to multitasking, social media management and video production. Also, it sought to determine the significant effect of new normal education as to online distance learning and modular distance learning to teachers? soft and hard skills in management. The results of the study implied that out that the extent of new normal education as to online learning in terms of computer competency and virtual classroom behavior management was to a very great extent while the extent of new normal education as to online distance learning was to a great extent. Moreover, the extent of new normal education as to modular distance learning in terms of lack of communication, learning materials and time management were remarked as to a very great extent. The level of all the teachers? soft skills in management were remarked to a very great extent except creativity which was to a great extent. The level of teachers? hard skills in management in terms of multitasking as well as social media management was to a very great extent while video production was to a great extent. The study revealed that new normal education as to online and modular distance learning in terms of computer competency had no significant effect of teachers? soft and hard skills. Moreover, virtual classroom behavior management showed no significant effect on teachers? soft and hard skills in management. In addition, there is a significant effect on teachers? soft skills and hard skills with regards to web resources utilization. It also revealed that only time management for new normal education as to modular distance learning had significant effect on teachers? soft and hard skills in management while lack of communication and learning materials had no significant effect. The null hypotheses: new normal education as to online distance learning has no significant effect on teachers? soft and hard skills in management; and new normal education as to modular distance learning has no significant effect on teachers? soft and hard skills in management were partially accepted. Based on the aforementioned conclusions of this study, it is recommended to establish clear procedures and routines at work that may prevent many problems with time management which enables teachers to be productive, effective and efficient.

In this article we consider the problems of "critical thinking"as a cause of insufficient development of soft skills in high school students. In the course of theoretical analysis the concept and characteristics of critical thinking as a soft skill are established and different approaches to the development of critical thinking skills in high school students are outlined. Since critical thinking allows to guide and control the whole process of learning in school, including the independent development of students regarding the acquisition of not only knowledge, but also soft skills. The special connection between logic and creative thinking is noted. The main ways of developing critical thinking as a factor in the development of soft skills according to the Delphi model (Peter Facione) are outlined. The results of practical research based on the key cognitive skills have shown that the level of development of soft critical thinking skills is a necessary condition for the development of high school students, as soft critical thinking skills were developed in them during the experiment, albeit slightly (due to the use of modern techniques and methods of technology in the process of teaching and education), which determines the effectiveness of their further development. It is recommended to use in school education, in high schools, interactive techniques and methods of developing soft skills, while taking into account the age of students and their need to form critical thinking both for self-development and for the acquisition of other competencies.

In recent decades, educators have pushed to implementing active learning techniques that can advance students' competences. Universities are increasingly required to develop knowledge measured in terms of grades (hard skills) and inter-personal, social, and communication abilities (soft skills). Nevertheless, within the field of active learning, educators often focus on how these techniques can improve students' hard skills and their satisfaction. Few have analysed whether and how these techniques might improve students' soft skills. Moreover, among these few studies, the majority has analysed hard and soft skills separately, measuring whether different active learning techniques may or may not improve them. Virtually no one has studied whether students' hard and soft skills can converge or diverge in an active learning format. This study allows us to understand the relations between these two sets of variables, for example, whether an improvement (or deterioration) in the hard skills corresponds to an improvement (or deterioration) in the soft skills, and vice versa. In our experiment, we analyse the impact of a specific active learning format, such as the Flipped Classroom (FC), on both students' hard and soft skills, by comparing it with a traditional class integrated with other active learning techniques, such as presentations, debates, and teamwork activities. First, we use Pearson correlations to measure the relation between students' hard skills, understood in terms of grades, and a set of soft skills, such as critical thinking, self-efficacy, teamwork, and perception of learning. Second, we use canonical correlations to analyse whether hard and soft skills converge or diverge in an FC format, in comparison with a traditional teaching format integrated with the other active learning techniques. Our main finding is that the FC per se neither improves nor worsens students' performance in terms of hard and soft skills.

PurposeIn recent decades, educators have pushed to implementing active learning techniques that can advance students’ competences. Universities are increasingly required to develop knowledge measured in terms of grades (hard skills) and inter-personal, social, and communication abilities (soft skills). Nevertheless, within the field of active learning, educators often focus on how these techniques can improve students’ hard skills and their satisfaction. Few have analysed whether and how these techniques might improve students’ soft skills. Moreover, among these few studies, the majority has analysed hard and soft skills separately, measuring whether different active learning techniques may or may not improve them. Virtually no one has studied whether students’ hard and soft skills can converge or diverge in an active learning format. This study allows us to understand the relations between these two sets of variables, for example, whether an improvement (or deterioration) in the hard skills corresponds to an improvement (or deterioration) in the soft skills, and vice versa.MethodIn our experiment, we analyse the impact of a specific active learning format, such as the Flipped Classroom (FC), on both students’ hard and soft skills, by comparing it with a traditional class integrated with other active learning techniques, such as presentations, debates, and teamwork activities. First, we use Pearson correlations to measure the relation between students’ hard skills, understood in terms of grades, and a set of soft skills, such as critical thinking, self-efficacy, teamwork, and perception of learning. Second, we use canonical correlations to analyse whether hard and soft skills converge or diverge in an FC format, in comparison with a traditional teaching format integrated with the other active learning techniques.Results and conclusionsOur main finding is that the FC per se neither improves nor worsens students’ performance in terms of hard and soft skills.

This research aims to determine whether implementing the independent learning program through the teaching assistance program can influence the soft and hard skills of accounting education students. Teaching assistance is the Independent Campus Learning program launched by the government. Teaching assistance aims to improve the competency of college graduate students in terms of soft and hard skills. Based on the initial observations of accounting education students at the Universitas Negeri Malang, various problems were found related to students' soft and hard skills in teaching assistance. This research uses quantitative methods by collecting data through questionnaires to measure teaching assistance on students' soft and hard skills. The research sample comprised 153 students in the accounting skills program at SMKN 12 Malang. Data analysis uses simple linear regression analysis to test the effect of teaching assistance on students' soft and hard skills. The research results show that teaching assistance can positively impact students' hard and soft skills. The conclusion of this research shows that teaching assistance is a program that can help students hone soft and hard skills to prepare themselves to become teachers in the real world. The experience students gain through teaching assistance can equip them to be ready for the world of work and to face real situations and conditions in the classroom.

The article is devoted to the study of the impact on the development of future social workers’ social skills (soft skills). It is emphasized that today in the Ukrainian society, as a result of geopolitical, economic, demographic changes, as well as the state of war in the country, the level of expectations regarding creative solutions to various social problems by social workers and fast, clear and high-quality provision of social services has significantly increased. Citizens need prompt social support and trustful communicative interaction in social groups. The study used these research methods: analysis and generalisation of normative, psychological, pedagogical and sociological sources alongside educational and scientific programmes of Ukrainian higher education institutions on the investigated problem, including questionnaires intended for future social workers. The article identifies groups of soft skills that are considered by Ukrainian and foreign scholars, as well as by students themselves, as the most relevant for successful social work. We understand soft skills as the skills, abilities and characteristics that allow you to be competitive and successful in your professional activity. The essence of the factors influencing the development of social skills in students in higher education institutions is determined. The factors influencing the development of social skills of a future social worker are understood as the factors of objective and subjective nature belonging to the external and internal environment within which a student exists during curricular and extracurricular activities in a higher education institution; the ones which give impetus to the acquisition or improvement of certain soft skills in order to achieve a productive result in social activities. The external (global challenges and crises in the political, economic, technological, social, value-related, and educational spheres of society's functioning) and internal (ethical and moral life values, mental and motivational orientations, internal readiness for future social activities, social orientation to work with people, individual and personal development, intellectuality, level of professional competence, available experience of social work) factors of soft skills development in future social workers are substantiated and characterised. In the course of summarising the results of the analysis of the studied issues, it was concluded that it is necessary to take into account a set of factors of influence during the educational process in a higher education institution, since different factors actualise the development of different soft skills in students.