A Case Study on the Development of Soft Skills among TESL Graduates in a University

Abstract

Graduates of higher education institutions (HEIs) should not only graduate with hard skills but also soft skills. Therefore, it is the responsibility of HEIs as platforms to provide sufficient holistic skills to their graduates so they may perform well at their future workplace. Despite that, graduates are still deemed lacking when it comes to soft skills. The same goes for trainee teachers, as having soft skills is a pertinent aspect as future educators, even for Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) graduates. This paper aims to discuss the role of HEIs in developing soft skills of their TESL graduates. This study applied a mixed methodology via questionnaires and interviews to investigate the respondents' soft skills development which are, (a) critical thinking and problem-solving skills, (b) entrepreneurial skills and (c) moral and professional ethics based on their TESL program. The research findings showed that the respondents perceived the program generally to sufficiently develop their critical thinking and problem solving, entrepreneurship and moral and professional ethics skills as an outcome from the TESL program. However, improvements could be made to the TESL program in order to enhance their development of soft skills so to further improve the quality of teaching and learning and also aid employability. The findings are believed to be useful for future curriculum development of TESL programs in HEIs to consider the ongoing needs of stakeholders like schools when redesigning the curriculum of Teacher Education program.