Abstract
Abstract Possessing a good repertoire of interpersonal skills and a good performance when speaking in public can be considered indispensable for the social and academic adaptation of college students. The aim was to characterize and compare the social skills repertoire of college students from different fields of study (the human, exact and biological sciences) and from different higher education institutions (public and private), and to investigate the associations between these abilities and their self-assessment about speaking in public. A total of 818 college students took part, who answered the Social Skills Inventory (IHS-Del-Prette), Self-Statements During Public Speaking Scale and a Socio-demographic and Occupational Questionnaire. The groups did not differ significantly in relation to their social skills’ repertoire, with most of the participants (n = 432) having a below-average repertoire of abilities when compared to the normative group of the instrument. It was found that male college students and those who had a partner, a job or their own income, and direct contact with the public gave more positive self-assessments about speaking in public. The skills’ classes of self-exposure to strangers and new situations, self-confidence in expressing positive feelings, conversation and social resourcefulness, self-control of aggressivity, and coping and self-confidence with risk, and having a vocational course were the variables that predicted a more positive self-assessment by college students about speaking in public.
Highlights
Possessing a good repertoire of interpersonal skills and a good performance when speaking in public can be considered indispensable for the social and academic adaptation of college students
With regard to the classification of the social skills’ repertoire, the data found are of concern, because most college students had a good repertoire of social skills that was below the median, or a deficient repertoire
There needs to be intervention with this population that aims at them acquiring and improving their social skills, which will lead to better quality interpersonal relations, their adaptation to the academic environment and their preparation for the job market
Summary
Possessing a good repertoire of interpersonal skills and a good performance when speaking in public can be considered indispensable for the social and academic adaptation of college students. A total of 818 college students took part, who answered the Social Skills Inventory (IHS-Del-Prette), Self-Statements During Public Speaking Scale and a Socio-demographic and Occupational Questionnaire. Se objetivó caracterizar y comparar el repertorio de habilidades sociales de universitarios provenientes de diferentes áreas del conocimiento (humanas, exactas y biológicas) e instituciones de enseñanza superior (pública y privada), así como investigar las asociaciones entre estas habilidades y las autoevaluaciones al hablar en publico. Participaron 818 universitarios, que respondieron al Inventario de Habilidades Sociales (IHS-Del-Prette), Self Statements During Public Speaking Scale y un Cuestionario Sociodemográfico y Ocupacional. Los tipos de habilidades de autoexposicion a desconocidos, el reconocimiento en la expresión del sentimiento positivo, el diálogo y el desenvolvimiento social, el autocontrol de la agresividad y haber hecho un curso profesional, fueron las variables clave al momento de una auto evaluación positiva de los universitarios al hablar en público. In the first years of undergraduate courses, students are reported to find it difficult to adapt because college is a transition phase in the life of individuals, during which they are required to adjust to the changes they are experiencing in this period (Furtado, Falcone, & Clark, 2003), such as developing greater autonomy with regard to enhancing the knowledge learned in the classroom by reading complex scientific texts, undertaking practical activities and professional internships, and acquiring greater maturity in order to relate to colleagues, teachers
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